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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Ross Wolf's plan was to give up baseball at the end of this season.

After getting his first major league win in the Rangers' 3-1 victory over Oakland on Wednesday, the 30-year old's plans have changed.

Wolf will likely begin preparing for a Monday start in the Rangers' day-night doubleheader at Arizona, taking the ball on the same day as ace Yu Darvish.

Sometimes baseball produces great stories like this one. Wolf, an 18th-round pick of the Florida Marlins out of Wabash Valley (Ill.) Junior College, hadn't pitched in the big leagues since 2010 with the A's. He toiled around in the minor leagues with two organizations last season -- including the Rangers. A blister on rookie Nick Tepesch's pitching hand forced the Rangers to call up Wolf for a spot start.

Wolf arrived in spring training in February with no visions of pitching in the majors. Basically, he and his wife were planning on life after baseball with two young children in his hometown of Newton, Ill.

"If you had told me at spring training I would be here with this team," Wolf said, "I would have called you a liar."

But there he was Wednesday afternoon, starting one of the biggest games of the season for the Rangers. Oakland had won two straight in Arlington and had a chance to pull within 3 1/2 games in the American League West. It was a big swing game, and one on paper that seemed to tilt toward the A's.

Not after the first inning. Wolf pitched a 1-2-3 first inning (he went on to retire the first nine batters he faced). The Rangers offense, which had three singles and didn't have a plate appearance with a runner in scoring position in Tuesday's dismal 1-0 loss, exploded for three runs in the bottom of the first.

Wolf allowed the offense to wake up, even if it was just for an inning. The Rangers had a 3-0 lead after four batters as David Murphy cranked a two-run home run and Adrian Beltre hit a solo shot to center field.

Wolf went to work from there. He got into his first jam in the top of the fourth when the A's had runners at second and third and one out. He minimized the damage as Brandon Moss plated Oakland's only run with a sacrifice fly and Josh Donaldson grounded out to shortstop.

The fifth inning provided the big test. Wolf walked Seth Smith and allowed a double to Derek Norris to find himself in another second and third situation, this time with no outs and a 3-1 lead. He got through the inning with help from A.J. Pierzynski, who came out and talked to him on the mound a few times.

"He stayed in the moment and didn't lose focus on what he was doing out there," Pierzynski said.

Elvis Andrus made the defensive play of the game with an over-the-shoulder catch for the first out, and Wolf induced a second popout to short for the second out. That left a key matchup against A's leadoff hitter Coco Crisp. Wolf got ahead with a slider and then was able to get Crisp to ground out to first on a 1-2 change-up.

"He did a good job of changing speeds," Pierzynski said.

Wolf did put two runners on in the sixth -- one on a rare error by Andrus -- and he needed help from relievers Neal Cotts, Robbie Ross and Joe Nathan to seal the win. All they did was retire 12 of the 13 batters they faced.

Nathan and Pierzynski made sure Wolf got the ball from the final out as the Rangers' closer struck out Norris to end the game.

"I wish I had gotten to say hello to him before the game," said Nathan, who closed out the game and earned his 14th save. "It's obviously a great story, hard work and dedication."

Who knows where Wolf will be in a few weeks? At some point injured starters Colby Lewis and then Matt Harrison will return. Maybe Martin Perez will join the Rangers.

Wolf may be back in Round Rock again.

But he'll celebrate with his wife and kids Wednesday night, knowing that for one day he was good enough to win in the major leagues.

"I've always had starter's stuff," Wolf said. "The opportunity to start again has opened up a window."

Major League Baseball will honor the military on Memorial Day and part of that includes some newly-designed caps and jerseys featuring an authentic military digital camouflage. The Rangers play two games on Memorial Day (Monday) in a scheduled doubleheader against the Diamondbacks in Arizona.

MLB will donate 100 percent of its net proceeds from sales of the caps and jerseys to Welcome Back Veterans, an initiative of MLB charities that provides grants to hospitals that treat post-traumatic stress disorder.

