ESPN

ARLINGTON, Texas -- One overriding sentiment flowed through the Rangers' winning clubhouse after Monday's 8-7 victory over the division-leading Oakland Athletics.

A.J. Pierzynski said it. Ian Kinsler said it too.

"This was a great team win."

Yes it was.

The Rangers, in desperate need of game changer, had more than a few Monday night as they led early, fell behind by three runs and then came roaring back for an emotional victory that ended a six-game losing streak and brought them within two games of the A's in the American League West.

"They showed what they are and what they're capable of doing," manager Ron Washington said.

A night after Washington had a post-game meeting with his team after a 7-2 loss to Toronto -- urging his club to play harder and execute -- the Rangers came out flying for a 3-0 lead on a two-run home run by A.J. Pierzynski in the second inning and a two-out RBI single by Ian Kinsler in the third inning for a 3-0 lead.

The Rangers had their Mojo back. Then the roof caved in.

Oakland, winners of 22 of their 29 games and the AL's hottest team, stormed back for six runs in the top of the fourth inning off Rangers rookie starter Nick Tepesch for a 6-3 lead. And that here we go again feeling circulated among the 30,489 in Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

And then the Rangers fought back.

It started with reliever Neal Cotts, who got the Rangers out of the fourth inning and delivered two more shutout innings to hold the A's down for a while.

"He did a great job," Pierzynski said. "What 2 1/3 innings is probably the most he's pitched since he was a starter with the A's.

"But Nelson Cruz is the one who changed the momentum," the Rangers' catcher said.

Pierzynski is right about that. Cruz, who had a fly out to center in the second inning on a slider from A's starter Dan Straily, was ready next time. He ripped a slider 364 feet for his 17th home run of the season to cut the A's lead to 6-4 in the bottom of the fourth.

Pierzynski and Cruz put the Rangers over the top in the bottom of the fifth. Pierzynski had a two-out double off the right field wall to cut the lead to one. Cruz delivered the big blow.

On a 0-2 changeup from A's reliever Jesse Chavez, Cruz crushed his 18th home run over the center field fence to give the Rangers the lead back at 7-6.

John Jaso, the A’s catcher, said that both homers Cruz hit “were pitches right down the middle of the plate. A strong guy like that, you can’t get away with that.”

No you can't.

The Rangers still needed their bullpen to deliver a team win. Cotts in the sixth. Robbie Ross in the seventh. Tanner Scheppers in the eighth. They retired 13 in a row, passing the game off to closer Joe Nathan.

The A's loaded the bases on Nathan with one out, but rallied to get a sacrifice fly to left field by Coco Crisp that cut the lead to 8-7. And the final out on Derek Norris' popup to third base.

One that Beltre secured and then pounded his glove. It was the last emotional response, after Pierzynski and Cruz before him.

Cruz said it wasn't so much the end of the losing streak. But rather a big win to start a four-game series against their rivals from Oakland.

"I see it that we were able to beat the guys in front of us," Cruz said. "It was in our minds that we all believed we can do it. They're a great team over there. We've been struggling with runners in scoring position. So to be able to do what we were able to do tonight, to get closer to a great team was big."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Nelson Cruz delivered two monster home runs and the bullpen saved the day as the Texas Rangers snapped a six-game losing streak with an 8-7 victory over the division-leading Oakland Athletics, pulling within two games of the A's for the top spot in the American League West.

Boomstick times two: Cruz had a major impact on the Rangers' first win in a week. His solo home run to center field in the fourth inning gave the Rangers some momentum back, cutting the A's lead to 6-4 after Oakland had erased a 3-0 Texas lead with a six spot in the top of the fourth. Cruz brought the Rangers all the way back in the bottom of the fifth with a two-out, two-run home run to center field for a 7-6 lead. The go-ahead homer came on an 0-2 changeup. Cruz has 18 home runs for the season, tying him for second place in the American League. Cruz also had a RBI double in the bottom of the seventh to give the Rangers a huge insurance run and an 8-6 lead.

