Rangers Reaquire 14-Time All-Star

Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez is returning to Arlington.

Several media outlets are reporting that the Rangers have reached an agreement with the Houston Astros to bring the future Hall of Famer back to Texas for one more run.

The move is important for Texas because their regular catcher, Jarrod Saltalamacchia was recently placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sore arm and numbness in his throwing hand.

"We're excited to have Pudge," club president Nolan Ryan said. "We're looking forward to having him, and he's excited about coming back. He brings experience, he's a veteran player and he's been in the postseason. He brings a lot."



It is believed that Texas will be sending two mid-level prospects (expected to be Class A pitcher Matt Nevarez and Double-A infielder Jose Vallejo) to Houston in exchange for the 14-time All-Star. It was confirmed that Texas first spoke to Pudge to ensure he understands his role with the Rangers will be to act as a back-up for Taylor Teagarden before going ahead with the deal.

"I'm feeling great, feeling good. It's nice to be back to the place that I started," said Rodriguez, who waived his no-trade clause. "It's nice to be back there. It's also sad. I think Houston is a great team and a good group of guys. The fans are great, but business is business. You've got to prepare for anything. Especially being a veteran player, those things can happen.

"I'm going to move forward. It's a good trade. It will be nice to go there. ... I'm looking forward to going there and to do my best to try to help them win."

Rodriguez, a 13-time Gold Glove winner, former AL MVP, and the all-time leader in games played for a catcher, spent the first 12 seasons of his career with the Rangers. A career .299 hitter, Pudge is hitting .251 this year with 8 homeruns and 34 RBI in 93 games.

Rangers Split Final Two Against Mariners

Turns out Tommy Hunter is mortal. After a series of dominant starts, Hunter came back down to earth on Saturday, reminding all of us that despite his hot pitching over the last month, he's still a rookie.

Hunter hit the mound without his best fastball and was knocked around for five runs on seven hits while walking three in five innings. He also hit a batter and threw a wild pitch.

"Tommy just didn't have his location tonight," manager Ron Washington said. "They made him throw some pitches."

"I had a changeup and a curve, but I didn't have a fastball tonight," said Hunter. "I didn't locate my fastball. That's the first thing you do in baseball as a pitcher."

Warner Madrigal offered little in the way of relief, allowing another run on four hits and a walk in just 1 1/3 innings.



Mariners legend Ken Griffey Jr. turned back the clock for the night hammering the Rangers to the tune of 3-for-5 with a single, a double & a 3-run homer, the 622nd of his career. Tommy Hunter became the 400th different pitcher to allow a homerun to Griffey since his debut back in 1989.

Mariners starter Felix Hernandez, much like Tommy Hunter, didn't have his best stuff on the night, but Texas was never able to really take advantage. Despite a big night from Nelson Cruz, who went 3-for-4 while hitting his 25th homer of the season, Texas went just 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, never putting any real pressure on Hernandez.

"We had Hernandez on the ropes," Washington said. "It might have been different if we got a few hits early. Hernandez didn't have his [best stuff] either."

"That's what I thought after I saw him in the first inning," Cruz said. "He didn't have much control, and we didn't take advantage. We gotta get walks and make things happen."

Hernandez, despite picking up the win, was also very aware he dodged a bullet.

"I don't know how I allowed just two runs," Hernandez said. "That is hard to believe. I am disappointed with my performance today. I don't know, I just felt terrible. I was all over the place."

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On an evening when Texas made several pre-game roster moves (Ian Kinsler and Jason Grilli to the 15-day DL, called up top pitching prospect Neftali Feliz) it was a move made by manager Ron Washington that may have been the biggest of the night. Washington, suddenly short of arms, was forced to roll Scott Feldman out on only 3 days rest. Not only was Feldman pitching on short rest, he was also coming off his worst start of the season in which he was unable to get out of the 3rd inning.

But on Saturday night, Feldman was back to his old self, giving Texas seven innings of work, picking up his 10th win of the year.

"Feldman did a good job bouncing back," manager Ron Washington said. "[His sinker] was working pretty well. He's a ground-ball pitcher. If batters aren't squaring it up, that's how you know he's pitching well.

"He wasn't getting enough ground balls [in his last outing]. If you take the ball 16, 17, 18 times, that happens. He went out there and he gave us an opportunity to get to our two best pitchers."

"I thought Feldman was awfully tough," said Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu. "I have seen this kid and he gets better every year. I think you have to tip your hat. He just didn't throw anything over the center of the plate and kept our hitters off balance."



