Rangers Hot & Cold, Recall Chris Davis From Triple-A

After splitting a 4-game series at home with the Minnesota Twins (a series many feel Texas should have swept) and dropping two of three in Tampa, Texas is making a move to improve an area of their team which, up until the last 5 or 6 games, has been a huge improvement over last season: their defense.

The much-maligned Chris Davis has been called back up from Triple-A Oklahoma City and will be in the starting lineup tonight in New York against the Yankees.

Hank Blalock had been the regular first baseman since Davis was sent down on July 5th, but is mired in a prolonged slump has seen his average dip to .238 for the year and .190 over his last 30 games. Blalock has only had just 3 walks against 43 strikeouts over the last 38 games.

"This is a situation where the organization has made a decision," Blalock said. "They think we have a better chance to win with other guys in the lineup; as a player, I have to deal with it."



During his time with Oklahoma City, Davis hit .327 (54-165) with six home runs, 12 doubles, and 30 RBIs in 44 games. He also had a .418 on-base percentage, a .521 slugging percentage and was hitting a robust .356 with runners in scoring position.

"He's staying inside the ball and using all fields," Washington said. "He's not trying to hit the ball out of the ballpark. And we all know how impeccable his defense is. We felt he was ready to come back."

Davis has made a couple of small adjustments to his batting stance. He's opened up his stance towards the pitcher. Davis said the changes have helped keep his head steady during the at-bats which has helped with his pitch recognition.

"I don't think it was anything drastic," Davis said. "But I'm seeing pitches better, and I'm laying off pitches out of the strike zone. Before, I was just setting up myself for failure."

To make room for Davis, Andruw Jones has been pout on the 15-day disable list for a strained hamstring. Jones reaggravated the injury Sunday in Tampa and is hitting just .189 in his past 59 games.

"We felt it was better to have some time off now, and get him ready for the stretch run," general manager Jon Daniels.

Ivan Rodriguez could end up with Jones at-bats as the everyday DH. Since being traded from Houston, Pudge is hitting .667 (4-for-6) with 2 doubles, 3 RBI and a walk.

Rangers Dominance Of Angels Continues

The Anaheim Angels have beaten up on pretty much everyone they're run across this season but, for whatever reason, cannot seem to buy a win against the division rival Texas Rangers.

Texas rolled into Anaheim losers of 3 of their last 4, down a #2 starter (after Padilla's dismissal), and knee deep in the Josh Hamilton relapse news. Throw in the fact that the offense seemed to have once again left the building and things looked good for an Anaheim team that has been white hot over the last month.

But the longer this year goes on, the more it seems that this team is not going to fade like so many other talent-laden Rangers teams of past seasons.

The Texas offense exploded in game one of the series, pounding perpetual Rangers punching bag and Angels starter Joe Saunders for five runs in just 1 2/3 innings, highlighted by a big 3-run, 1st inning homerun by the suddenly hot Josh Hamilton.

The homer was his first since July 17th against the Twins.

"I was joking with [Andruw Jones] on the bench saying it has been awhile and I needed to hit one," Hamilton said. "So yes it feels like it has been awhile."

Hank Blalock followed Hamilton with his 22nd homerun of the year.

Omar Vizquel went 4-for-6 on the night, driving in 3 runs while hitting a solo homerun in the 5th.

"I was happy I finally got a home run," Vizquel said. "I didn't want to leave this year without hitting one. It's been awhile. It's always good to hit one so you know you can hit one out at the big league level."



Scott Feldman picked up his 11th win of the year, going six innings while allowing 4 runs.

Game two of the series had all the makings of a pitching duel and neither Kevin Millwood, nor Angels starter Jered Weaver did anything to prove otherwise.

Millwood, making his first start since missing two starts because of a muscle strain, pitched well in his return, going six solid innings, allowing just two runs and leaving the game tied 2-2.

As good as Millwood was, Weaver was just a little bit better as he dominated Texas for 7 1/3 innings, striking out 11 while allowing just two runs, both coming off a 2-run blast by Hank Blalock, his 23rd homerun of the season.



After Eddie Guardado surrendered a solo homerun to Erick Aybar in the 7th, the Angels bullpen combo of Kevin Jepsen and the much maligned Brian Fuentes came in to shut the door on the Rangers, protecting the 3-2 win.

In typical classy fashion, Guardado says to put this one on him.

"Fastball up," Guardado said. "What else? Behind in the count to a non-home run hitter. What else could go wrong? No, I just got a fastball up. No matter who it is, home run hitter or not, you make a mistake against a good team like that and that's what happens."