At 3 p.m. local time, games around baseball will stop for a moment of silence on Memorial Day.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers jumped out with two home runs in the bottom of the first and made it stand for a 3-0 victory over the A's on Wednesday. The Rangers avoided a sweep against their division rivals and also their first three-game losing streak of the season.

Maintaining a comfortable lead: The Rangers pushed their lead back to 5 1/2 games in the American League West with Wednesday's win over second-place Oakland. The Rangers lost only their second home series of the season. They still haven't lost a road series. The Rangers have been in first place 32 straight days.

Murphy ignites first-inning rally: After Elvis Andrus' single to start the bottom of the first, David Murphy belted a 1-0 pitch into the right-field seats for a 2-0 lead. After Lance Berkman's fly out to center, Adrian Beltre hit a solo shot to center field for his 10th home run of the season and a 3-0 lead.

Wolf comes up big: Ross Wolf gave the Rangers exactly what they needed and more. Not only did the journeyman right-hander keep the Rangers in the game, he left with a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning. He retired the first nine batters he faced, and when he did get himself into jams in the fourth and fifth innings, he minimized the damage. Wolf had runners at second and third twice in two innings, including with no outs in the fifth, and allowed only a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning. Wolf allowed three hits and walked two in five innings.

Cotts on rampage: Left-handed reliever Neal Cotts hasn't slowed down since arriving from Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday. Cotts came into Wednesday's game in the sixth inning with runners at first and second and struck out the side, including left-handed batters Brandon Moss and Seth Smith. Cotts did allow a double to A's catcher Derek Norris to start the seventh inning, but he retired the next three batters, including left-handed hitter Eric Sogard. He has four strikeouts in two innings for the Rangers. Counting his Triple-A stats, Cotts has 46 strikeouts in 31 innings and left-handed batters are 0-for-33 against him.

Ross dominates: Robbie Ross delivered in the eighth inning with a perfect inning, lowering his ERA to 0.42, the lowest among all relievers in baseball.

Berkman scuffling: The A's slowed down a red-hot Berkman the last couple of days as he failed to get a hit in seven at-bats. Berkman still had a solid homestand with eight hits in 26 at-bats with five RBIs.

Up next: The Rangers have an off day Thursday as they travel to Seattle for a three-game series against the Mariners, then a day-night Memorial Day doubleheader at Arizona. Probables in the Seattle series are Rangers right-hander Justin Grimm (3-3, 4.02 ERA) against Mariners left-hander Joe Saunders (3-4, 5.64) on Friday at 9:10 p.m.; left-hander Derek Holland (3-2, 3.30) vs. right-hander Felix Hernandez (5-3, 2.07); and right-hander Nick Tepesch (3-4, 3.98) against right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma (5-1, 2.37).

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers' bullpen is left-handed dominant -- at least for Wednesday's game against Oakland.

Needing to clear a roster spot for Wednesday's starter Ross Wolf, the Rangers optioned right-handed reliever Cory Burns, who has been with the team for six days, to Triple-A Round Rock.

That leaves the club with four lefties in the pen: Neal Cotts, who arrived Tuesday and pitched a shutout inning and is the hottest Rangers reliever outside of Tanner Scheppers, Robbie Ross, Joe Nathan, Michael Kirkman and Joseph Ortiz.

Jason Frasor, Scheppers and Nathan are the right-handed options for manager Ron Washington, who said this will be the setup for the Rangers for now.

"It's not a handicap," Washington said. "Cotts has good stuff and he's healthy. He's throwing good."

Cotts, who had 42 strikeouts in 29 innings for Round Rock, fanned one Oakland batter in a perfect ninth inning with the Rangers trailing 1-0. Pitching in the big leagues for the first time since 2009, Cotts won't be treated like a left-handed specialist.

"He can pitch multiple innings if needed," Washington said.

