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ARLINGTON, Texas -- The way Josh Hamilton continues to crush opposing pitchers, it's possible that opposing managers may alter their approach and start intentionally walking him.

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One problem: Adrian Beltre awaits on deck. He's got power and is hitting for high average. If he doesn't get it done, Michael Young, an annual .300 hitter and the Rangers' all-time hits leader, will get a chance.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia knows all about it. On Sunday, Hamilton came up with runners and second and third and one out. He could have walked Hamilton to face Beltre. But Beltre already had two RBIs, including one on a two-out single, and Jered Weaver had struck out Hamilton twice in the game. Scioscia said he left it up to Weaver, who decided go to after Hamilton. The 2010 AL MVP hit a double to right to score two more runs and make it 8-2.

"With their lineup, you almost have to pick your poison," Weaver said. "With Beltre behind, what are you going to do? Hamilton's about as hot as anybody right now, but we were able to get him to expand a couple of times. The last time, he somehow was able to get his hands through it and hit the ball to right field."

Hamilton said he didn't even think the Angels would walk him.

Before the game, Young talked about intentionally walking Hamilton and felt it wouldn't be a smart move by the other team.

"I think that’s a bad strategy," Young said. "That always works in favor of the offensive team. When you give a team free baserunners, it always works in the offensive team's favor. When (Barry) Bonds was with the Giants, they didn’t have anything close to our offensive depth. For Josh’s sake, I hope he keeps getting pitches to hit. If they want to give us free baserunners, we'll take it all day long."

Hamilton agrees, saying that if he doesn't get pitches to hit, he'll drop the bat, walk to first and let his teammates handle it. Manager Ron Washington said Hamilton will swing at anything, making him difficult to walk even for pitchers trying to pitch around him. As for the idea of manager's putting up four fingers and intentionally walking him?

"If they decide not to pitch to him, I'd like to see Beltre up there in any situation," Washington said. "So don't pitch to him, and pitch to Beltre. Or don't pitch to Beltre and pitch to Michael. Or don't pitch to Michael and pitch to (Nelson) Cruz. I don't care. Every one of those guys is capable of hurting you. So, maybe they won't. Maybe they will."

Hamilton has been intentionally walked five times. That leads the American League. But the fact that the Rangers are deep behind Hamilton gives manager's pause when walking him. And Beltre has made other teams pay a few times already this season when Hamilton has been walked in front of him.

It's easy to say that Scoiscia should have walked Hamilton now that we know he hit a double. But erase that from your mind. You get the make the call now.

You're managing against the Rangers. Runners at second and third (so first base is open) with one out. Do you walk Hamilton and pitch to Beltre or do you take your chances with Hamilton? Does your opinion change if there are two outs? Tell us what you'd do and why.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- It wasn't Game 2 of the ALCS, but Nelson Cruz's grand slam in the third inning Sunday did ignite a sellout crowd of 46,669 and served as further proof that he is hitting his way out of an early-season funk.

Cruz mashed the homer 344 feet to left field, just going over the wall and inside the foul pole to turn a 2-2 game into a 6-2 Rangers lead. Adrian Beltre, on third base when Cruz hit the blast, jumped up and down as the dugout erupted. The homer was only the start for a Rangers offense that pounded out 19 hits and 13 runs in the 13-6 victory, taking two of three from the Los Angeles Angels.

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"He certainly was very productive tonight," Rangers manager Ron Washington said.

It was Cruz's third grand slam of his career in the regular season. And of course he had a big one in extra innings in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series in 2011 vs. Detroit, becoming the first player in big league history to hit a postseason walk-off grand slam.

But Cruz had actually been building toward Sunday's four-hit night. He was batting .283 in his last 13 games after starting the season so poorly. And despite hitting just .228 (11-for-48) off Jered Weaver, Cruz used all parts of the field and felt good.

"I said before that I felt like my swing was there, just not the results," Cruz said. "I thought it would come. It's good to see it."

Cruz wasn't the only hitter that performed well Sunday. Elvis Andrus was 4-for-5 and is hitting .328 this season. Mike Napoli, who has been scuffling the past few weeks, was 3-for-4. In fact, every starter in the lineup got on base and only one didn't have a hit was David Murphy.

But Murphy had one of the biggest at-bats of the game. He was down 0-2 in the count and worked it back to 3-2 before walking to load the bases for Cruz in the third. Cruz followed with the grand slam.

"It's a fun lineup to be a part of," Josh Hamilton said. "Every night somebody steps up. Either all of us, or bottom of the lineup or top of the lineup. It flip-flops or varies, which is a good thing to be able to say as a team. It's just fun to be a part of."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The next stop for the bat that Josh Hamilton used to become the 16th player in big league history to hit four homers in a game is the Hall of Fame.