Texas rolled rookie Derek Holland out for the final game of the series. Two starts prior, Holland had dazzled, throwing strikes, maintaining his control, and coming just one out from his first career complete game. On Sunday, Holland not only nabbed that but tacked on a shutout for good measure, pitching all nine innings while striking out 8 Angels batters.

"He came at us," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "It wasn't any secret. He threw a lot of first-pitch fastballs and did as good a job of getting two-pitch outs as we've seen in a long time. He was ahead in the count all day long. That's partially due to us trying to work pitches early, and he was coming right after us.

"He pitched a terrific game."



Holland didn't allow a hit for the first 5 2/3 innings he pitched and walked just one batter all game long.

"It was just a big game and I wanted to win," Holland said. "I needed it. It was huge to get my confidence back up. I had my team working behind me and I just went out and attacked the strike zone."

Angels starter John Lackey seemed up to task of going toe to toe with Holland as he retired 10 of the first 12 batters he face. But with 2 outs in the 4th, 2-run error in right field by Bobby Abreu got Texas on the board. Lackey, a very emotional player who at times allows those emotions to get the best of him, kept his wheels on, pitching 6 2/3 innings, striking out eight. But with Holland pitching lights out, a typically 'good' performance by Lackey was not going to be enough.

"[Derek] was throwing first-pitch strikes all game," catcher Taylor Teagarden said. "He was commanding his fastball and getting ahead of hitters to get to his offspeed pitches. He had command of his offspeed pitches down in the zone and on both sides of the plate. He was ahead of just about every hitter."

Holland Dominates Mariners As Texas Gets Back On Winning Track

Perhaps some fans had began to wonder exactly why Derek Holland has been the Texas Rangers' top pitching prospect the last few years, as he's struggled to find his footing for a fair portion of his rookie year. But last night, against the Seattle Mariners, Holland gave everyone a glimpse into what Rangers fans hope is the not-so-distant future. The young rookie pitched 8 2/3 scoreless innings (his relief would allow a run to score which was credited to Holland), allowing just two hits the entire night. In the process, he struck out ten batters, walking just one and completely shut down a Mariners that had taken it to Texas just before the All-Star break.

"I think we got a real good look at Derek Holland, as his future gets better," manager Ron Washington said. "He used all his pitches. When you have his fastball and secondary pitches like that, it's hard to sit on pitches."

For the first time all season, Jarrod Saltalamacchia sat with Holland in the dugout between innings, going over hitter tendencies and keeping him focused.

"We had talked about going out there and not going with fastballs," Saltalamacchia said. "We went with off-speed early. He did a great job tonight. I don't think anyone was comfortable tonight in the box."



Upon his exit in the 9th, just one out away from a complete game, Holland was given a standing ovation.

"Hearing the crowd was an awesome feeling," Holland said. "I had chills down my spine."

Holland's offense took a lot of pressure off his back early getting him an early lead, thanks to a big 3-run inning in the bottom of the 2nd courtesy of homeruns by Hank Blalock and Saltalamacchia.

"We had great offense with Hank [Blalock] getting us started," Holland said. "They started it off for me in the second."

Texas struck again the 3rd and then again in the 5th with solo homeruns by Michael Young who had 3 hits on the night and is now hitting .326 on the season.

Marlon Byrd capped the scoring in the 7th, blasting a 2-run homer, his 10th of the year.

The win not only kept Texas 3 back of the Angels in the West but also pulled them to 1 1/2 games back of the Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card Race.

Greinke Tough But Feldman Comes Up Big As Rangers Shutout Royals

Scott Feldman has been saying all year that staff ace Kevin Millwood has set the bar pretty high for staying in games and chewing up innings. Feldman has been very effective this year for six innings but high pitch count and/or fatigue has prevented him from getting through the 7th. On Friday night, Feldman finally broke through that wall, deliving a masterful performance over eight innings in route to his 9th win of the season.

"I hope I can build on this and make it more of a regular thing getting us deeper in the game," Feldman said.



As good as Feldman was, allowing no runs while scattering just four hits over his eight innings, Royals ace Zack Greinke pitched quite a game as well. Greinke went seven innings, striking out ten while allowing just three hits. Unfortunately for the Royals, one of those hits was a solo homerun off the bat of Marlon Byrd.

"I know he wished that pitch was in a better spot," Byrd said. "That was something we needed, and Feldman took it from there."

Texas added an insurance run in the top of the 8th when Hank Blalock hit a long double to center field, scoring Marlon Byrd.

C.J. Wilson took over for Feldman in the 9th, closing Kansas City out, nabbing his 10th save of the year. But despite Wilson's dominant 9th, everyone was talking about Feldman's big night.