David Murphy homered in the bottom of the 1st, giving Feldman and early lead to work with. Michael Young added another solo homer in the 6tha dn is now hitting .417 since the All-Star break. Feldman's catcher, Jarrod Saltalamacchia tacked on a 2-run blast in the 7th to cap the scoring and pput Texas up for good.

Texas is now 36-12 this season when they hit multiple homeruns.

The four runs proved to be more than enough for Frank Francisco who, making his first appearance since his latest stint on the DL, dominated the 8th inning, not allowing a baserunner while striking out two batters.

"He looked outstanding," Washington said. "One-two-three inning. He used his pitches. We're happy to have him back."

C.J. Wilson pitched the 9th, also striking out two batters on his way to his 13th save this season.

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.

Texas Breaks Out The Brooms, Sweeps Boston Out Of Arlington

Don't look now but your Texas Rangers are starting to play some pretty good baseball.

After struggling against Seattle just prior to the All-Star break, then looking terrible against the Minnesota Twins after the All-Star break, many 'experts' began expounding on the demise of the Rangers.

Then the Boston Red Sox rolled into town.

Playing in front of huge crowds for the last three home games, Texas swept the Sox out of town, taking all three games in a variety of ways.

For game 1, Texas sent their ace, Kevin Millwood to the mound and he didn't disappoint, setting the tone for the entire series. Millwood battled for six innings against the high-powered Boston lineup, allowing just two run. The offense paid him back for his effort, exploding in the bottom of the 6th inning for five runs against former Cy Young Award winner John Smoltz, highlighted by three homeruns off the bats of Michael Young, David Murphy & Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

"Smoltz was throwing a great game," Michael Young said. "For a lot of us, it was the first time seeing him. He still has good life on his fastball and good bite on his breaking ball. He was throwing a great game. We were fortunate we had some guys string together some good at-bats and get a big inning going."



C.J. Wilson also had a big night for Texas, shutting Boston down for the final four outs of the game, striking out two on his way to his 8th save of the season. Wilson's stuff was just flat nasty as he overpowered the vaunted Red Sox lineup.

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In game 2 Texas took on one of the best big game pitchers in baseball, Josh Beckett. And Boston's ace lived up to his press clipping, pitching a complete game and, at one point, retired 14 hitters in a row. Unfortunately for Beckett, Texas may have found themselves a gem in young starter Tommy Hunter.

Hunter was clutch for the Rangers and, after being given an early lead thanks to a 2-run single by Hank Blalock in the bottom of the 1st inning, pitched six innings of one run ball. He also allowed just four hits, keeping Boston off balance the entire night.



"That was great," outfielder Marlon Byrd said. "Beckett was Beckett -- just like he always is. To beat him, you have to have your pitcher go out there and match him, and that's what Tommy did."

Jason Jennings and Darren O'Dat followed Hunter with scoreless innings of their own before giving way to C.J. Wilson who came in and shut the door on Boston, nabbing his 9th save of the year.

"It's a huge win, because they're a great team," Rangers outfielder David Murphy said. "We've played great the last three days, but definitely this series. It just makes a statement that we're here and we're for real. People want to count us out, but we're still playing well. We hit a little skid [losing four straight] and the Angels are playing good. We're not in first place, but we're for real."

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In the final game of the series, Boston sent top prospect Clay Buchholz to the hill while Texas countered with Dustin Nippert. Both starters were late additions as Boston scratched Tim Wakefield due to back issues, while the Rangers were forced to go with Nippert as a replacement for Vicente Padilla. Vicente, along with several other members of the pitching staff have come down with the flu.

Nippert, who has struggled in each of his previous starts, gave the Rangers a gutsy performance, holding Boston to just one run over 5 2/3 innings.

"This shows what character this team has," outfielder Marlon Byrd said. "We went out and played. We didn't care who we were playing -- we just went out and played. The way our pitchers are pitching, if we can play good defense and score a few runs, we're going to win a lot of games."

Not to be outdone, Nippert gave way to Doug Mathis who went the rest of the way, pitching 3 1/3 innings of shutout baseball.

"I just wanted to execute my pitches, make them swing the bats and put the ball in play," Mathis said. "I wasn't worried about going 3 1/3 innings. I was just trying to get guys out, win the ballgame and finish the game."

With Eddie Guardado and Frank Francisco sick and Darrne O'Day and C.J. Wilson unavailable for the game, Mathis' effort was a huge boost to a suddenly short bullpen.