Hamilton broke the bat in his final at-bat Sunday. He said he hit eight of his nine home runs in a six-day span over the past week with the bat, breaking it on an RBI single in the seventh inning of the Rangers' 13-6 win over the Angels.

“She died a hero,” Hamilton said, smiling. “She was ready to go. She was tired.”

Hamilton said he started swinging the bat on the last road trip and was also swinging it during batting practice. But once he hit the four homers in Baltimore and MLB authenticated the bat, putting a sticker on it, he quit swinging it in batting practice.

Hamilton said he worked hard not to throw the bat in the stands, something he’s done at least a half-dozen times this season.

Rangers officials said the bat will go to the Hall of Fame and that the break was pretty small, which means it should be nice for display.

Hamilton started Sunday’s game with a pink bat, joining MLB’s Mother’s Day initiative, which includes breast cancer awareness. He switched to his normal bat during the game.

Hamilton finishes the last seven days with nine homers and 18 RBIs. He leads the league in all three Triple Crown categories. He has a .402 batting average and added three more RBIs to his total Sunday. He has 44 RBIs while playing in 32 games this season to go along with 18 homers. It was a historic week for the 2010 AL MVP.

“I wish that could happen every week. Who wouldn’t, right?” Hamilton said. “I really hadn’t thought about it. It really hasn’t been different for me. I’m really not paying attention to results. I’m just trying to go out and do whatever I can to help the team.”

So should fans expect 10 homers and 20 RBIs in this next seven-day period?

“That would be a good pattern to start, wouldn’t it?” Hamilton said. “You can expect me to play hard.”

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas Rangers bench coach Jackie Moore left Sunday's 13-6 Rangers win in the sixth inning after feeling light-headed. The 73-year-old felt better before the game ended and was taken to Medical Center of Arlington for observation.

Rangers officials said Moore's EKG was normal and that he was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

Moore is in his fourth season as bench coach. He has been a player, coach or manager for 54 consecutive years in baseball.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers poured in five runs in the third on their way to a 13-6 blowout win over the Los Angeles Angels. Every starter in the lineup got on base and only David Murphy didn't have a hit (though he drew a big walk in the third that led to Nelson Cruz's grand slam).

What it means: The Rangers take two of three from the Angels and are now five games up on Oakland and eight up on the Angels in the AL West.

Boomstick is back: Cruz, who was hitting .254 on the season and was starting to get more comfortable at the plate (.283 average over the past 13 games before Sunday), hit a two-out grand slam in the third inning off Jered Weaver. The homer went just 344 feet, but it was Cruz's first since April 17 in Boston and the third grand slam of his career. One of those previous grand slams was against the Angels on Aug. 16, 2006. The other was April 15, 2009 vs. Baltimore. ... Of course, Cruz's biggest grand slam was Game 2 of the 2011 ALCS, when he hit the first postseason walk-off grand slam in big league history (11th inning vs. Detroit). ... He finished with four hits, tying a career high. It's his first four-hit game of the season and first since August. ... Cruz was a triple shy of the cycle.

Hamilton doubles: Angels manager Mike Scioscia had the dilemma of either intentionally walking Josh Hamilton with runners at second and third with one out to face Adrian Beltre (who already had two RBIs on the night) or pitching to Hamilton. Weaver had struck Hamilton out twice, so they pitched to him, and the slugger hit a double to right-center to score two. He added an RBI single in the seventh and has a major league-leading 44 RBIs in 32 games. He hit 18 of those RBIs -- nearly 41 percent of them -- in the past seven games to go along with nine homers. What a week.

Broken (homer) bat: Hamilton broke the bat he used to hit his four home runs in Baltimore (and eight of his nine homers this week) late in Sunday's game, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. It is likely headed to the Hall of Fame. Hamilton did use a pink bat earlier in the game as part of MLB's Mother's Day initiative (breast cancer awareness). But he did switch back to his regular bat and broke it on his RBI single in the seventh.

Web-gem for Elvis: Elvis Andrus made a terrific defensive play to end the seventh inning. The Angels already had three runs and had the bases loaded looking to make it a game. Howard Kendrick, the ninth batter in the inning, hit a grounder up the middle. Andrus sprinted to his left, gloved it behind the bag and flipped it from his glove to Ian Kinsler covering second to get the force and end the threat. It was a tremendous play just when the Rangers needed it. ... Andrus stayed hot at the plate, too, matching his career high with four-hits. It's the eighth time he has done that and four of those are against the Angels.