Rotation matters: The Rangers still plan to go with Justin Grimm, Derek Holland and Nick Tepesch for the weekend series against Seattle. That's provided Tepesch's blister on his right middle finger heals in time for Sunday's start.

Yu Darvish will pitch the first game of the split doubleader Monday at Arizona. Ross Wolf is in the rotation now, and would be pitching on four days rest Monday, so he could get the start in the night game of the twinbill against the Diamondbacks.

Left-hander Martin Perez, who threw seven shutout innings for Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday night, may not be an option, even though he only allowed three hits, didn't walk anyone and had seven strikeouts. Perez threw 77 pitches, so he may not be stretched out enough.

Kinsler update: Second baseman Ian Kinsler didn't have much to say Wednesday about the right intercostal strain that has him on the 15-day disabled list. Kinsler is eligible to be re-instated on June 2. "I'm anticipating it," he said.

Moreland sits against A's: Washington gave first baseman Mitch Moreland the day off Wednesday, saying he's a "little fatigued." Thursday's off day makes it a two-day break for Moreland.

It speaks volumes that Washington didn't wait until Friday when the Rangers face Seattle left-hander Joe Saunders to sit Moreland, who is batting .343 for his last 18 games but had three strikeouts in Tuesday's 1-0 loss.

"Maybe going against a left-hander will get him locked in," Washington said.

Inept offense: For the second time this season, the Rangers failed to have a plate appearance with a runner in scoring position in Monday's 1-0 loss (the other was April 18 against the Chicago Cubs).

That happened once from 2010-12 -- last September against the Los Angeles Angels.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics close out a three-game series in Arlington, with right-hander Ross Wolf facing the A’s Jarrod Parker in a 1:05 p.m. matinee on Wednesday.

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Wolf (first start): Wolf (6-foot, 180 pounds) is the latest member of the Rangers' pitching staff to be recalled from Triple-A Round Rock to make an emergency start for Nick Tepesch, scratched because of a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand. … In six starts at Round Rock, Wolf was 1-1 with a 1.85 ERA. Wolf, 30, last pitched in the majors for Oakland in 2010. He appeared in 11 games in relief, had no record and an ERA of 4.26. For the Miami Marlins in 2007, Wolf made 14 relief appearances going 0-1 with an 11.68 ERA. … In Wolf’s last game at Round Rock on May 17, he went a season-long seven innings, allowed five hits and two runs in earning his first win. … Right-handed hitters in the Pacific Coast League were batting just .210 against him. … Wolf was selected in the 18th round of the 2002 first-year player draft by the Marlins.

Parker (2-5, 6.04): Parker (6-1, 195 pounds) is scheduled to make his 10th start of the season. … After a disastrous beginning to 2013 (0-4, 8.10 ERA in his first five games), the 24-year-old from Fort Wayne, Ind., has righted the ship. Parker is 2-1 with a 4.07 ERA in his last four starts. … Opponents hit for a .374 average against Parker in his first five starts. That average is .222 in the last four. … In his last outing, Parker limited the Kansas City Royals to four hits and one run in seven innings, but left with a no decision. … He has three quality starts in his last four outings. … Against the Rangers, Parker is 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA with all the decisions coming last season. … The three wins are his most against any team. … In day games this year, Parker is 0-1 with a 21.60 ERA. But coming into this season, he was 5-2 with a 2.64 ERA in the sunshine. At Rangers Ballpark, Parker is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA.

Hitters: A.J. Pierzynski (1-for-3) and Elvis Andrus (2-for-6, double) have been the most productive Rangers off Parker. Nelson Cruz is hitless in nine at-bats against Parker, with three strikeouts.

TEXAS RANGERS

SS Elvis Andrus
LF David Murphy
DH Lance Berkman
3B Adrian Beltre
RF Nelson Cruz
C A.J. Pierzynski
1B Jeff Baker
CF Leonys Martin
2B Leury Garcia
P Ross Wolf

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

CF Coco Crisp
DH John Jaso
LF Yoenis Cespedes
1B Brandon Moss
3B Josh Donaldson
RF Seth Smith
C Derek Norris
2B Eric Sogard
SS Adam Rosales
P Jarrod Parker

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers have heard their opponents rave many times this season about the pitching of Yu Darvish.