On offense, Texas got a big blast from Ian Kinsler in the 3rd, his 23rd homerun of the season. In the 4th, Texas would find a way to manufacture a few more runs. Nelson Cruz led the inning off with a single followed by another base hit by David Murphy. With both men in socring position, Cruz was able to score on a ground out by catcher Taylor Teagarden. Elvis Andrus then brough Murphy home with a perfectly executed suicide squeeze.



Texas kept constant pressure on Boston's pitchers and defense, stealing six bases, staying very aggressive on the basepaths.

With a 3-1 lead, Texas broke out the gloves, playing great defense behind both Nippert and Mathis. The biggest defensive play of the night was also the funniest as Nelson Cruz and Josh Hamilton both tried to chase down a deep fly ball off the bat of Dustin Pedroia. Cruz got their first and made the catch but ran straight into Josh Hamilton who wrapped him up into a bear hug.

"We're two big boys," Hamilton said. "We were running after the ball, both calling it, and we both couldn't hear each other because of the crowd. At the last second, I looked at him out of the corner of my eye and backed off."

"That was a big play," Washington said. "If that falls, we don't know how it would've ended."

With the sweep, Texas has now taken 5 of 6 against Boston this season and currently sit three games out of first place in the AL West.

Kinsler, Bullpen Come Up Big Against Minnesota

Hopefully, last nights game for Ian Kinsler was a microcosm of how his entire season will go.

Mired in a huge slump, Kinsler led the game off with a solo homerun, giving Texas the early 1-0 advantage.

Derek Holland gave the lead away in the top of the 3rd, allowing a solo homerun to Nick Punto, his first homerun of the entire season. Holland's struggles continued in the 4th inning, as he allowed two more run to cross the plate, thanks in part to a fielding error he committed. He went just 4+ innings and seemingly never regained his composure post-error.

"In the first two innings, he was mixing his pitches very well," manager Ron Washington said. "Then he didn't catch the ground ball. He was erratic after that. When he left, we were in the ballgame."

Down 3-1, the Rangers bullpen stepped up big time, shutting the Twins out the rest of the way, giving the offense a change to scratch and claw their way back. to a 3-3 tie.

"The bullpen came in and they continued to grind tonight," Washington said. "[Doug]Mathis saved us. [Dustin]Nippert saved us. Nippert was on fumes. He was the last guy standing."

The game went extra innings with both teams getting quality pitching from their bullpens. In the bottom of the 12th, Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled and was sacrificed to 2nd base by Elvins Andrus, setting up Ian Kinsler's heroics.



With former Ranger pitcher R.A. Dickey on the mound for Minnesota, Kinsler took a fastball out to left field for a 2-run, walk-off homerun.

"Ultimately the pitch rests in my hand, and I threw the wrong pitch," Dickey said. "That's all there really is to say about this one. I cost us this one, no doubt about it."

"It was a fastball that he tried to get by me," Kinsler said. "He had a good fastball before. He's tough with that knuckleball floating in there. If I was surprised, I wouldn't have hit it over."

With the late-inning win, Texas managed to prevent the Twins from leaving town with a sweep. However, despite the feel good moment, the Rangers continue to struggle at the plate and are now just 1 for their last 20 with runners in scoring position.

Regardless, Ron Washington and Co. are just happy to get themselves a win.

"What a win," said Washington. "They never quit, and tonight was an example of it. It was great. We needed it."

Tap The Brakes On Dealing For Halladay

Last week, Toronto Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi admitted to putting some feelers out regarding the possibility of dealing ace starting pitcher Roy Halladay.

Halladay is a career 141-69 and is a bonafied #1 starter. The Blue Jays have let it be known that it will take a massive package of young prospects to pry Halladay away and have sent scouts throughout the majors and minors to gauge exactly what sort of talent is out there for the taking.

Many experts feel as though the Texas Rangers organization are in a position to offer the best package of player possible but there are several factors which prevent me from truly being able to embrace a possible trade.

I understand that the Rangers have played really well this season and find themselves in the thick of the AL West race a year sooner than they'd previously projected. But three seasons ago, Texas set out to build their organization from the ground up, dealing away expensive contracts like Mark Teixeira while stocking their minor league organizations with top-tier prospects. This modus operandi has worked extremely well, as Texas is now ranked as having the very best farm system in all of baseball, spearheaded by the previously mentioned Teixeira trade, a deal which netted them their starting shortstop (Elvis Andrus), starting catcher (Jarrod Saltalamacchia), number five starter (Matt Harrison) and top pitching prospect (Neftali Feliz).