AJP makes big impact: Catcher A.J. Pierzynski delivered his first three RBI game of the season. Pierzynski gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning with a two-run home run off the right-field foul pole, his sixth of the season. It was the Rangers' first lead since Thursday in the second inning against Toronto. Pierzynski also had a clutch two-out RBI double off the right-field wall to score Ian Kinsler to cut Oakland's lead to 6-5 in the bottom of the fifth. Cruz followed with his go-ahead homer.

Cotts does it again: What can you say about Neal Cotts? He was the first pitcher who didn't get hit hard Monday night, giving the Rangers' 2 1/3 scoreless innings after starter Nick Tepesch was knocked out by the A's in the fourth inning. Against an A's lineup laden with left-handed hitters, the southpaw Cotts retired all seven batters he faced. Cotts retired four left-handed hitters.

Ross and Scheppers, too: Setup men Robbie Ross and Tanner Scheppers retired all six batters they faced in the seventh and eighth innings to get closer Joe Nathan an 8-6 lead in the ninth inning.

Tepesch gets rocked: Rookie Nick Tepesch continued his trend of looking good early and then having that one bad inning. It happened in the top of the fourth. Staked to a 3-0 lead, Tepesch allowed six runs on five hits. He did appear to get hurt by a bad call by third base umpire Jordan Baker. After John Jaso doubled, Yoenis Cespedes hit a grounder that deflected off Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre's glove to shortstop Elvis Andrus. With Cespedes running, Andrus tried to get the lead runner and Beltre appeared to tag out the A's base runner twice, for sure the second time as TV replays showed. Tepesch didn't respond. Giving up three hits and a walk as the A's teed off on him and stormed to a 6-3 lead.

Up next: The Rangers go for two wins in a row over the A's when right-hander Yu Darvish (7-2, 2.64 ERA) goes up against right-hander Jarrod Parker (5-6, 4.45 ERA) on Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. The rest of the series includes right-hander Justin Grimm (5-5, 5.59 ERA) against left-hander Tommy Milone (6-6, 3.61 ERA) at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday; and right-hander Josh Lindblom (0-2, 5.94 ERA) takes on right-hander A.J. Griffin (5-6, 3.93 ERA) at 1:05 p.m. Thursday. All games are on Fox Sports Southwest and ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and 1540-AM.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rangers manager Ron Washington gave Lance Berkman a second straight day off Monday night, giving his designated hitter a chance to get "good and fresh."

PODCAST
Nolan Ryan joins Galloway & Company to discuss the Rangers' six-game losing streak and how to get out of their slump. Listen

Berkman was replaced at DH by 20-year old Jurickson Profar. Berkman will be back in the lineup on Tuesday as the DH, Washington said.

"I don't mind," Berkman said when asked about getting back-to-back days off. "It gives me a day to regroup."

Berkman is having a mechanical issue when he bats left-handed, he said, and the extra day gives him a chance to work out the kinks. He's having trouble straightening his front leg when he bats left-handed, and Berkman believes that is impacting his bat speed, and thus his power. He's had four surgeries on the right knee.

"I want to make things as good as they have been in the past," Berkman said. "It's hard for me to straighten out my front leg when I hit left-handed. It's something that is impacting my bat speed."

He's hit three home runs in 154 at-bats batting left-handed. The left side has always been Berkman's stronger side. For his career, Berkman has hit a home run left-handed every 15.5 at-bats. He said he's not having an issue with pain in the right knee. It's just something that is impacting his foundation when he swings.

Berkman recalled the 2005 season after he had ACL surgery when he struggled to hit for power most of the season. He hit 11 home runs in September and two more in the playoffs as Houston made it to the World Series.

"It's one of those things," Berkman said.

Profar youngest DH: Profar became the youngest player in Rangers history to start a game as the designated hitter, beating out Sammy Sosa by 114 days. Profar is 20 years, 117 days old entering Monday's game against Oakland. Sosa was 20 years, 231 days old on July 1, 1989 when was the DH and led off. He went 3-for-4 with an RBI in a 1-0 win over the Mariners.