Walks hurt Rangers (again): Matt Harrison knows exactly how Neftali Feliz feels. Just like Harrison on Saturday, Feliz walked the batter ahead of Mark Trumbo and paid for it as Trumbo crushed a ball to the second deck in left field to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 Angels lead.

Mammoth shot: Trumbo's homer was estimated at the ballpark at 437 feet. He's just the 16th player to hit a home run to the club level in left field and the first since Cruz hit one 432 feet on April 8, 2009 vs. Cleveland. Trumbo is one of only three opponents to reach the club level in left. He joins Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria (June 6, 2008) and Mark McGwire (July 5, 1997). McGwire's went 447 feet (Longoria 442).

Feliz gets quality start: He wasn't dominant, but Feliz enjoyed plenty of run support and managed to get through six innings. He gave up two runs -- the Trumbo homer -- and had five strikeouts and two walks.

Beltre delivers: Beltre drove in runs for the Rangers in the first and third. He hit a sacrifice fly in the first and a single in the third. Andrus, who was at second, was waved home by third base coach Dave Anderson on the single, and while Vernon Wells' throw was a good one, it wasn't there quick enough to get Andrus. That RBI tied the score.

Lowe struggles: Mark Lowe came in with a 0.78 ERA and gave up three runs in the seventh inning. He had given up one run in 11 2/3 innings this season before that. His ERA is now 2.92.

Big walk: Murphy was the only Rangers starter without a hit Sunday, but he did walk after falling behind 0-2 in the third. That walk loaded the bases with two outs for Cruz, who hit the grand slam.

Tidbits: Koji Uehara had another good performance. He gave up one hit and had one strikeout in 1 1/3 innings. He now has a 1.46 ERA this season. ... Albert Pujols had two hits during the series, both singles. ... Closer Joe Nathan, who hasn't had a ton of work the last week, came in to pitch the ninth. He gave up a homer to Kendrys Morales with two outs.

Up next: The Kansas City Royals come to town. It's likely that Scott Feldman starts for the Rangers against LHP Bruce Chen.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Let's talk Texas Rangers baseball as they play the Angels for the final time this series. The room is now open for you to ask some early questions and participate in polls. We'll starting chatting around first pitch.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton only has one goal this season. And it's not winning the Triple Crown.

"I think about staying healthy, first and foremost," Hamilton said Sunday. "I know if I play a lot of games, these numbers will end up where they need to be."

Hamilton's goal is to play in at least 150 games. He's done that just once in his career, playing in 156 games in 2008, his first season in Texas. He played just 89 games in an injury-riddled 2009 season and won the AL MVP in 2010 despite missing the final month of the season with fractured ribs after hitting a wall in Minnesota in early September.

Last year, Hamilton missed nearly six weeks after a headfirst slide at home plate in Detroit caused a hairline fracture of his upper arm. He also played through injuries in the postseason, getting off-season hernia surgery to repair torn adductors.

But Hamilton came to spring training feeling healthy and ready. He has missed just three games this season because of a tight back, which he said finally loosened up on him on Saturday.

He's still going to dive for balls in the outfield, try to scale walls (without banging into them hard) and even headfirst slide at first base, making manager Ron Washington cringe.

"I think (150 games is) a reasonable goal," said Hamilton, who is playing in the final year of his contract in Texas. "You guys know I play hard. But that doesn't prevent me, thinking I'm going to get hurt, from playing hard. I feel like if I don't play hard, I'll end up hurting something. Like Wash says, he always tells me, 'Just be in the lineup.' He says, 'Presence, there's something to say for that.'

"We've got a lot of guys throughout the lineup that can get the job done. I just want to be in there and be a part of it."

Read more here.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington said Sunday that the club still hasn't decided who will start Monday against the Kansas City Royals, but if Scott Feldman isn't needed in tonight's game, he'll likely toe the rubber Monday.

Feldman made a spot start earlier this season when the Rangers had a rainout in Detroit and were forced to play a doubleheader, altering the rotation. He started in Arlington against the New York Yankees on April 25 and gave up two runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings in a 7-3 win.

Should Feldman be needed tonight, Martin Perez could be called up from Triple-A. He was held out of his start for Round Rock on Sunday. But Feldman got his side work in late during Saturday's game in preparation for Monday.

Other notes:

* A group of pitchers took early batting practice Sunday as the Rangers begin to prepare for interleague play. They go to Houston on May 18-20 and then to San Francisco to play the Giants in early June. A second group of Rangers pitchers is slated to hit Monday. Washington said the best bunter among the pitchers is probably Alexi Ogando, who is very unlikely to get an at-bat since he's a reliever.