Trading for a player like Halladay, while bold, would effectively cripple the farm system as Texas would surely be forced to deal away quality youth similar to what they added when they traded Teixeira to Atlanta in 2007.



So what would it take to get Roy Halladay? Well, Toronto has said they want young pitching (Neftali Feliz & Kasey Kiker), a power bat (Justin Smoak) and a shortstop (Marcus Lemon) in exchange for their ace.

Feliz just put on a pitching display at the All-Star game when he pitched one inning in the Futures Game, striking out two and averaging almost 97 mph with his fastball.

Kiker is currently pitching for AA Frisco, has shown good command throughout the season and was the starting pitcher in the AA All-Star game, pitching a hitless, scoreless inning.

Justin Smoak was promoted to AAA Oklahoma City last week and appears to be on the fast track to Arlington. He may well be the odds on favorite to be the Rangers starting first baseman as early as next season.

Marcus Lemon was a 4th round pick in the 2006 draft and is a slick-fielding, lightning fast infielder who's already made a successful jump to AA Frisco.

There's also the issue of Roy Halladay having an iron clad no-trade clause and, at least if the rumors are to be believed, would not okay any deal which would ship him to Texas, a place where he is a career 4-3 with a 6.14 ERA in 11 appearances. The Ballpark in Arlington is far and away Halladay's least favorite park in which to pitch, meaning even if they were able to convince him to accept a trade to Texas, it is very unlikely he would even consider signing an extention. Instead, Halladay would likely opt to test free agency after the 2010 season, with Texas getting nothing in return save for a 2010 1st round draft pick from the team that signed him away. Dealing away four (possibly more) top prospects for what would amount to less than a season and a half from Roy Halladay just doesn't add up for me.

Finally, Roy Halladay does nothing for what may well be Texas' biggest issue going into the second half of the season: the offense. The Rangers offense has been very inconsistent for the entire season, one day looking like world beaters only to look lost the next. It appears as though this is simply what they are and if that is the case, no amount of All-Star pitching will make up for all the missed opportunities and silly hitting mistakes this offense seems poised to make over the next 70+ games.

If I'm calling the shots I'm holding my water for now. Hallday is a proven All-Star and would be a welcome addition on any team but mortgaging your future for little more than a rent-a-pitcher (albeit a great one) is simply something Texas cannot afford, especially with Rangers owner Tom Hicks currently wading waist deep in a well-documented financial crisis.

Texas is not and will never be able to spend with teams like the Yankees, Mets and Red Sox, at least not as long as Hicks is the owner. Despite being the 7th largest market in baseball, Texas is currently 22nd in the league in payroll. And while a high payroll doesn't guarantee wins, a low payroll means a team can't afford to make many mistakes and hope to remain viable. The Yankees can afford to trade away their entire minor league for a single player; if things go south they'll just buy more. Texas doesn't have this luxury.

The Rangers have had a great first half of the season and with any luck will find themselves battling it out with the Angels and Mariners in the AL West for the rest of the year. It's simply not the time to be trading away young studs, even if it's for possibly the best pitcher in baseball.

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 Drilled By Padres

Well, I guess we can tap the brakes on the idea that Texas' offense if back in full force...

Coming off a big offensive performance on Friday, Texas showed up with a big bag of nothing Saturday night, managing only three runs on six hits while striking out eleven times as Padres starter Kevin Correia continued his hot pitching.

"The last five starts, he's 4-1 with a 2.40 ERA," San Diego manager Bud Black said, accurate in the numbers for his pitcher. " ... His walks were down, his strikes were up and his pitch count per inning was down.



Derek Holland had yet another up-and-down performance, striking out eight batters in 5 2/3 innings but also allowed seven runs on thirteen hits. He again relied far too much on his fastball which the Padres (statistically the worst offense in baseball) took advantage of, teeing off all game long.

"We hit the ball well tonight," Padres 3rd baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff said. "He was working fastball, so why not look for it?"

"It was a collective effort," Black said. "Contributions all around when you get 16 hits."

Rangers catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia tried to put a positive spin on Holland's performance.

"For [Derek] this is a great experience," Saltalamacchia said. "He went up there and went after hitters. He's learning how to pitch in the big leagues. He's holding his own."

With the loss, Texas now falls out of first place (by 1/2 game) for the first time in 50 days.