"He used his changeup more and had a nice little breaking ball going," catcher Taylor Teagarden said. "I figured Greinke was going to do his usual seven or eight innings and allow zero or one run. At the same time, I was expecting Feldman to do the same."

"For you to outpitch Zack [Greinke], you gotta throw pretty good," Royals catcher Brayan Pena said. "[Feldman] did a great job."

Ron Washington was also quick to praise his starter saying, "Feldman matched the best pitcher in baseball and threw an excellent ballgame."

The shutout was the 6th of the season for Rangers pitchers.

Rangers Make Mistakes On Way To Series Loss To Mariners

The Texas Rangers stumbled to the All-Star break Sunday afternoon, dropping the final two games of a 4-game set in Seattle. Winning just one of four dropped Texas 1 1/2 games behind the Anaheim Angels in AL West.

On Saturday, Kevin Millwood was rolling right along against the Mariners, allowing just one earned run over six innings of work. But in the 7th, perhaps all the battling finally caught up to Millwood, as a lead-off single followed by a 2-run homer by Seattle catcher Rob Johnson proved too much to overcome for the Texas offense.

His counterpart, Jarrod Washburn, looked great against Texas, going seven innings, allowing just one run.

"[Washburn] really did a phenomenal job against a good lineup," Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said. "He kept them off-balance. He threw several pitches that were right on the black. He didn't throw many pitches in the middle of the plate tonight. He did a phenomenal job."

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Despite 6th inning homeruns from Hank Blalock and Nelson Cruz which pulled Texas into a 3-3 tie with the Mariners, Texas' bullpen couldn't hold down the Seattle offense.

Four consecutive singles (one of which should have been ruled a throwing error on Elvis Andrus) surrendered by Darren O'Day and C.J. Wilson resulted in two runs in the bottom of the 7th, giving Seattle all they would need to hold the Rangers off, taking 3 of 4 in the series.

But it wasn't the bullpen that was the subject of blame after the game. Texas kept Mariners starter Erik Bedard in trouble for much of his 5 2/3 innings, but could never get that one big hit to blow the game open.

"We had Bedard in trouble all night," Ranger manager Ron Washington said. "We just couldn't punch anything across, and finally in the sixth inning, we finally tied the ballgame up. Then it was, 'Who's going to make the mistake first?' And we made one, and they punched a couple of runs across the board."

Regardless of the tough finish, Washington is still fine with how the first half of the season went.

"We've lost games before and bounced back, and we'll bounce back," he said. "Nobody feels good about coming up here and losing three out of four. We had a chance to even the score today. We didn't get it done. The four days we have are days that are on the schedule and there for a reason. I want them to enjoy it and come back Thursday, come back and get back to business."

Rangers Power Their Way To Win

Coming off a tough loss the previous night to the Mariners, the Rangers broke out the big bats, homering their way to victory.

Down 2-0 after starter Scott Feldman got off to a rough start in the 1st, the offense responded, getting a solo shot from Hank Blalock in the 2nd, a 3-run blast from Michael Young in the 3rd and a big 2-run shot from newly named All-Star Nelson Cruz that proved to be the difference in the game.

"That was the best ball I hit this year," Cruz said. "I crushed it."



Seattle picked up two runs in the bottom of the 8th off Derek Holland but it wasn't enough to keep Feldman from picking up his 8th win of the season.

"You never want to give up two, but I just tried to tell myself if I can keep it there, I know, more times than not, we're going to put up some runs," Feldman said. "I just really focused on keeping them right there, forgetting about that first inning and just pitching my game."

The bottom of the 9th was closed out by Rangers closer Frank Francisco, who was on his game and looked as good as he has since returning from the disabled list.

The win keeps Texas alone in 1st place in the AL West and also moved the team 4 1/2 games ahead of Seattle in the division.

Hamilton Stays Hot, Rangers Outlast Angels

Sometimes all you need is a little hustle.

Down 3-0, with 2 outs in the 5th, Michael Young legged out an infield single, just beating out a throw from Angels shortstop Erick Aybar, keeping the inning alive. It proved to be the key base hit of the game.

"I just think it's the right way to play," Young said. "You hit the ball on the ground, and you run as fast as you can. I hit it off the plate, so I knew there was a chance, but they have a great infield, so I knew it was going to be bang-bang. We definitely caught a break there on a hit that's not the way you draw it up."

Said Angels starter John Lackey, "He's a guy I've faced probably 100 times. It's always a tough at-bat. He's a professional hitter. He gives you a tough at-bat, plays the game the right way. He's a guy I'd pay to see. Erick did everything he could on that play. Young just beat it."