Since the DH was introduced in 1973, the only players as young as Profar to start at DH were Oakland's Claudell Washington (1974), Minnesota's Butch Wynegar (1976) and Tampa Bay's B.J. Upton in 2004.

Soria close to rehab assignment: Rehabbing reliever Joakim Soria threw 35 to 40 pitches in a bullpen session Monday and said he felt good. He may be ready to start a rehab assignment Thursday with Double-A Frisco.

"I feel ready," Soria said. "My command is good."

Lewis throws off mound: Right-hander Colby Lewis threw a bullpen session Monday as he tries to again to work his way back into the Rangers' starting rotation. Lewis hadn't thrown off a mound since late May.

Baker still out: Utility man Jeff Baker (sprained right thumb) wasn't available Monday, even in a pinch-hitting role. But Washington said Baker could be back on Wednesday or Thursday. The Rangers face left-hander Tommy Milone on Wednesday. The manager also said Baker will not need to go on the 15-day disabled list.

Lance Berkman is getting the day off for the Rangers, who have Jurickson Profar leading off and Ian Kinsler hitting third in the opener of a four-game series against the division rival Oakland Athletics. Here are the lineups:

PODCAST
Nolan Ryan joins Galloway & Company to discuss the Rangers' six-game losing streak and how to get out of their slump. Listen

RANGERS
DH Jurickson Profar
SS Elvis Andrus
2B Ian Kinsler
3B Adrian Beltre
C A.J. Pierzynski
RF Nelson Cruz
LF David Murphy
1B Chris McGuiness
CF Leonys Martin

ATHLETICS
CF Coco Crisp
C John Jaso
DH Yoenis Cespedes
1B Brandon Moss
3B Josh Donaldson
LF Seth Smith
SS Jed Lowrie
RF Josh Reddick
2B Eric Sogard

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The slumping Rangers open a four-game series against division-leading Oakland on Monday night with right-hander Nick Tepesch facing A's right-hander Dan Straily at 7:05 p.m. on Fox Sports Southwest and ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM (1540 AM in Spanish).

PODCAST
Nolan Ryan joins Galloway & Company to discuss the Rangers' six-game losing streak and how to get out of their slump. Listen

Tepesch (3-6, 4.30): Tepesch tries to pitch his way out of his worst stretch of his young career. He has lost back-to-back starts, posting an 8.25 ERA, and is 0-3 with a 4.66 ERA in his last five starts. ... Tepesch's problem in Wednesday's loss to Cleveland was he was yanking his sinker, as he put it, which was impacting his ability to command the pitch. Tepesch allowed two home runs and five runs overall in five innings. He was hurt by the Indians' left-handed hitters, who were 7-for-15 with two hit batsmen and two walks. ... Tepesch has been a victim of a lack of run support as the Rangers have scored eight runs for him in his last five starts. ... The Rangers are 4-8 in his 12 starts.

Straily (4-2, 4.45): Straily has turned around his season and rolls into this start against the Rangers. He is 3-0 with a 2.21 ERA for his last five starts and has walked only four batters in 32 2/3 innings during his streak. Straily's career-high winning streak began against the Rangers when he outdueled Yu Darvish for a 1-0 victory on May 15 in Arlington. Straily allowed two hits and had seven strikeouts in seven innings. ... It's been a complete turnaround after a 1-2 start to the season with a 7.27 ERA. ... Straily is tied for second among American League rookies with four wins and third with 47 strikeouts. He beat the New York Yankees on Wednesday, allowing two runs in 6 2/3 innings. ... He is 1-1 with a 2.50 ERA in three career starts against the Rangers.

Hitters: Tepesch has never faced Oakland. Adrian Beltre has two hits in nine at-bats against Straily, who has held current Rangers to a .175 batting average.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers open a new week needing a win -- in a bad way.