Rangers Lose 5th In A Row, Now Tied For First In AL West.

This season is beginning to look like so many other 'promising' seasons of years passed. Texas' hot May has given way to a cold June and, after building a 4 1/2 game lead against the Angels, now find themselves in a tie for the AL West.

Texas has gone stone cold at the plate, flailing wildly and coming up short with runners on. The Rangers are now 15 for their last 90 with runners in scoring position. Needless to say, hitting .167 with RISP isn't going to get it done, especially in Texas where the ballpark forces you to be an offensively-geared unit.

Last night in Arizona, the offensive struggles continued as D-backs starter Max Scherzer tied the Rangers offense up to the tune of two runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts. Texas was 2-for-9 with men in scoring position.



Hitting Coach Rudy Jaramillo thinks the hitters are putting too much pressure on themselves.

"There's too much going on in their minds to execute," said Jaramillo. "I see all these things, but once we learn to relax, we're going to stop swinging at pitches we can't hit. I wouldn't throw us a strike right now either. We need to relax, clear our minds, breathe slow and trust our ability."

Matt Harrison did nothing to help the offense, allowing four runs within the first two innings of the game, putting Texas in the hole early. After all was said and done, Harrison lasted just 3 2/3 innings, giving up seven runs.

"He wasn't very sharp tonight," manager Ron Washington said. "He just didn't have it."

"I'm very frustrated," Harrison said. "A terrible performance. I walked too many guys, I fell behind too many guys and I was missing up in the zone. We needed a good start tonight and I didn't give it to them. Very disappointing."

The comic relief moment of the night came in the 6th inning when catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia overthrew pitcher Jason Jennings when tossing the ball back to the mound in-between pitches. No one on the infield noticed, allowing a runner fron 3rd base to score.

Texas is now 7-12 in June.

Pudge Sets A Record, Vizquel Ties A Record, Rangers Win In Extra Innings

History was made Wednesday night as Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez caught his 2,227th game, setting a new record which was previously held by Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk.



When Rodriguez stepped to the plate for his first at-bat, he recieved a standing ovation from the more than 32,000 fans in attendance.

"It was awesome," Rodriguez said. "What happened today out there was unbelievable. A standing ovation my first time up, it was awesome. I got some goose bumps when that happened. The video that they did in the third inning was unbelievable. I want to say thanks to the Rangers organization for what they did here for me and the Houston Astros also about these days. It was nice. It was an unbelievable moment."

Omar Vizquel also made a move on history, picking up his 2,677th career base hit, tying fellow countryman and Hall of Fameer Luis Aparicio for the most hits ever by a player from Venezuela.



"I never thought I'd be involved in a situation like that," Vizquel said. "So many good players have come from our country."

While the game seemed secondary to all the added intrigue, it still managed to deliver a few fireworks of its own. Both teams went back and forth for the entire game, niether ever able to fully gain any sort of advantage.

There were five total lead changes in the game, the last coming in the bottom of the 10th as David Murphy went opposite field for an RBI single to give Texas the 5-4 victory.

"It just felt great," Murphy said. "I really do believe that the walk-off is the best moment in baseball. The team gets to celebrate on the field, it brings everybody together and gives you a little momentum going into tomorrow."

Matt Harrison, just back from the DL pitched well enough, giving Texas five innings, allowing three runs.

"My arm felt really good," Harrison said. "It was frustrating falling behind a lot of hitters, but I made pitches when I had to. Overall I felt pretty good, but I wish I could have gone out there at least another inning.

C.J. Wilson pitched very effectively, giving Texas two shutout innings. Since his early season struggles, Wilson has been much more consistent on the mound.

While Texas' offense remains a bit of an inconsistent mystery, they did manufacture some runs, stealing three bases on the night, all of which resulted in runs coming across the plate.

Manager Ron Washington seemed proud of the sustained effort given by his team.

"We kept battling and finding ways," Washington said. "When it was all over, these guys found a way to pull it off."

Both Nelson Cruz and Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit solo homeruns for Texas.

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.

Texas Evens Series With Yankees, Survive Long Rain Delay

The night started off with a 2 hour & 24 minute delay, forcing most of the sellout crowd to sit around waiting for a storm that never came. The delay came from a particularly nast storm cell that was hit all around the ballpark. Only thing is, it never actually stared rainging until around 8pm, roughly an hour after the game was set to start.

"That was a long one," said second baseman Ian Kinsler. "A long one, but it was worth it to get the win."