"Michael Young, this guy's a baseball player in every aspect," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "That's how he plays the game. You expect that from him. We just didn't close it out."

Josh Hamilton followed Young with a hard single (one of three hits on the nights) into center field setting up a huge, cluth homerun by Andruw Jones, tying the game.



"I was looking for something over the plate, and he threw one down but over the middle," Jones said. "Everybody came through for us tonight. After I got that big hit, everybody seemed to relax, and we got things rolling."

Hank Blalock followed with a base hit. A visibly uncomfortable Lackey then walked Marlon Byrd and David Murphy before uncorking a wild pitch, scoring Blalock from third. A Jarrod Saltalamacchia single scored Byrd and Murphy, capping the scoring and giving Texas a margin the Angels could never make up.

Spot starter Dustin Nippert went just 3 2/3 innings but was back up by a very impressive 2 inning performance by Derek Holland.

Jason Jennings came in with one on and two outs in the bottom of the 6th hit Mike Napoli and walked Erick Aybar, loading the bases for Chone Figgins. After walking Figgins, allowing a run to score, Jennings pulled things together and got a big strikeout of Bobby Abreu.

"I'm not going to be at my best every night, but at least I was able to make a pitch when I had to," Jennings said. "Right there, if he hits a ball in the gap, they take the lead, so I had to keep the ball out of the middle of the plate. But I got a couple of fastballs inside on him to take it to two strikes and then got him on a slider."

Darren O'Day also struggled but was picked up by C.J., who pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball.

Frank Francisco came in to putch the 9th, allowing a homerun to Juan Rivera before shutting the door on the Angels offense, pulling Texas back into a tie with Anaheim for the AL West.

"The wolf-pack mentality was really awesome tonight," Wilson said. "We knew that Dustin had a limited pitch count, so everybody was on high alert. But we came up big because everybody did their job. It was great to get out of those jams."

Rangers Get Big Win In Dramatic Fashion

Hank Blalock had already had himself a huge night when he stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 9th and hit a game-winning, 2-run homer to not only give the Rangers the series win but also pull to within a 1/2 game of the Angels.

For the game, Blalock hit two homers, a double and drove in three runs.

"That was a good one," second baseman Ian Kinsler said. "That was fun and it couldn't have happened to a better guy in the lineup. Two home runs and one a walkoff. Nothing bigger than that."

Blalock's walkoff moment almost never happened.

After Michael Young singled to start the 9th inning, David Murphy sacrificed him to second base. Marlon Byrd then struck out looking bringing Blalock to the plate. With rookie Julio Borbon on deck Angels pitching coach Mike Butcher went to the mound to discuss the possibility of pitching around Blalock to get to the rookie.

Mike went out to see how Justin [Speier] felt and to get a game plan," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "We had a couple of options."

Scioscia said of the potential intentional walk, "weighed a lot. Of course we thought of that. If Justin didn't feel good about where he was ... but Justin felt good going after him."

"I threw a little backdoor slider," Speier said. "That was the right pitch. I just made a mistake, and he took advantage of it. I threw the same pitch the other night [Monday] and he swung through it. Tonight, he got me."



Despite the last-inning theatrics, it was a moment that probably shouldn't have happened.

Frank Francisco came into the game in the top of the 9th, looking to close the game out for Texas. Instead, he served up a game-tying, 3-run to Juan Rivera, setting the stage for the Blalock fireworks.

Despite blowing his second save in a week, Francisco still ended up the winning pitcher.

"I don't care about that," Francisco said. "Millwood deserved to win the game. He worked his tail off. It doesn't matter how hard I throw, I need to locate my pitches, and my fastball was all over the place."

Kevin Millwood battled hard against the Angels, going 6 1/3 innings, allowing four runs while striking out four.

With the win, Texas has now claimed two series wins against the Angels this season.

"They're owning us now," Angels outfielder Torii Hunter said. "They're five out of six. The numbers say it."

The Big Unit & Co. Hold Texas Down In San Fran

Texas' one feared offense has disappeared and, if they are to stay in the race for the AL West crown, they'd better find it soon.

San Francisco scored three runs in the first three innings, jumping out to an quick lead thanks to a solo homerun by Aaron Rowand. Their starter, 300-game winner Randy Johnson, looked confident on the mound, controlling the Rangers hitters early.



Michael Young got Texas back in it with a solo homer in the top of the 4th. They added three more runs in the 6th, chasing Johnson in the process, thanks to an RBI single by Nelson Cruz, followed by a 2-run double by Marlon Byrd.