PODCAST
Nolan Ryan joins Galloway & Company to discuss the Rangers' six-game losing streak and how to get out of their slump. Listen

They've lost six in a row and they've done it in a painful way, scoring eight runs in those losses, making it particularly hard to watch. The losing streak has come against two teams -- Cleveland and Toronto -- who had losing records.

The schedule gets much more difficult for the Rangers this week with a four-game home series against American League West-leading Oakland and on the road this weekend at St. Louis as Texas returns to the site where it lost the 2011 World Series.

Here's what to watch for:

Streaking A's: The A's have produced another one of their hot stretches, winning 22 of their last 29 games to take over first place in the AL West. The A's were 7 1/2 games behind the Rangers when they had an off day on May 15. Oakland leads the division by three games entering Monday's series opener. It's the A's largest lead in the AL West since 2006.

Dominating the West: Oakland is 21-10 against AL West opponents and 21-19 against everyone else. The A's have feasted on Houston with a 9-0 record. They are 3-3 against the Rangers. Oakland's offense has been much better against division opponents. They've averaged 5.74 runs per game against AL West teams compared to 3.75 runs per game against the rest of the big leagues.

All about the Cs: The A's are 28-9 when outfielders Yoenis Cespedes and Coco Crisp are both in the lineup. Crisp, who was on the disabled list in May, is in the top 10 in the AL in on-base average (.386), runs (42) and stolen bases (13). Cespedes, on the DL in April, is the A's best offensive player with 13 home runs and 36 RBIs in 55 games. Oakland is 117-65 when Cespedes is in the lineup.

Cards best in baseball: There's no doubt that the St. Louis Cardinals made a great baseball decision by letting Albert Pujols walk for the Los Angeles Angels' overpriced contract after winning the 2011 World Series. The Cardinals still made the playoffs in 2012 and they have baseball's best record at 44-25 entering Monday, holding a 2 1/2-game lead on the Cincinnati Reds. The Redbirds are 19-12 at home.

Wainwright waits: A possible marquee pitching matchup awaits on Sunday night -- weather permitting -- when the Rangers' Yu Darvish, who has seven victories but is winless in his last five starts, takes on Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright, who is baseball's first 10-game winner. Wainwright is 10-3 and sports a 2.18 ERA.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers are going through one of their worst stretches in club history by the numbers.

During their current six-game losing streak, they've scored a total of eight runs. Here's a closer look inside the numbers, courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information:

A rough run: The Rangers have scored two runs or fewer in six straight games, matching their longest stretch of games with two runs or less in franchise history (including their days as the second version of the Washington Senators from 1961-71).

After a 32-17 start, the Rangers have gone 6-14 over the last 20 games. During this stretch, they've averaged 3.3 runs per game, down from 4.7 in their first 49 games. They're also hitting .238 (down from .272) and have a team ERA of 4.29 (up from 3.44).

Home blues: The most shocking part about this losing streak is that it has come at Rangers Ballpark. The six-game home skid equals the club's second-longest home losing streak since moving into Rangers Ballpark in Arlington in 1994. The team record for most consecutive home losses is nine, set in May of 1990.

The Rangers can avoid tying the Rangers Ballpark record as they open a four-game series against the Oakland Athletics on Monday night.

"You go out and keep playing," manager Ron Washington said Sunday night. "That team up in there has proven how mentally tough they are. Yes, we've lost six in a row. We're not the first team to lose six in a row, and we probably won't be the last in the rest of the history of baseball to lose six in a row. But we're challenged. And I feel like mentally we're tough enough to make it through the challenge.

"We will make it through the challenge. We just have to keep fighting. That's what we have to do."

While Jon Daniels' interview on Friday with ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM's "Fitzsimmons and Durrett" show featured plenty of Jurickson Profar talk, there was another big takeaway from the chat: Daniels wasn't ready to proclaim his team a buyer yet.