PODCAST
Rangers manager Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett for his weekly visit to discuss Yu Darvish's pitch count and how he spends time in the clubhouse during weather delays. Listen

Tuesday night, it was the Rangers hitters’ turn to heap praise on the opposing pitcher after the Oakland Athletics’ 1-0 victory at Rangers Ballpark.

Dan Straily, he of a 1-2 record and a 7.27 ERA coming in, limited the Rangers to two harmless singles in seven innings. Relievers Sean Dolittle and Grant Balfour took it the rest of the way.

Texas finished with three hits and never advanced a runner as far as second base.

“I can only speak for the at-bats I had and what I saw, but it seemed like [Straily] pitched a great game," Rangers designated hitter Lance Berkman said. “That doesn’t mean we should be shut out. But he was up to the task tonight."

On May 15 in Oakland, the Rangers knocked Straily out in the fifth inning, when he walked four and allowed four hits and four earned runs in a 6-2 Texas victory.

“He had better fastball command tonight," Berkman said. “He didn’t miss in the middle of the plate. His misses were on the inside corner."

Mitch Moreland was impressed with Straily’s versatility.

“He was throwing all his pitches in every count," said Moreland, who went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts. “He threw a good game."

David Murphy, who flied out in all three of his plate appearances, said Straily did a good job of getting ahead of hitters.

“Those were good pitches, at the knees and below," Murphy said.

Manager Ron Washington also noted Straily’s improved command of his fastball.

“We just couldn’t put anything together," Washington said. “I give Straily credit. I never doubted that they had pretty good pitching and a tremendous bullpen."

The A’s go for a three-game sweep at 1:05 p.m. Wednesday at Rangers Ballpark.

“Oakland has a tough team,” Berkman said. “They’re going to be around because of their pitching. We definitely have a free-swinging team. We can put a beating on teams, but we can also make quick outs.”

ARLINGTON, Texas -- A.J. Pierzynski made a wise point after being peppered with several questions about Yu Darvish's so-called off night in the Texas Rangers' 1-0 loss to the Oakland Athletics on Monday.

Basically it was this: What do you want from him?

Which is a fair question.

Darvish wasn't at his best Tuesday night. Even Pierzynski said so. Darvish walked three batters and hit another. He gave up a home run for the fifth straight game, this one to A's center fielder Yoenis Cespedes that ended up getting him beat (actually the Rangers' offense lost this game, but that's another story).

"He was OK," Pierzynski said of Darvish. "He wasn't as sharp as he's been."

And then there's the pitch count. Darvish threw 102 pitches in six innings after 130 in his previous start against Detroit. You know, the one where he threw 15 pitches in the eighth inning of a 10-4 game the Rangers were winning and it turned into water cooler talk the next morning.

And of course it makes the baseball mind wonder. He pitched one more inning than you thought he would against Detroit. And one less inning than you thought he would against the second-place A's.

And you try to add that all up and you finally say … I give up.

Here's the deal: Darvish could have thrown 150 pitches Monday night and it would have been futile. The Rangers' offense produced three singles and didn't get a baserunner to second. The one runner who headed that way, Jurickson Profar in the fifth inning, was caught stealing.

Pulling Darvish after six innings ended up being one of the best decisions Rangers manager Ron Washington has made all season, especially knowing what we know after the fact -- that Robbie Ross, Tanner Scheppers and Neal Cotts were going to keep it a 1-0 game going to the bottom of the ninth.

In all seriousness, Washington said he felt like the rhythm of the game caught up to Darvish. Except for the third inning when Cespedes hit his home run, and the fourth inning when Darvish had his only perfect frame, he put at least two runners on base.