However, Texas was only 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position (one of those hits in infield single that didn't score a run) and, after starter and San Fran native Scott Feldman gave the lead back in the bottom of the 6th, were never able to recover.

Ron Washington knows missed opportunities like early lead-off hits by Ian Kinsler (double in the 1st) and Hank Blalock (triple in the 2nd) have to result in runs if Texas is to truly be considered a serious threat in the AL.

"The two we needed most were the ones we didn't get in the first and second inning," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "Those were the ones that came back to haunt us."

With the loss, the Rangers lead in the West is now down to 1/2 game over the Angels.

"We can't worry about the Angels," outfielder Marlon Byrd said. "They're going to win games, it's as simple as that. If we win, we'll be fine. If we don't and they get on a streak, they'll catch us. That's where we're at. We just need to take care of our business."

Rangers Struggle Against NL's Best

With the Los Angeles Dodgers coming to town for a 2-game set, Texas looked to measure themselves against the National League's best.

In game one of the series, Vicente Padilla worked out of a few jams, pitching five innings of shutout ball, setting the tone for the night.

"Padilla attacked the zone and kept guys off balance with off-speed stuff," Dodgers centre fielder Matt Kemp said.

The trio of Padilla, Jason Jennings, and the newly acquired Jason Grilli controlled the Dodgers, blanking them 6-0, Texas' 2nd consecutive shutout.

Texas also showed a little offense for the first time in several games, getting an RBI single from Michael Young and a 2-run blast from Hank Blalock, both of whom had been struggling at the plate.

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In game two of the series, both Scott Feldman and Dodgers starter Randy Wolf were mowing hitters down, both of them pitching five shutout innings. But an issues with the stadium lights forced a 1 hour and 41 minute delay, forcing both pitchers from the game.

L.A. manufactured a run in the top of the 6th which was match by a big, opposite field homerun by Andruw Jones. But in the 7th, with Jason Grilli on the mound, Matt Kemp hit a big 2-run blast, giving the Dodgers the lead and, ultimately, the victory.

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In the rubber match of the series, Derek Holland looked very much like a rookie pitcher, walking four and allowing four earned runs over five innings pitched, including a 3-run homerun by Casey Blake. 72% of Holland's pitches were fastballs and Los Angeles took advantage, making solid contact.



Holland is 0-3 with a 7.08 ERA after four starts for the Rangers.

The Rangers offense again appeared disjointed and out of sync, scattering just six basehits over nine innings. The group of Kinsler, Murphy, Byrd, & Andrus went a combined 0-for-13 with two strikeouts.

Texas has now lost 8 of their last 13 games and are averaging 3.3 runs per game during that stretch.

Michael Young says there's nothing to worry about.

"There's nothing in here that says anybody is going to panic with our offense," said Young. "We're a confident group we can make adjustments."

Texas has a day off tomorrow to regroup before hosting the Houston Astros for a 3-game set.

Rangers Ends Big Month On A Sour Note, Drop One Late To A's

Texas looked flat on for six innings on Sunday, falling behind 4-0, mounting zero offense against Oakland starter Dallas Braden.

Kevin Millwood battled for six innings, leaving down 2-0 but despite being credited with a quality start, didn't have his best stuff and needed 116 pitches to get through the sixth.

"I was just a little inconsistent out there," Millwood said. "I threw too many pitches, especially in the first and second inning, that ran me out of gas. I still feel like I'm pitching well but not getting the results. It is what it is. All I can do is control what I can control and not worry about anything else."

In the bottom of the seventh, Texas finally put a rally together, scoring two runs thanks to a double down the left field line by Jarrod Saltalammachia. They came back in the bottom of the eighth and tied the game, getting RBI singles by Hank Blalock and Marlon Byrd. Unfortunately, David Murphy struck out followed by a popout by Saltalammachia, ending the inning.

Feeling his team had a little momentum, Ron Washington inserted his closer, Frank Francisco in the top of the ninth, hoping to get yet another scoreless inning out of the righty. But, for the first time in 30 appearances dating back to the middle of August last season, Francisco allowed a run, surrendering a solo homerun to Adam Kennedy.

"Frankie has been lights out all year long," said Michael Young. "We expect him to be great, they just got a big home run off him. If we have that situation again, I like our chances."

Before serving up the homerun, Francisco had not allowed a run in 17 2/3 innings this season, the longest streak this season by a pitcher without giving up a run.

"We can't expect him to be perfect," outfielder David Murphy said. "We're disappointed with the way it happened, but by no means did we expect him to be scoreless the entire season. He's allowed to make a mistake now and then."