* Tonight should be the Rangers' ninth straight sellout, adding to their record (it was four until the current streak).

ARLINGTON, Texas -- With nice weather in Arlington on Sunday, Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington is starting Adrian Beltre at third base. Beltre has been nursing a strained left hamstring, but has felt ready to play the field more. Washington just didn't want to take any chances on a wet field. The lineups:

ANGELS
CF Mike Trout
SS Maicer Izturis (S)
1B Albert Pujols
DH Kendrys Morales (S)
RF Mark Trumbo
2B Howie Kendrick
LF Vernon Wells
3B Alberto Callaspo (S)
C Bobby Wilson

RANGERS
2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
CF Josh Hamilton (L)
3B Adrian Beltre
DH Michael Young
LF David Murphy (L)
RF Nelson Cruz
C Mike Napoli
1B Mitch Moreland (L)

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The final game of this three-games series between the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels is on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball and ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM at 7:05 p.m. and features RHP Neftali Feliz vs. RHP Jered Weaver. A look:

Feliz (2-1, 3.38 ERA): The 24-year-old is making his sixth start (seventh appearance) today and he's on regular rest after earning his second win of the season at Baltimore on Tuesday. ... He gave up three runs on six hits in seven innings in the 14-3 win that was highlighted by Josh Hamilton's four home runs. It was Feliz's fourth quality start of the season. ... Among AL starters with at least five starts, Feliz is second in opponent average at .189. ... Opponents have just six extra-base hits in his starts. ... He is 0-0 with 15 saves in 15 chances and a 1.21 ERA against the Angels in 22 games. But all of those games came in relief.

Weaver (5-0, 1.60 ERA): Of course, the highlight of his season was the no-hitter on May 2 against Minnesota when he allowed one walk in nine innings with nine strikeouts. ... He has five straight quality starts and in six of his seven starts in 2012. ... In his last start, Weaver gave up one run on three hits in six innings with two strikeouts and two walks against the Twins. ... Jerome Williams was scheduled to pitch today, but because of the rain delay he was needed on Friday. The Angels had an off day Thursday, so Weaver is pitching on regular rest. ... The 29-year-old has a 0.83 ERA in Anaheim and a 3.00 ERA on the road this season. ... Weaver was 2-2 with a 3.34 ERA with 27 strikeouts and eight walks in five starts last season against the Rangers.

Hitters: Elvis Andrus is 19-for-46 with a homer and four RBIs in his career off Weaver. ... Adrian Beltre (10-for-52), Ian Kinsler (13-for-62) and David Murphy (6-for-37) have struggled off Weaver. ...The current Angels are just 6-for-51 off Feliz. ... No one has more than one hit. ... Erick Aybar and Alberto Callaspo are each 1-for-10 against Feliz.

Up next:

Mon vs. KC: TBD (likely Scott Feldman) vs. LHP Bruce Chen (1-4, 4.83), 7:05 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1540 AM/FSSW
Tue vs. KC: Colby Lewis (3-2, 3.69 ERA) vs. TBD, 7:05 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1540 AM/FSSW

Josh Hamilton hit a home run off a hanging curveball Saturday, his seventh homer of the 2012 season off a breaking ball. That's the most homers he's hit off breaking balls in a season with the Texas Rangers. In other words, Hamilton is hitting just about anything out of the park.

ESPN Stats & Information put together Hamilton's total homers off breaking balls since coming to the Rangers:

2012: 7
2011: 6
2010: 6
2009: 4
2008: 1

* Willie Mays and Josh Hamilton are the only two players in MLB history with a .400 batting average and at least 17 homers in their team's first 34 games. Mays was hitting .405 with 17 HR for the 1964 Giants. Hamilton is hitting .402 with 18 HR for the 2012 Rangers.

* All four of the previous players to hit at least 17 home runs in the team's first 34 games finished the season with between 40 and 50 homers. Here's a list of players with the most home runs in team's first 34 games (prior to Hamilton) and how they finished the season:

Cy Williams: 18 homers in first 34 games, finished with 41
Albert Pujols: 17 homers in first 34 games, finished with 49
Frank Howard: 17 homers in first 34 games, finished with 44
Willie Mays: 17 homers in first 34 games, finished with 47
>>Source: Elias Sports Bureau

The Baseball Tonight crew discusses the real question about Josh Hamilton and the Triple Crown: Not can he do it, but will he do it?

ARLINGTON, Texas -- C.J. Wilson may never enjoy a no-decision more than in Saturday afternoon’s 4-2 Angels win over the Rangers in front of a hostile sellout crowd at Rangers Ballpark.