"It seems like I threw a lot of pitches," Darvish said. "I was able to grind and not give up many runs."

Darvish worked hard to get double plays in the fifth and sixth innings, and also bounced back to strike out Cespedes by throwing him five straight sliders for the final out of the fifth inning, stranding two runners.

"He worked hard," Washington said. "The lineup over there worked him pretty good. I wasn't running him back out there. He took [us] as far as he could take us."

The A's worked him over pretty good, Washington said. And they scored only one run on a cutter to Cespedes that stayed over the plate with two outs in the third inning.

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"He made one mistake and [Cespedes] hit for a home run," Pierzynski said.

Darvish was surprised Cespedes' shot left the ballpark.

"I didn't think it was a home run," Darvish said. "Being in this stadium, you never know. It is what it is."

Darvish was in good spirits after the game. He has had the best run support in baseball this season -- nine runs per start -- but received none Monday.

Was he shocked the Rangers' bats finally went quiet on him?

"I've been propelled with run support," Darvish said. "There will be games like this."

Did he feel less himself after 130 pitches in Thursday's duel against Detroit's Justin Verlander?

"I was my usual self," Darvish said. "I wasn't affected by the last outing."

And finally, the seventh inning. Did he want to go back out?

You know the answer, which Darvish spiced up with a little humor.

"I really begged Wash," Darvish said. "I wanted to keep pitching. But you writers need to talk so much about pitch counts that it hurt me. So that was the end of my game."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Dan Straily entered Tuesday night’s game with a 7.27 ERA.

But, for one night, Straily outpitched the heralded Yu Darvish in the rarest of rare happenings at Rangers Ballpark, a game in which one run is enough to win. This marks only the 13th time a 1-0 result has been played since the stadium opened in 1994.

Yoenis Cespedes’ home run in the third inning off Darvish stood up as the game winner.

The Rangers offense came close to taking the night off. Three singles was all they could muster off Straily and two relievers, Sean Doolittle and Grant Balfour.

So dominant was the Oakland pitching that Texas never advanced a baserunner as far as second.

Texas' hits belonged to A.J. Pierzynski -- fresh off the disabled list -- in the third, Jurickson Profar in the fifth (caught stealing second) and Craig Gentry with an infield single in the eighth.

Streak breaker:
Darvish was starting for the sixth time after a loss on Tuesday. In the previous five tries, Darvish was 5-0. But the combination of no run support and Cespedes’ home run in the third inning denied Darvish a chance to win his eighth. A high pitch count plagued Darvish (7-2) once again. He left after six innings having thrown 101 pitches, only 56 for strikes.

Cespedes, batting with two out in the third, hit the first pitch he saw an estimated 401 feet over the center-field wall.

Setup man:
A case could be made for Tanner Scheppers to be in the running for most valuable Ranger so far. He has filled the eighth-inning setup role handled last season by Mike Adams. Scheppers came into Tuesday’s game with a 3-0 record, tied for the league lead in relief wins, and an ERA of 0.79. Prior to allowing a solo home run to Miguel Cabrera on Sunday, his scoreless streak stretched eight innings.

Scheppers recorded another shutout eighth inning on Tuesday, but not without some difficulty. A hit batsman and a walk put Scheppers in an immediate hole, but he worked his way out of trouble with the aid of a couple of strikeouts and a fly ball to right field with the bases loaded.

Defensive gems:
Elvis Andrus went to his left and made a diving stop of Chris Young’s ground ball. Andrus quickly popped back to his feet and made a strong throw that beat Young by a step. An inning later, Andrus made a brilliant double-play turn. Andrus came into the game with only one error this season, handling 158 total chances going into Tuesday’s game. But he picked up error No. 2 in the eighth inning when his throw pulled Profar off second base on a fielder’s choice grounder in the seventh.

Who’s on first?
The situation called for Profar, for just a moment, to become a first baseman. He looked quite comfortable making a first-baseman’s stretch to take a throw from Andrus and complete a double play in the fifth inning. Profar found himself at first base when Adam Rosales bunted in a sacrifice situation with Eric Sogard aboard.