And win they did, jumping out on the Yankees in the bottom of the first inning, scoring two runs thanks to a bases loaded single by Marlon Byrd.

Yankees starter Joba Chamberlain struggled with his control all night, walking four in as many innings of work. In the bottom of the fouth inning, Chris Davis hit a big homerun to dead cetner off Chamberlain, running the score to 3-0, but the Yankees came right back to tie the game up, getting a solo homerun by former Rangers All-Star Mark Teixeira in the fifth and two more runs in the top of the sixth.

But in the bottom of the sixth, Marlon Bryd hit a two-out double, then came around to score on a base hit by Jarrod Saltalamacchia. The Rangers added two more in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a sacrifice ground ball by Josh Hamilton and a sac fly by David Murphy. Both scoreing chances were set up by both Ian Kinsler and Michael Young reaching base at the beggining of their half of the inning.



Chris Davis then added another homerun in the bottom of the eight, the first multi-homer game game of his career.

"I definitely think it picked me up," Davis said. "I've said over and over the last few weeks have been tough. It's good to have a game that might help me turn the corner. I'm not anywhere where I need to be but I am getting closer."

Kevin Millwood battled for Texas, giving them 5 2/5 innings, allowing 3 earned runs and leaving the game tied.

"I definitely was ready to go get started, and then there was the rain delay," Millwood said. "Once the game started, I felt normal. They didn't really chase anything. I didn't feel I was that sharp tonight."

Texas' bullpen did the job though, shutting the Yankees down to the tune of 3 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball.

"We did a great job of executing," manager Ron Washington said. "We played baseball the way it was presented to us, and that's what it's all about."

Long Ball Gives Rangers The Sweep In Houston

Texas jumped on Houston early as Josh Hamilton hit his 6th home run of the season in the top of the 1st inning. It proved to be all Brandon McCarthy would need.



McCarthy pitched a complete game shutout Sunday afternoon, both firsts in his career. Scattering nine hits and striking out six, McCarthy controlled Houston's lineup, walking only one hitter and working out of a couple of jams in both the 5th and 6th innings.

"They talk about his stamina," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "I think that question's finally answered."

"It's a confidence thing more than anything else," McCarthy said. "It's just knowing I can get through that deep in a game and still make quality pitches."

Ian Kinsler and Jarrod Saltalamacchia added solo home runs, giving McCarthy all the breathing room he would need to settle in and shut the Astros down.

"It gets a little discouraging when you are down three or four to nothing pretty early, from an offensive standpoint," Astros manager Cecil Cooper said. "We have to do a better job of holding the game close. Lately, we've been down pretty early, and it's hard to come back when you do that."

Michael Young was back in the linep after taking yesterdays game off to rest a sprained ankle. He went 1 for 4 with a double and a run scored.

"The doctor told me it (ankle) was a Grade 2, and it's pretty much up to me whatever I can handle," Young said before the game. "I went out there and it was good enough for me, so it's time to play."

Texas now only needs one win in the final series against Houston later this season to retain the Silver Boot Trophy for the 2nd consecutive year.

Texas Finds Their Offense, Takes Game 1 In Houston

Well, maybe Texas just needs to avoid the Tigers?

The Rangers rolled into Houston last night, losers of three in a row, searching for an offense that had all but disappeared the last three games.

With Vicente Padilla placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained shoulder, rookie Derek Holland made his first career major league start and didn't disappoint. Holland pitched 5 2/3 innings, struck out four and didn't walk a single hitter. The final hitter he faced, Astros slugger Lance Berkman, hit a three-run homerun. Before that, Holland hadn't allowed a single run. He left the game with a two run lead.

"I saw him use all his pitches," Rangers manager Ron Washington said about Holland. "A couple times they went up there trying to get him to throw some pitches and he would throw a first-pitch strike."



Texas got homeruns from both Elvis Andrus (who went 4 for 5 w/ a stolen base) and Jarrod Saltalamacchia to pace Texas to the early lead, a lead which was given away by poor relief pitching from Jason Jennings and C.J. Wilson. After surrendering back-to-back one-out singles in the eighth, Wilson was pulled for Darren O'Day, who entered and got Tejada to hit into an inning-ending double play.

In the top of the 10th, Nelson Cruz hit an opposite field solo homerun to put Texas up 6-5.

Frank Francisco, fresh off a stint on the DL, came in to pitch the bottom of the 10, blowing the Astros hitters away with 97 mph fastballs.