Texas wasn't able to get the run back as Ian Kinsler grounded into a double play to end the game. Kinsler had yet another rough day, committing and error, going 1-for-5while having yet another homerun stolen from him by Oakland centerfielder Ryan Sweeney and ending the game with the aforementioned double play.

Rangers Sweep Doubleheader Against A's, 10 Games Over .500 For First Time Since 2005

Coming off a disappointing series loss against the New York Yankees, the Rangers looked to get back on track against the last-place Oakland A's.

In game 1 of the doubleheader, Texas sent Tommy Hunter to the mound. Hunter was a last minute call-up from Oklahoma City, needed to make a spot start. Hunter did the job, going 5 1/3 innings and holding the A's down long enough for his offense to come through.

"Tommy got us through five, gave us a chance to win," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He looked more under control. For the most part, he got it done."

With Texas down 3-2 in the bottom of the 7th, Marlon Byrd came through with a game-tying solo homerun. Andruw Jones and Nelson Cruz put the Rangers ahead for good with 2-run and solo blasts respectively. The lead proved to be more than enough for Frank Francisco, who has been absolutely dominant all season, giving Texas a 6-3 win in the opener.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Texas sent Scott Feldman to the mound. Feldman has been very consistent since stepping into the starting five, giving the back end of the rotation some real stability. Despite some control issues on Friday, Feldman got the job done once again, going six innings while allowing only two earned runs.



"There wasn't a single inning he worked that was easy," Washington said. "He worked pretty hard to get to the sixth."

Texas scored four runs in the 1st inning thanks to RBI doubles by Josh Hamilton and Hank Blalock, and a 2-out, 2-run single by backup catcher Taylor Teagarden.

Oakland was never able to put together any offense, managing only five base hits over the course of nine innings.

Jason Jennings picked up his fourth hold of the season, pitching two innings of shutout ball. C.J. Wilson closed the game out with a 1-2-3 9th inning, picking up hiw fourth save of the year.

Ron Washington was thrilled with the effort.

"Two very efficient ballgames," said Washington. "We had great defense, clutch hitting. That's a lot of fun.

Nelson Cruz Homers Texas To Win In Houston

Looks like Nelson Cruz has found his stroke.

After drilling the game-winning homerun Friday night, Cruz came back and hit two more on Saturday, pacing Texas to the 6-3 victory.

"My swing is there," Cruz said. "I don't worry about home runs, they'll come. I just worry about being consistent and getting my knocks. It doesn't matter where I hit, I've got to do my job."



Hank Blalock added a solo homerun giving Scott Feldman, who went a season high 6 2/3 innings, more than enough to work with as he picked up his third win of the year.

"He was good," Astros catcher Ivan Rodriguez said. "He was pitching great. He wasn't missing his spots -- good breaking ball, good fastball, good sinker. I was having a good at-bat in the second at-bat, fouled off some tough pitches and he ended up striking me out. "

"I feel like I'm going out there with more and more confidence and throwing all my pitches effectively," Feldman said. "My confidence in all my pitches is getting better and it makes it a lot easier to pitch when you're ahead in the count."

Both Michael Young (who had sprained his ankle in yesterday's game) and Ian Kinler sat out the game. Their replacements, Hank Blalock and Omar Vizquel, went a combined 5 for 9 with a run scored and one RBI.

C.J. Wilson closed the game out, picking of his 3rd save of the year.

Rangers Walk Off For Two Straight Games

Attention all Rangers fans...enjoy it while it last.

The final two games against the Seattle Mariners have been nothing short of amazing.

After a back and forth game which saw both teams matching the other run for run, Seattle looked to have sealed up the win in the top of the 11th as they got to C.J. Wilson for one.

But in the bottom of the 11th, both Michael Young and Josh Hamilton reached base and Texas looked to have a rally on.

"After you see Michael Young get on base and Josh Hamilton walk, you start feeling it in your body," Andrus said. "You start feeling it that you can get the win, you feel that we can come back right there."

Come back, they did as Hank Blalock stepped to the plate and drilled a double to right center field, scoring both men and giving Texas the dramatic 6-5 win.

"Wow ... what a ballgame," Rangers manager Ron Washington said.

What followed was a home plate dog pile celebration that left at least one player a little light-headed.

"I don't remember what I was doing," Kinsler confessed. "I get so excited that I black out."

"My first beer shower," Blalock said. "It feels great. We were frustrated as a ballclub early in the game. We kept leaving guys on base. But we did a good job of grinding it out, putting it behind us and focusing on our next at-bat."

Another positive that caem out of the game was the way starter Brandon McCarthy battled, going seven innings, his longest outing as a Ranger.

"We did a great job fighting tonight," Blalock said. "We got down early and did a great job of grinding it out. It was a nice win."