PODCAST
General manager Jon Daniels joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss the Rangers' offensive struggles, injuries and the plan for Jurickson Profar once Ian Kinsler returns from the disabled list. Listen

"We always want to be a buyer," Daniels said. "The last three or four years when we’ve been in that mode it’s a lot more fun than the alternative. But we need to play well to put ourselves in that position. And so 99 percent of our preparation is looking at that -- who’s going to be available and what can we do and who can we add -- but we still have six weeks until the deadline. A lot can happen between now and then."

Daniels was asked later in the interview about whether this team had to earn the title of buyer.

"Of course," Daniels said. "And that’s not a challenge to the club. I love these guys. We’re all in it together, but that’s just the reality. If we get healthy and play to our level of talent and the makeup that’s on this team, I think you know -- from an organizational standpoint -- we’re going to do everything we can to support them and add. Nobody wants to win as much as we do, but we’ve got to get there [near the trade deadline] first. I think it’s a little premature to be talking about it as far as the trade deadline."

Daniels said it wasn't a "challenge to the club," but in reality, it is. Too often fans assume the front office has to ride to the rescue, trade a bunch of the farm and fix a struggling club. But, as Daniels indicated, it doesn't work that way. But it's mid-June. By the time the deadline rolls around in late July, this team will be playing better (yep, I believe that … it's a long season, and they are better than they've shown) and Daniels will be active. But it never hurts for the GM to get the message across that his club has to improve. That's what Daniels was doing on Friday.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers' sixth consecutive defeat, a familiar 7-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, in which the offense again did next to nothing, brought with it a short postgame players' meeting with manager Ron Washington.

PODCAST
Nolan Ryan joins Galloway & Company to discuss the Rangers' six-game losing streak and how to get out of their slump. Listen

The Rangers, who face an important four-game series against Oakland -- the A's will take a three-game division lead into Monday night -- are out of time as far as ending their worst skid since 2010.

"I thought that they needed to hear from the manager," Washington said. "That was it."

Washington didn't reveal his message.

"I spoke to them," Washington said. "And the message is nobody's business in this room, and I don't mean to be disrespectful."

The general message was to stay positive and keep playing hard. Six-game losing streaks in a 162-game season don't ruin things. The last time the Rangers lost six straight games came in April 2010. They went on to make their first World Series.

"We all have to stay positive," said shortstop Elvis Andrus, who is slumping as much as any Rangers hitter. "We need to start playing well. We haven't been doing the little things. We have to play hard. He wants to see everyone on the field playing hard."

PODCAST
General manager Jon Daniels joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss the Rangers' offensive struggles, injuries and the plan for Jurickson Profar once Ian Kinsler returns from the disabled list. Listen

Was it a message the players needed to hear?

Andrus said yes.

"Especially from him," Andrus said. "He always has our back, and we've always got his, too. It's meant for us to go out there and start executing."

And that starts with hitting with runners in scoring position. The Rangers were 1-for-8 and left 11 men on base against Chien-Ming Wang, who was making his second start of the season and whose last win came a year ago.

The Rangers again couldn't produce a clutch hit. Down 2-0 in the second inning after Derek Holland allowed a two-run home run to J.P. Arencibia, Nelson Cruz walked and David Murphy singled with two outs. Chris McGuiness struck out to end the threat.

There was also bad luck. Trailing 3-0 after Colby Rasmus' third home run of the series in the top of the fourth, the Rangers had runners at first and third with one out in the bottom of the inning. Cruz hit a rocket to third base and Edwin Encarnacion made a spectacular snare of the line drive to thwart another Texas threat.

And that's where the Rangers offense is now. They are 4-for-34 with runners in scoring position during the losing streak. They had two singles in those situations against the Jays, one an infield hit by Andrus in a two-run ninth-inning uprising.

So what now?

The postgame talk was of sticking together. Not getting down. This happens in baseball.

What you would expect to hear in a baseball clubhouse.

"We have to find a way to fight through it," catcher A.J. Pierzynski said.

Maybe the A's coming to town will spark something.

"We hate the A's," Holland said. "They hate us."