"I just went out there and pounded the strike zone," Francisco said. "I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. I've got seven guys behind me and I was just trying to throw my pitch."

Francisco is now 10-for-10 in save opportunities this year. He has yet to allow a run in 15 2/3 innings over 15 games.

Lance Berkman summed up the mood in the Astros locker room after the game.

"A loss is a loss, but whenever you fight hard and come back and you're in the game again then you end up tying the game. To lose a game like that is difficult," Berkman said.

The winner of this series receives the Silver Boot.

Padilla Battles, Texas Wins 6th Straight

While Kevin Millwood has really raised his level of pitching so far this season, not enough has been said about just how good Vicente Padilla has been over his last five starts.

Padilla went to the mound today and was admittedly without his best stuff. But something is different about Padilla this year. In previous years when he would get into trouble, he would just pull back and throw harder. Now, Padilla seems to understand that he has to maintain focus and pitch, not throw his way out of jams. Despite getting himself into trouble in both the 1st and 4th innings, Padilla kept his focus and, despite giving up 10 hits, gave Texas 8 innings.

"I think it was a good game anyway," said Padilla. "In the first innings, I was a little bit lost with my control. In the last innings, I was getting more control, throwing more strikes, and they were swinging more."



Padilla's pitching counterpart, John Lackey, making his first start of the season since returning from the disabled list, didn't fare quite as well. His first pitch of the season sailed behind the back of Ian Kinsler. His second pitch hit Kinsler in the side. Home plate umpire Bob Davidson immediately tossed Lackey from the game, prompting a heated exchange between the umpire and Angels Manager Mike Scioscia.

"I haven't pitched in six weeks, man," Lackey said. "I was obviously trying to come in on him. There was no intention whatsoever to throw behind him or hit him."

Ian Kinsler didn't see things the same way.

"I don’t know what that was all about, and I don’t know what he was trying to prove," Kinsler said. "I go to first base, steal a base and score a run. That’s what I do. The umpire, I thought he handled it very well."

Jarrod Saltalamacchia put Texas ahead 3-2 when he drove in a couple of runs in the second with a single.

Josh Hamilton drove in a couple as well with two sacrifice flies, both in the 1st and 4th innings. Hamilton has been showing more patience at the plate since returning from the disabled list. Michael Young like that Texas has been doing the job pushing runs across the plate.

"Those are the things we need to do to win ballgames," said Young. "We're not going to hit four home runs every night, so we have to manufacture runs. We take pride in being a versatile offense."

Defensively, Texas didn't commit an error for the seventh time in eight games, including a great play from both Ian Kinsler and Chris Davis to get the last out of the game. Despite the play, Kinsler wanted to turn the spotlight back onto the quality of pitching the Rangers are getting from their starters.

"We're getting pitching -- that's the biggest thing," Kinsler said. "Padilla pitched an unbelievable game. We're getting to the point where we expect it every day."

Michael Young echoed Kinsler's praise of Padilla.

"He [Padilla] has a good breaking ball and a good split working, and he’s throwing strikes with his fastball," Young said. "Combine that with the fact that he’s been throwing well and working late in the game, that’s a good recipe for success."

Feldman Turns In Another Quality Start, Hamilton Returns From DL With A Bang.

Despite the news of a returning Josh Hamilton from the disabled list, the real story of the night was pitcher Scott Feldman. For the 4th time this season, Feldman turned in a quality start for Texas. Matter of fact, Feldman was cruising for 6 1/3 innings until the home plate umpire decided to get involved.

Having not allowed a run, Feldman had strike 3 on Franklin Gutierrez but home plate unpire Marty Foster didn't see it that way. One pitch later, Gutierrez stroked a single into center, then stole 2nd base. The next hitter, catcher Kenji Johjima hit a soft liner into right field, tying the game at one run a piece.



Feldman was visibly upset while being from the game but, having thrown 110 pitches, needed to sit. Rookie Derek Holland came in to retire the final two hitters of the inning, preserving the tie.

In the bottom of the 7th, Mike Young drilled a hard shot into right field (his 3rd hit of the game) setting up some heroics from the returning Josh Hamilton, who hit an opposite field homerun, giving Texas the lead.