Up next:
The Rangers wrap up the homestand against Oakland Wednesday at Rangers Ballpark. The Rangers' farm system will produce the starter for the second time in three games as Ross Wolf (1-0, 1.85 ERA at Triple-A Round Rock) draws the start for Texas, replacing Nick Tepesch, who is out with a blister on the middle finger of his right hand. The A’s will counter with right-hander Jarrod Parker (2-5, 6.04 ERA) at 1:05 p.m. CT on Fox Sports Southwest and ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and 1540-AM.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The shuttle from Round Rock to Rangers Ballpark remains in full swing with a couple more pitchers arriving Tuesday.

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Nolan Ryan joins Galloway & Company for his weekly visit to discuss the latest Rangers news. Listen

The Rangers added left-handed reliever Neal Cotts to the 25-man roster and he will be available Tuesday night. Cotts is 3-1 with a 0.78 ERA at Triple-A Round Rock in 15 appearances.

The Rangers also intend to summon Ross Wolf from Round Rock to make Wednesday’s 1:05 p.m. start against Oakland in the finale of the series and the homestand.

A blister on the right middle finger of scheduled starter Nick Tepesch influenced the Rangers to skip his regular turn. The hope is that Tepesch will be able to start Sunday in Seattle.

Wolf, in six starts with Round Rock, is 1-1 with a 1.85 ERA.

When Wolf is officially added, he and Cotts become the third and fourth pitchers to be promoted from Round Rock in the last six days along with being RHP Cory Burns and RHP Josh Lindblom, Monday night’s starter.

Lindblom and catcher Robinson Chirinos were sent back to Round Rock on Tuesday.

The Rangers will need to make one more move before Wolf can be added to the 25-man roster.

A.J. Pierzynski comes off the disabled list and is back in the lineup tonight when the Rangers host Oakland at Rangers Ballpark.

Pierzynski, on the disabled list since May 6 with a strained oblique muscle, will catch and bat eighth. The lineups:

PODCAST
Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus joins Galloway & Company to discuss having Scott Boras as his agent, his new contract and having Jurickson Profar in the lineup. Listen

RANGERS
SS Elvis Andrus
LF David Murphy
DH Lance Berkman
3B Adrian Beltre
RF Nelson Cruz
1B Mitch Moreland
CF Craig Gentry
C A.J. Pierzynski
2B Jurickson Profar

OAKLAND
C John Jaso
DH Jed Lowrie
LF Yoenis Cespedes
1B Brandon Moss
3B Josh Donaldson
RF Seth Smith
CF Chris Young
2B Eric Sogard
SS Adam Rosales

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers try to even their series against Oakland when right-hander Yu Darvish takes the mound against A's right-hander Dan Straily at 7:05 p.m. on FSSW and ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM (1540 AM in Spanish).

PODCAST
Rangers manager Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett for his weekly visit to discuss Yu Darvish's pitch count and how he spends time in the clubhouse during weather delays. Listen

Darvish (7-1, 2.97 ERA): Darvish makes his 10th start of the season and first since throwing 130 pitches in a 10-4 victory over Detroit last Thursday. ... He leads AL pitchers with 23 wins since the start of the 2012 and tied for third overall in baseball behind Gio Gonzalez and R.A. Dickey, who have 24 wins. ... Darvish has won five straight decisions. ... His 130 pitches against the Tigers were the second most in baseball this season, and he also has the third most at 127 pitches against Boston on May 5. Darvish has averaged just under 121 pitches per start in May. ... He is second in wins behind Tampa Bay's Matt Moore, who is 8-0. ... Darvish leads the majors with 86 strikeouts and 12.76 strikeouts per nine innings. ... Darvish will face the A's for the first time this season. He went 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA against Oakland last season. ... Darvish is 14-2 lifetime at Rangers Ballpark, with one of those losses coming last July when he allowed three runs in seven innings in a 3-1 loss to the A's. ... He is 4-0 with a 3.82 ERA in five starts in Arlington this season.