Washington, who was clearly fired up on the podium during his postgame news conference, might have revealed a little of what he said to his team when asked what needs to be done to end a dismal stretch of baseball.

"You go out and keep playing," Washington said. "That team up in there has proven how mentally tough they are. Yes, we've lost six in a row. We're not the first team to lose six in a row, and we probably won't be the last in the rest of the history of baseball to lose six in a row. But we're challenged. And I feel like mentally we're tough enough to make it through the challenge.

"We will make it through the challenge," Washington said. "We just have to keep fighting. That's what we have to do."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The awful offense continued for the Texas Rangers, who were shut out for the second time in three games by the Toronto Blue Jays, this time by the final of 7-2 on Father's Day at Rangers Ballpark.

The Rangers have scored eight runs during a six-game losing streak.

June swoon: The Rangers fell to 4-11 in June. They are 3-10 during a 20-games-in-20 days stretch. They are 1-6 on the homestand with four to go against the division-leading Oakland A's.

Futile with RISP: It's getting old and depressing talking about these numbers, but they mean everything right now. The Rangers were 2-for-24 with runners in scoring position for the series, and the one hit didn't drive in a run, it just loaded the bases. The Rangers are 17-for-111 with RISP for June. That's a .153 average.

Rangers can't hit Wang: Blue Jays starter Chien-Ming Wang won for the first time since June 12, 2012. Making his second start since being signed by Toronto on June 11, Wang dominated the Rangers, pitching seven shutout innings. He allowed seven hits and walked two.

Profar bats leadoff, plays third: Ian Kinsler is arguably the best leadoff man in club history, but 20-year-old Jurickson Profar got the call there on Sunday. Profar went 1-for-4 with a bloop double. He handled all of his chances at third base in his first start there this season.

Andrus slumping: Shortstop Elvis Andrus is 17-for-97 since a five-hit game on May 18. Andrus was 1-for-5 on Sunday with three groundouts, including a double play in the third inning. He did have an RBI infield single in the bottom of the ninth to plate the Rangers' first run. The top three batters in the Rangers' lineup produced two hits in two days.

Holland has mixed results: If Derek Holland were pitching in front of the Rangers of April and May, his start Sunday would have been good enough for a win. He gave up four runs over six innings and finished strong, as he retired eight of the last nine batters he faced. But Texas pitchers have to be perfect these days, and Holland wasn't. He allowed two home runs, a two-run shot to Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia in the second inning and a solo homer to center fielder Colby Rasmus in the fourth inning. Holland allowed 10 hits, the seventh time in eight starts he's allowed at least eight hits in an outing.

Lind hammers Rangers again: Blue Jays first baseman Adam Lind, who has always had his way with the Rangers, continued his rebirth this season -- in a contract year -- with his second home run of the series, a three-run homeer in the seventh inning off Rangers right-handed reliever Kyle McClellan to give the Jays an insurmountable 7-0 lead. Rangers left-handed reliever Neal Cotts was warming up in the bullpen later in the inning.

Up next: The slumping Rangers open a four-game series against the American League West-leading Oakland A's. In Monday night's series opener, rookie right-hander Nick Tepesch (3-6, 4.30 ERA) faces A's right-hander Dan Straily (4-2, 4.65 ERA) at 7:05 p.m. The rest of the series sets up like this: right-hander Yu Darvish (7-2, 2.64 ERA) goes up against right-hander Jarrod Parker (5-6, 4.45 ERA) on Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m.; right-hander Justin Grimm (5-5, 5.59 ERA) matches up against left-hander Tommy Milone (6-6, 3.61 ERA) at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday; and right-hander Josh Lindblom (0-2, 5.94 ERA) takes on right-hander A.J. Griffin (5-6, 3.93 ERA) at 1:05 p.m. Thursday. All games are on Fox Sports Southwest and ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and 1540-AM.