His pitching line (5 2/3 innings, five hits, two earned runs, four strikeouts) might not be an eye-catcher, but there were numerous hurdles facing the 31-year-old.

In the opposing dugout were former teammates that happened to be riding a hot streak the last week.

There was the matter of Friday’s rain delay that influenced the Angels to replace Wilson with Jerome Williams once the delay approached two hours.

Random thought: What do you do when you return to the hotel to rest while the rest of the team continues to play?

If you’re Wilson, you don’t watch the game on television, especially with your team down by multiple runs. You read a book.

Wilson made Angels history Saturday as the first pitcher to start a game on consecutive days, something that hadn’t been done in the majors since 2002.

In Wilson’s postgame comments Saturday, it was obvious the boos from fans that formerly cheered him were stinging. For 11 seasons, Wilson toiled in the Rangers' organization. He helped the team reach the World Series in 2010 and again last year. The association ended in December when he signed a five-year, $77.5 million deal with the Angels.

Rangers fans didn't approve.

So it was important, Wilson said, to block out all the negative: “Emotionally I had a dry run Friday and was able to see what it would feel like. I got to hear some colorful, insightful comments on my career. I just had to tune all that out."

The other adjustment he had to make was on the technical side. Although he gave up three infield singles and a run Friday before the rain, Wilson said that told him he was pitching his former teammates the right way because they are most dangerous when they get the ball in the air.

“I made one mistake all day and that was the home run by Josh (Hamilton)," Wilson said.

That home run tied it, 2-2, and cost Wilson his chance at a victory.

Just as on Friday, Wilson got off to a shaky start, walking the first two batters, which led to a trip to the mound by pitching coach Mike Butcher just nine pitches into the game.

But Wilson avoided an early deficit by striking out Hamilton and inducing Adrian Beltre to hit into a double play.

“Early on, C.J. was searching for things and he found something," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “We had no physical concerns with starting C.J. today, it was just a matter of getting him in the flow of the game again.

"He pitched his heart out."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton is still taking swings with the bat that he used to crush four home runs in Tuesday’s historic game in Baltimore.

“I hope I don’t launch it into the stands,” said Hamilton, who frequently tosses bats into the stands on certain swings and misses.

Hamilton said the bat is marked with a sticker so that he knows which one it is, but he plans on continuing to use it.

“I’ll swing it until it breaks,” Hamilton said.

Then, maybe, the bat will head to the Hall of Fame or some other display. Until then, Hamilton is still busy sending balls out of the ballpark at an extremely high rate.

He’s had one of the most impressive weeks of power the game has seen. Hamilton belted another home run in Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Angels, pushing his total to nine home runs in the last week (six games). Only Frank Howard of the Washington Senators in 1968 has more home runs in a six-game span (he hit 10).

Read the rest of the story here.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Matt Harrison got ahead to Mark Trumbo 1-2 to start the seventh inning, but wasn't able to get the young hitter to swing and miss at anything after that.

"I couldn't finish him," Harrison said.

Instead, Trumbo fouled off a strike and took three balls to draw a leadoff walk, setting up the inning for the Angels. After the walk, a couple of great bunts made the difference. Howard Kendrick took a 1-0 fastball for a strike and Michael Young took a few steps back, figuring Kendrick wouldn't be bunting.

"It was just put in the perfect spot," Young said.

The bunt down the third base line put runners at first and second and ended Harrison's day. The nearly unhittable Alexi Ogando entered and faced the speedy Peter Bourjos with two on and no outs. Bourjos followed Kendrick's lead, dropping a bunt down the line. Ogando fielded it quickly and threw to first, but there aren't many players faster than Bourjos, who beat the throw.

"You have to give the Angels credit, they executed," manager Ron Washington said.

Erick Aybar hit a sacrifice fly to left field to put the Angels up, 3-2. And after John Hester's infield hit (Elvis Andrus made a nice diving stop to keep a run from scoring on it), Mike Trout hit a sacrifice fly to right. Nelson Cruz made a nice throw home, but it wasn't in time to get Kendrick.

So a walk, two bunt singles, an infield single and two sacrifice flies vaulted the Angels into the lead. They didn't let go of it, holding on for the 4-2 victory.

Walks really hurt Harrison on Saturday. He also issued one to Torii Hunter with two outs in the fourth. Trumbo then hit a 1-0 fastball 420 feet to left field to give the Angels a 2-0 lead.

"I didn't make him earn his way on," Harrison said about Hunter. "I made a mistake to Trumbo and he hit it."