Straily (1-2, 7.27 ERA): Straily is making his seventh start of the season. ... He was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on May 1 for his third stint with the A's this year. He is 0-2 with a 7.98 ERA since then. ... Straily's 7.27 ERA is the second-highest in the AL among pitchers with at least 25 innings pitched. ... He lost to the Rangers in his last start, a 6-2 defeat in which he allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings. ... Straily is 0-1 with a 4.09 ERA in two career starts against Texas. ... He throws a fastball in the mid-90s and has a good curveball, but command has been an issue.

Hitters: Coco Crisp gave Josh Lindblom fits Monday night with three hits and also gives Darvish problems (3-for-6, 1 HR, 4 RBIs). Left-handed hitting Seth Smith had a home run Monday night and is 3-for-8 with an RBI against Darvish. Adrian Beltre (2-for-6, RBI) and Lance Berkman with two RBIs have had early success against the 24-year-old Straily.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Yu Darvish may not consider himself to be in the class of Justin Verlander just yet.

But Darvish is certainly held in high regard in the Rangers' clubhouse.

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"He's certainly been our ace," manager Ron Washington said.

Darvish was asked Sunday in advance of Tuesday's start against Oakland if he considered himself in the class of the Tigers' Cy Young winning pitcher after beating him last Thursday in a game that Verlander allowed eight runs without getting out of the third inning.

Darvish, who allowed four runs in eight innings in the start, said he's just at his starting point with only 38 games started in the big leagues.

"If that's the way he feels, that's fine with me," Washington said. "Just as long as he keeps pitching the way he has been pitching. An ace, in his mind, is somebody who has been doing it a long time. But he has been an ace here in Texas, and he certainly has the stuff to be an ace."

PODCAST
Rangers manager Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett for his weekly visit to discuss Yu Darvish's pitch count and how he spends time in the clubhouse during weather delays. Listen

Darvish has been hurt by the long ball of late, allowing seven home runs in his last four starts. One concern could be his success rate with his pitches thrown in or above the upper-half of the strike zone.

He produced 59 swings and 23 of them were swings and misses during his first five starts on pitches up in the strike zone. But he's only gotten 10 misses on 44 swings on fastballs up in the zone while allowing three home runs.

Other notes:

Lindblom likely will start again: Starting pitcher Josh Lindblom was optioned back to Triple-A Round Rock after taking the loss in Monday's 9-2 defeat to Oakland. Still, expect him to start one game in Monday's doubleheader at Arizona. Lindblom needs to focus on doing one thing, Washington said. "Keep the ball down," the manager said.

Bullpen needs help: The Rangers have another roster move to make after sending down Lindblom and catcher Robinson Chirinos and only activating catcher A.J. Pierzynski. Expect them to call up left-handed reliever Neal Cotts, who has 42 strikeouts in 23 innings in Triple-A. Washington used Joseph Ortiz for 40 pitches and Michael Kirkman for 26 in Monday's loss, so he can use another lefty in the bullpen for Tuesday's game.

Martin continues streak: Center fielder Leonys Martin continues to come into his own, taking a six-game hitting streak into Tuesday's game. He has seven hits in his last 18 at-bats with two doubles and a triple.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Jurickson Profar didn't get a hit in his first game of the 2013 season.

But he made two productive outs, driving in both runs in what was an otherwise dismal 9-2 loss for the Texas Rangers against the Oakland Athletics on Monday night.

"He handled his at-bats well tonight," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "We scored two runs tonight. He got both."

Profar tied the game in the third inning. Geovany Soto drew a leadoff walk and Leonys Martin followed with a double to put runners at second and third. Profar got the count to 2-2 and was able to sneak a ground ball past the pitcher to score Soto and tie the game at 1.

