KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It seems like ages ago, but it was just February that C.J. Wilson showed up at Surprise, Ariz., ready to seize an unlikely spot in the starting rotation.

The Rangers agreed to let Wilson attempt to start but told him he had to be one of the top pitchers in camp to get the job. In other words, he needed to force Texas to put him in the rotation. He did. Despite his valuable status in the bullpen, the idea that an effective Wilson could give the club more innings as a starter from the left side was too good to pass up.

But that didn't stop the questions. Could Wilson handle the innings load? Could he get batters out the second and third time through the lineups? Could he be efficient enough to pitch deep into games?

Wilson is answering all the questions with a resounding "yes." He's now 7-0 with a 1.99 ERA in nine starts since the All-Star break. Few pitchers in either league can boast a better second half.

Maybe his most impressive number: Wilson has 10 wins when starting after his team loses this season, the most by any AL pitcher.

Wilson wasn't at his best on Monday. He threw 45 pitches in the first two innings and didn't look like a guy that would pitch deep into the game. He loaded the bases -- two of them on walks -- in the second and had a 3-1 count on No. 9 hitter Jai Miller before getting a big strikeout with a cutter on the corner.

"That was the jam and you're going to get a jam every game no matter how well you're pitching," Wilson said. "I was determined not to give in. I know these are really aggressive hitters and I know they are going to swing. I made some good pitches and got out of it. It's what they teach you in pitching school: Make good pitches and you get out of stuff."

Wilson's ability to pitch out of jams has been on display all year. Manager Ron Washington credits Wilson's closer background.

"He knows how to finish," Washington said. "He's been in trouble spots and worked out of them in the bullpen. He knows what to do."

Other reaction:

* Wilson thought the first ball that was ruled a hit wasn't one. So he was mentally pitching the game like he had a no-hitter. But he was quick to add that it didn't matter after Miller's hit in the eighth.

"I was looking at it like that was a no-hitter, but I still had to throw four outs to get it and I didn't," Wilson said. "We won and that's all that counts. But as a pitcher if you were to tell somebody, 'Hey, you're going to throw a no-hitter,' that would be pretty cool. That's every kid's dream to throw a no-hitter in the big leagues. I haven't done it yet."

* SS Elvis Andrus said Wilson is "on fire" in the second half and heaped praise on his teammate. "It's exciting the way he's pitching. He's not really missing anything right now."

* Washington was pleased with his team's defense. "Michael [Young] got everything hit to him, [Mitch] Moreland made a good play at first and Vlad [Guerrero] had a couple of plays," Washington said. "That's how you win: big hits, good pitching and defense."