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In the final game of the series, Texas again needed some last second heroics. Down 2-0 in the bottom of the 9th, last nights hero, Hank Blalock hit a solo shot to put Texas down one.

After Nelson Cruz flied out, David Murphy kept things going with a double setting up Chris Davis to hit the biggest homerun of his young career.



"It's just an unbelievable feeling," Davis said. "I've been a part of so many moments with this team. We feel we can come through at any time. We're always coming through for each other and picking each other up. It just feels great to be the guy who comes through and picks them up."

The homer was Davis' 4th in nine games. It was also the 1st walk-off homerun of his career.

"It's awesome," Davis said afterward in a beer-soaked T-shirt. "It's awesome to be in the middle of that. It's fun when you're on the outside. But it's awesome to be in the middle and everybody jumping up on top of you."

Matt Harrison continued to pitch well, thorwing his second straight complete game, picking up the victory. He also ran his scorelss innings streak to 22 innings before allowinf 2 runs in the 4th inning.

"Our psyche is already high but that just continues to reinforce what we're trying to do," manager Ron Washington said. "Play nine innings, keep it close and see what happens. We never think we're out of a ballgame. You keep going out there and getting people out, making plays and getting guys on the bags and you never know what will happen."

Millwood Good, But Not Good Enough. Padilla Makes Historic Start.

Kevin Millwood can't seem to catch a break. Despite playing with one of the top scoring offenses in baseball, they don't seem to show up when Millwood is on the mound.

Despite giving Texas 7+ innings and allowing only three earned runs, Millwood took the loss as the offense was only able to muster a couple of runs thanks to RBI basehits by Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus.

"I didn't think I had the best stuff in the world, but it was good enough to compete," said Millwood, who was charged with three earned runs on seven hits."It just wasn't good enough to win. I just didn't make the key pitches when I needed to."

Carlos Quentin, Jermaine Dye and Paul Konerko all gave Chicago RBI singles, putting just enough on the board to pick up the win, 3-2.

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In the rubber match of the 3 game set again Chicago, Texas' Vicente Padilla turned in a historic start, going 7 innings and allowing only 1 hit. With his performance, he became the first player in Rangers history to throw 2 consecutive one-hit starts.

"I was keeping [my pitches] low, and they were swinging at it," Padilla said through an interpreter. "My fastball was moving a lot."



"[Maybe] three starts ago there were questions about his velocity -- and the thing about Padilla, you don't know if that's by design or if that's him," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He can pitch. He can manipulate the baseball. He can do some good things. It just took him a while to get going."

The offense was led by Hank Blalock, who went yard for the 8th and 9th times on the year. It was the 7th time in his career Blalock has had a multi-homer game.

Chris Davis added his 8th homerun of the season.

"Those guys grind it out, man, especially those at-bats in the fifth inning against Colon," Washington said. "[We] had a couple walks there, and then we chopped some balls and we made some things happen, which is what you have to do."

Texas leaves Chicago winners of 5 of their last 7 games.

Texas Fights Off The Rain, Wins Another Series

After dropping a tough one 4-3 to Chicago in the first game of Texas' 3-game set, the Rangers got after in strange game 2.

With thunderstorms covering up the night skies, the Rangers and White Sox were forced to sit through three seperate rain delays.

Down 1-0 in the bottom of the third, Hank Blalock (perhaps taking a cue from Rangers play-by-play announcer Tom Grieve who correctly predicted the outcome) clubbed his 7th homer of the season, a 3-run shot into the bullpen that gave Texas a 3-1 lead.



Texas then came back in the bottom of the fourth and put another six run on the board, thanks to key doubles by David Murphy (who continues to hit his way out of a slump), Nelson Cruz and Chris Davis. Ian Kinsler, Omar Vizquel, Hank Blalock and Marlon Byrd all added RBI hits in the inning as the Rangers built a 9-1 lead.

"It was a situation that we wanted to go out there and score as many runs as we can," Blalock said.

Play was halted once again as the rain began to fall, forcing everyone back into the dugouts.

When play resumed, so too did Brandon McCarthy's dominance of his former White Sox team. After all was said and done, McCarthy went five innings, allowing only one run, striking out three and retiring the final 12 batters he faced.

"I think I finally settled in and attacked the zone," McCarthy said. "I just let the ball go. I was just pitching for contact and attacking the zone."

Texas reliever Luis Mendoza allowed a grand slam homerun in the 6th to Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski but they were albel to get no closer, falling to Texas 9-6.

"That was a long one," third baseman Michael Young said. "It's good to get out of there with a win. When the game got tough with the rain delays, we had some relievers who had never been in that situation before."