"Once I got two strikes, I knew I just had to get the run in," Profar said. "I tried to drive the ball but I missed my pitch. So I battled and tried to get it in play."

Profar came up again with runners at first and third and an out in the bottom of the fifth. He took a called strike, then hit a fastball to straight-away center field for a sacrifice fly. It was the Rangers eighth sac fly in 45 games.

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ESPN MLB Insider Jayson Stark joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss whether the Rangers are the best team in baseball, what makes them so good and whether he thinks the team will trade Jurickson Profar. Listen

"I was trying to be aggressive," Profar said. "He threw a pretty good pitch."

Profar grounded out to shortstop in his final at bat, making it an 0-for-2 night. He has three hits in 19 at-bats to start his big league career.

But the 20-year-old produced in must execute situations on Monday and that's a good start to his second tenure in the big leagues.

"We don't expect him to put us on his back," left fielder David Murphy said. "We know how talented he is and how productive he can be. He had a good night for us."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Oakland Athletics jumped on Texas Rangers right-hander Josh Lindblom for four runs in the fifth inning and the A's went on to win 9-2 in the opening game of a three-game series Monday night.

The A's cut the Rangers' lead in the American League West to 5½ games, still the largest division lead in baseball.

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Nolan Ryan joins Galloway & Company for his weekly visit to discuss the latest Rangers news. Listen

Lindblom hit hard: Making his major league debut, Lindblom got hit hard. He allowed seven hits and four runs in 4⅔ innings. Lindblom worked around a single and a walk in the first inning, but allowed a home run to Seth Smith to start the second inning. Lindblom allowed three doubles between four batters in the fifth inning. Coco Crisp had his third hit of the game against Lindblom, a double to left field. And Yoenis Cespedes and Brandon Moss followed with RBI doubles for a 3-1 lead.

Profar produces: Jurickson Profar, playing in his first game of the season, drove in the Rangers only two runs, and he did it with productive outs. He had a ground out to second base with a runner at third and one out in the third inning to tie the game 1-1. He had a sacrifice fly with runners at first and third and one out in the fifth inning to cut Oakland's lead to 5-2. Profar also showed off his range at second and made a nice play on a backhand stop in the fourth inning.

Ortiz struggles: Joe Ortiz allowed a run for the seventh time in 17 outings. He entered the game to get out the left-handed hitting Smith; lefties were batting .133 against Ortiz to start the game. But Smith got the best of the matchup, drilling a single to left field for a 4-1 A's lead. Chris Young followed with an RBI single for a 5-1 lead. Ortiz threw 40 pitches and had three walks.

Burns labors as well: The Rangers designated veteran Derek Lowe for assignment Monday to make room for Cory Burns in the bullpen. Burns allowed two runs in an inning of work. He got hurt by two grounds balls up the middle that went for singles, the second for an RBI for Eric Sogard.

Don't forget Kirkman: Struggling left-hander Michael Kirkman made it three straight relievers to give up a run, and four of the seven batters he faced got on base. Kirkman had two walks in the inning, giving him 13 walks in 18⅔ innings.

Murphy gets two more hits: David Murphy batted No. 2 in the Rangers' lineup for the third straight game and produced two singles in three at-bats. Murphy has four hits in 10 at-bats with a home run and five RBIs in his three games batting in the two-hole.

Twin killings: The Rangers grounded into three double plays in the first four innings. Lance Berkman and Mitch Moreland each hit into 3-6 double plays in the first two innings.

Up next: The Rangers will try to even the series with Oakland when they send right-hander Yu Darvish (7-1, 2.97 ERA) to the mound Tuesday against A's right-hander Dan Straily (1-2, 7.27) at 7:05 p.m. CT on Fox Sports Southwest and ESPN-FM 103.3 and 1540-AM. Wednesday's series finale at 1:05 p.m. CT features right-hander Nick Tepesch (3-4, 3.98) against A's right-hander Jarrod Parker (2-5, 0.64).