PODCAST
Nolan Ryan joins Galloway & Company to discuss the Rangers' six-game losing streak and how to get out of their slump. Listen

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland (right hamstring strain) will start a rehab assignment Monday at Double-A Frisco after getting the go-ahead from team physician Dr. Keith Meister.

Moreland, who ran the bases Sunday and hit in the cages, is still on schedule to come off the 15-day disabled list on Friday in St. Louis. Moreland will go on a three-game minor league rehab assignment.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Jurickson Profar was leading off and playing third base on Sunday for the reeling Rangers.

Just another day in the baseball life of the Rangers' 20-year old prodigy.

Profar was slated to start his first game at third base Sunday against Toronto with the Rangers trying to snap out of a five-game losing streak that has seen them score a paltry six runs.

Profar, usually full of short answers, did offer up this gem about playing third.

"As long as it's baseball, I can play anywhere," Profar said.

So why Profar at third?

It was a planned day off for designated hitter Lance Berkman, Rangers manager Ron Washington said, and playing Profar there gave him a chance to give Adrian Beltre some time off his feet. And with Jeff Baker out with a sprained left thumb, this was the best way to get Profar in the lineup.

With the Rangers making the decision to keep Profar in the big leagues, Washington will be looking for ways to get his young player into the lineup. This was the best way Sunday.

There are no concerns about Profar playing third base, Washington said, even though he has gotten little work at the position. Profar went through some pregame drills with first base coach Dave Anderson, who oversees infield defense. They went over signs. His positioning will be taken care of from the dugout.

"It's a catch-and-throw position," Washington said. "He can handle that."

Profar was also batting at the top of the Rangers lineup with one of baseball's best leadoff men, Ian Kinsler, batting third.

"Profar's been hitting leadoff a few games, so I put Kinsler third," Washington said. ""This keeps everyone else where they are."

Harrison to throw Monday: Left-hander Matt Harrison will play catch on Monday, throwing from 45 feet as he begins the long road back that has him hoping to return to the Rangers' rotation in mid-August.

Harrison, rehabbing after two back surgeries, said he expects it to take him about four weeks of throwing on flat ground before he can move to a pitching mound.

Tepesch moves on: Nick Tepesch, who starts Monday's series opener against Oakland, said fine-tuning his sinker has been his objective in between starts. He allowed five runs in five innings in a loss Wednesday to Cleveland.

Tepesch said he was "yanking his pitches," which wasn't allowing him to throw his sinker where he wanted to against the Indians. Cleveland had two home runs off him.

"I just made bad pitches," Tepesch said.

Minor news: High Class-A Rangers affiliate Myrtle Beach of the Carolina League clinched the Southern Division first-half title when it split a doubleheader with Carolina on Saturday night. Low Class-A Hickory can clinch the Northern Division title of the South Atlantic League with a win Sunday against Delmarva.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers try to avoid a four-game sweep against the Toronto Blue Jays when left-hander Derek Holland faces Chien-Ming Wang at 2:05 p.m. on Fox Sports Southwest and ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and 1540-AM.

Holland (5-3, 3.11 ERA): Holland comes off his shortest outing of the season, in which he allowed four earned runs in 4⅓ innings in a 5-2 loss to Cleveland … He allowed nine hits and threw 85 pitches … It ended a four-game winning streak … Holland came out sizzling, striking out the first three batters of the game, then allowed multiple runners in each of the next four innings … Holland has been hit of late, allowing eight or more hits in six of his past seven starts … That's a .329 opponent batting average after a .199 mark the first six starts … Holland has not allowed a run in the first two innings in any start this season … He is 12th in the American League in ERA … Holland is 3-1 with a 4.82 ERA in six games/five starts against Toronto.

Wang (0-0, 6.14 ERA): Wang got a no-decision his first start with the Blue Jays, allowing two earned runs in 7⅓ innings in a 7-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox … He agreed to a one-year contract with the Jays on June 11 … The 33-year-old right-hander was 4-4 with a 2.33 ERA in nine starts this season for the New York Yankees' Triple-A team at Scranton-Wilkes-Barre … He was released by his former team at his request … Wang had back-to-back 19-win seasons for the Yankees in 2006 and '07 before suffering multiple injuries running the bases in an interleague game in 2008 … He relies heavily on a sinker that had dropped in velocity while he pitched in the minor leagues, topping out at 89 mph, not the mid-90s sinker he used to offer.

