ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Jered Weaver outdueled Cliff Lee as the Angels beat the Rangers, 4-1, in the finale of a three-game series at Angel Stadium. The A's lost to the White Sox, so the Rangers are 8 games up on the Angels and 8.5 up on the A's. Coming into the series, the Rangers were 8.5 games up (on A's), so they lost a 1/2 game.

* The Rangers couldn't get the big hit when they needed it. They had the bases loaded with one out in the third and couldn't score. They had a runner at second with one out (after scoring one) in the sixth and couldn't get him home. They had two on and one out in the seventh and didn't plate anyone. The wasted chances added up to a disappointing showing from the offense.

* The Rangers have scored 8 runs in 43 1/3 innings for Lee. In fairness, Lee has faced some good pitchers so far in his Ranger tenure. Give some credit to Jered Weaver, who baffled the Rangers for the second straight start. He gave up one run (it was unearned) on four hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. His curve and changeup were working well and he worked out of some jams.

* It wasn't a dominating performance from Cliff Lee, but once again he went deep in the game. He didn't record a quality start, allowing four earned runs. But he did go eight innings, something he's done ever since he became a Ranger. It's the fifth straight time he's gone eight innings or more for Texas, putting him one behind Charlie Hough for most in team history (Hough had six straight in 1988). Overall, Lee has nine straight starts of eight or more innings, the most since Toronto's Pat Hentgen had 12 straight in 1996.

* Lee issued his first unintentional walk as a Ranger in the eighth inning. It was his first one in 42 1/3 innings and 159 batters.

* It was an interesting first inning. The Angels got four hits and scored two runs. And with Lee on the mound, they played small ball from the beginning. After Erick Aybar singled, Maicer Izturis bunted him over and then Alberto Callaspo singled him home. Mike Napoli's broken bat ground to Michael Young scored another run when the Rangers couldn't quite turn the double play. Young probably figured they had a chance to turn the double play with Napoli, a slow runner, at the plate, so he didn't try to come home. Give Torii Hunter credit for a good takeout slide. The inning ended on a nice play by David Murphy, who got to Howie Kendrick's double and made a good relay throw to Elvis Andrus, who threw to Taylor Teagarden at home plate for the out. Andrus' throw was high, but it was there in plenty of time for Teagarden to stand his ground and make the tag.

* Texas missed a great opportunity in the third. The Rangers loaded the bases with one out on two singles and a walk, but David Murphy and Vladimir Guerrero flied out to end the threat. In fact, Murphy popped up to shallow right on the second pitch he faced and Guerrero flew out to center on the first one that he saw.

* Cristian Guzman made a nice play, going behind the second base bag to snag a grounder and then flip it to second with his glove to get Mike Napoli in the fourth. He also hustled to a ball in shallow right that just got over the head of first baseman Jorge Cantu in the seventh, turned and made a strong throw to Elvis Andrus to get Juan Rivera, who tried to turn a single into a double.

* Tough game for Murphy. Besides the 2-pitch pop up in the third, he popped up to second on the second pitch in the sixth and slammed his bat on the ground as he did it, clearly frustrated. Murphy played in place of Josh Hamilton and was in the 3-hole just like he was on Saturday. He ended up 0-for-4.

* Once again, Vladimir Guerrero got to his old team. He hit an RBI double in the sixth inning to drive home Young, who was on second thanks to an error on third baseman Alberto Callaspo.

* Hamilton came in as a pinch hitter in the seventh and walked. Jorge Cantu came in to pinch run for him. So the Rangers had to reconfigure things in the bottom of the inning with Nelson Cruz going to left, Murphy to center, Mitch Moreland to right and Cantu at first.

* Nelson Cruz's 19-game hitting streak came to an end Sunday. He was 0-for-3 with a walk.