Yu Darvish's potential last start in a Texas Rangers uniform was awful, but it appears hearing his name in trade rumors wasn't responsible for his poor performance.
Darvish was tipping his pitches against a Miami Marlins offense that lit him up for 10 earned runs on nine hits last Wednesday, a source told Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan.
Two scouts and an executive told Passan the Marlins knew exactly what was coming from Darvish because there was a slight pause with his hands when he was throwing his fastball.
The 30-year-old lasted only 3 2/3 innings, allowing eight of his 10 earned runs in the fourth.
Darvish, who watched his ERA rise from 3.44 to 4.01 after the terrible outing, had only allowed five earned runs or more in a contest twice this season before Wednesday's contest against Miami.
He had pitched remarkably well in his last start prior to Wednesday, striking out 12 across eight innings in front of scouts of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, both of whom have reportedly shown interest in the Japanese hurler.
The Yankees and Astros have also been linked to the four-time All-Star, who's increasing likely to be moved before Monday's trade deadline, a source told Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.
Darvish owns a 6-9 record with a 4.01 ERA and 1.17 WHIP across 22 starts, including a 9.7 SO/9 rate.
He's making $11 million this season.