Hitters: David Murphy (3-for-5, RBI) has had some success against Wang, who has held the current Rangers he has faced to a .140 batting average. Adam Lind (4-for-12, 1 HR, 6 RBIs), who has had a good series for the Jays, has given Holland trouble.

ESPN Stats & Information (thanks, Daniel Braunstein) crunched some numbers on the Texas Rangers offense. OK, the lack of an offense right now for the Rangers. We don't want to bury you in numbers, so here are just a few of the key categories. It was actually worse than I thought:

The Rangers have lost a season-high five consecutive games at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington and have scored just six runs in that span. It's the second time in the past 20 seasons that Texas has lost five straight home games and scored no more than six runs during the streak. Texas also did it in September of 2009.

Here's what the past five games look like:

Runs per game: 1.2

Batting average: .219

Batting average with runners in scoring position: .115

* The Rangers have just three hits with runners in scoring position over those five games (in 26 at-bats) and were 1-for-13 in such situations Saturday, leaving 11 men on base as a team.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers had Ian Kinsler back. Their starting pitcher, Josh Lindblom, gave up four hits. They even outhit Toronto 9-8.

And they lost. Again.

That's what the Rangers are doing these days. Losing. And they're following the same blueprint: falling behind and not hitting with runners in scoring position, whether it's going 0-for-3 in those situations on Thursday and Friday or 1-for-13 on Saturday.

There's no magical cure, either, so veteran designated hitter Lance Berkman says to stop searching for one.

"We just need to show up and start the game," Berkman said. "Everyone wants to look for an answer, and it's futile. There's no rhyme or reason for it. We just need to show up and win. It's all about winning games."

The Rangers have lost five games in a row for the first time since last July. They were outscored 32-9 during that stretch and turned around and won five out of six games. They still had a healthy four-game lead in the American League West after the 2012 losing skid.

They've been outscored this time 27-6, and the offense has been even worse. Leonys Martin's fielder's choice with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth cut Toronto's lead to 4-1 and snapped 21 innings of scoreless baseball for the Rangers.

Chris McGuiness had a single to load the bases right before Martin's RBI groundout, and that ended an 0-for-11 skid with runners in scoring position. The Rangers left 11 men on base.

It didn't help matters that they were behind 2-0 before Kinsler stepped in the batter's box for his return in the bottom of the first.

Lindblom pitched well enough Saturday to keep the Rangers of the first two months of the season in a game. But he's not pitching in front of that team.

Lindblom said he made a physical mistake on a curveball to Adam Lind in the top of the first, not getting the pitch in on the left-handed hitter. Lind ripped the hanger off the right-field foul pole for a 2-0 lead.

Lindblom blamed himself for a mental mistake in the fourth inning, going with a changeup against Colby Rasmus when Rangers pitchers have had luck going in on his hands. Lindblom left the changeup over the plate -- he regretted not throwing a cutter -- and Rasmus crushed it for another two-run home run and a 4-0 lead.

That's an insurmountable lead against this week's Rangers.

To his credit, Lindblom didn't try to pin the loss on the Rangers' bats.

"What the offense does has no bearing on the pitchers," Lindblom said. "Our job is to go out there and compete."

The Rangers were in danger of falling three games behind Oakland if the A's beat Seattle on Saturday night. Oakland comes to Texas for a four-game series starting Monday.

Will the Rangers have their ship righted by then?

Kinsler, who was 0-for-4 in his return, will help. He had two very good at-bats but didn't get rewarded with them. He feels like his swing coming around.

He said the team will, too.

"We're just trying to play good baseball," Kinsler said. "Playing the game right and play it hard. That will end the losing streak."