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In the rubber match between the Rangers and Sox, Matt Harrison turned in his 2nd consecutive quality start, giving Texas five innings of shutout baseball and picking up his 2nd win of the season.

"He made pitches when he had to make pitches," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "Give them credit. They made him work. He only gave us five innings, but they were five pretty good innings."

Harrison was spotted a lead early as Ian Kinsler lead the game off with his 9th homerun of the season.

"I'm not trying to hit a home run in my first at-bat," Kinsler said. "I'm trying to drive the ball every single at-bat. I like doing that, though. Hitting one out of the ballpark in the first at-bat takes some air out of the other team and helps your starting pitcher relax, knowing he already has a 1-0 lead."

Kinsler added a RBI single later in the game and is now hitting .337 on the season.

Michael Young broke out of a mini-slump, adding an RBI single of his own. Nelson Cruz had a three hit night and Elvis Andrus added 2 base hits and sacrifice. This was the fisrt night Andrus hit in the no. 2 spot in the batting order.

"I like it," Andrus said. "All my career I have been hitting second. I feel comfortable there and we got the win."

The win over Chicago had to be particularly sweet considering the pitcher they defeated: former Rangers top prospect John Danks. He he is now 1-2 with a 5.30 ERA in three career starts against the Rangers.



"It's always been just another start," said Danks, traded to the White Sox after the 2006 season. "I have more at stake than worrying about what these guys are doing or thinking or trying to impress someone. I have my own career to worry about. I really don't care what these guys think. I'm just going out there to try to give us a chance to win."

Texas pulls to 12-12 on the season and now heads to Seattle for a two game series with the Mariners.

Rangers Pitching Lets Another One Slip Away

In the top of the 5th inning on Sunday, both Hank Blalock and David Murphy hit homeruns, driving in three runs and giving Texas a 5-1 lead. In the bottom of the same inning, starter Brandon McCarthy gave all three runs back to Baltimore, letting them right back into the game.

"To me, that's the game right there," McCarthy said. "I couldn't be more disappointed with what happened in the fifth. They gave me three runs, and it's time to get a shutdown inning. Giving up those runs, that's unacceptable. That's the tipping point that could have pushed us in the right direction or the wrong direction."

Manager Ron Washington couldn't disagree.

"The fifth inning killed us," Washington said. "Once you get that lead, you want to shut them off and keep that momentum."

"I just wasn't comfortable throwing strikes," McCarthy said. "I just didn't feel comfortable mechanically. I don't have an explanation. It's something I have to figure out immediately.

"I was fighting myself. I was putting myself in bad counts, and it got to the point where they were excited to face me. You can't let that happen. You can't let a good hitting team like that be hungry and excited to face you."

Regardless of the poor outing, McCarthy did leave with a one-run lead. Reliever Jason Jennings made sure they didn't stand up, allowing a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 6th inning to Adam Jones. In six games this season against Texas, Jones is now 11 for 28 with 3 homeruns and 12 RBI.



"We didn't want to lose three games to these guys," said Jones. "We know we are a good team. We have to go out there and do it."

The homerun by Jones gave Baltimore a 7-5 lead and their bullpen made the lead stand up, throwing 5 scoreless innings and not allowing a baserunner until Andruw Jones got on in the 9th.

"It's a great win for us," said relief pitcher Danys Baez. "We went through a lot of things in the past couple days."

Nice Start For Texas

Starter Kevin Millwood looked like the guy Texas thought they'd signed 3 seasons ago, allowing one run (via wild pitch) on five hits, while striking out five in seven innings as the Rangers snapped a five-game Opening Day losing streak with a 9-1 victory over the Indians at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on Monday.



Texas exploded for four runs in the bottom of the second inning, thanks to a pair of 2-out base hits by Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ian Kinsler. Hank Blalock then drilled a three-run home run in the fifth off last years AL Cy Young award winner, Cliff Lee (0-1). Mike Young had an RBI single and Salty added a solo homerun in the eigth inning, capping the offense for Texas.

Both C.J. Wilson and Frank Francisco pitched one inning, each striking out one batter, not allowing a single baserunner between them.


Additional Notes:

- Blalock has now hit a home run in five of the Rangers' past seven home openers.

- Millwood was making his fourth consecutive Opening Day start -- the most in club history -- but this was the first time he emerged victorious. His last Opening Day victory was in 2003, with the Phillies.

- Elvis Andrus had a double -- his first Major League hit -- in the second and played very well defensively, assisting in two double plays that got Millwood out of jams.

- Every player in the Rangers starting lineup save for Chris Davis managed at least one base hit.