Andruw Jones then legged out an infield single, followed by a Marlon Byrd double, whihc set up a deep sacrifice fly by Nelson Cruz, giving Texas a 4-1 lead. Chris Davis (who had given Texas a 1-0 lead earlier in the game via a solo homerun) drilled a hard shot off the glove of Seattle first baseman Russell Branyan. An error but it scored Texas' 5th run of the game. Jarrod Saltalamacchia then hit a hard shot into right field, picking up an RBI triple. Salty scored on an infield single by Elvis Andrus. After an Ian Kinsler base hit, Mike Young walked, loading the bases for Josh Hamilton, who ended Seattle's misery by striking out.

Leading 7-1, Derek Holland went 1 2/3 innings, throwing strikes, forcing Seattle's hitters to put the ball in play. He was rewarded with several weakly hit groundballs. Holland continues to progress and could find himself in the starting lineup before the end of the season.

Eddie Guardado came in to pitch the 9th for Texas, closing out the game and giving Texas a 2 1/2 game lead in the AL West.

The win was the 1st of Derek Holland's big league career.

Texas Goes To Seattle, Gets Sweep

Texas rode into Seattle with a modest 2 game winning streak and left out with their third straight winning series and their first sweep since the opening series of the season.

In game one, Texas got 2-run homers from both Chris Davis and Michael Young off Seattle ace Felix Hernandez, while Kevin Millwood hung in there for the Rangers, giving them 7 1/3 innings of work, leaving the game with a one run lead.



Frank Francisco made the run stand up, thanks in large part to an acrobatic defensive play by Elvis Andrus, pulling to one game over .500.

"It was just a good team win," Young said. "Obviously, it was a big game for both teams. Hernandez had great stuff, off-the-chart stuff. But Milly battled through it and gave us a huge effort as he always does. The bullpen did a good job and we got some timely hits off Felix."

In game two of the short series, Vicente Padilla pitched a gem, throwing 8 innings of one-hit baseball, surrendering only one unearned run. Padilla had struggled early in the season but has shown signs of breaking out of his funk, compiling an ERA of 3.05 in his last 3 starts.

"He was outstanding," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He really was. That was what we needed. He made all his pitches, moved the ball around in the strike zone, changed speeds at the right time and worked fast. The key was throwing strikes in all parts of the strike zone."



But Erik Bedard was almost as effective for the Mariners and the game was forced into extra innings where, in the top of the 10th, Texas exploded for six runs, capped by a grand slam by catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

"Marlon and Cruz got the two-out RBI hits," Saltalamacchia said. "That took the pressure off me, and all I had to do was look for a good pitch to hit. This was huge. It was that we came into Seattle and swept. Now we've got to go on to Oakland and keep it going."

Young's Heroics Not Enough, Holland Makes A Splash

Texas is certainly developing a flare for the dramatic.

After falling down 2-0 in the 2nd (off a 2-run homer by former Ranger Rod Barajas), Texas came back with a couple of their own in the top of the 3rd, thanks to a 2-run single by Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

But Matt Harrison was unable to do much of anything tonight, giving up three runs (including another 2-run homerun by Barajas) in the 4th.

The 5th inning was started by Scott Feldman, who continues to throw buckets of gasoline on fires, giving up two more runs in 1 2/3 innings.



Feldman was then pulled for Derek Holland, who was making his Major League debut and did nothing but impress, going 2 1/3 innings, striking out two and allowing no runs. Holland came in and threw strikes, showing poise on the mound, regularly hitting 94 mph on the radar gun.

Texas began to chip away, picking up one in the 5th, one more in the 8th, and three in the top of the 9th, the last run coming via a solo homerun off the bat of Michael Young.

But C.J. Wilson couldn't hold the lead and, after struggling through the 10th inning, allowed a lead off walk in the top of the 11th. The walk forced in the newly acquired Darren O'Day, who hadn't even been with the team long enough to get his own uniform (O'Day arrived roughly 20 minutes before actually warming up to enter the game), forcing him to wear Kason Gabbard's. Despite the situation, a moment of levity was offered when Ron Washington and the Rangers infield were seen standing on the mound laughing at the sight of seeing a pitcher that they'd previously never met running towards them from their bullpen.

The good feelings lasted all of one batter as Kevin Millar stepped up and did what he's done so many times in his career: drive in the game-winning run.

- Matt Harrison's struggles continue to worry many, his ERA now 9.20. He's been hit very hard and one has to begin to wonder how long they're gonna be able to stick with him pitching the team into early holes. However, with Kris Benson injured and Scott Feldman pitching no better, Texas may not have much choice than to let him see if he can pitch through his issues.

- Darren O'Day has allowed zero earned runs this season. He has, however, allowed five unearned runs. Not exactly what you want out of a relief pitcher.

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.