ESPN

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Jeff Baker was back in the starting lineup Thursday after the Chicago White Sox scratched right-hander Jake Peavy and replaced him with left-hander Hector Santiago.

PODCAST
ESPN senior MLB analyst Buster Olney joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss the Rangers' strong start, Matt Harrison's additional back surgery and much more. Listen

For now, if a left-hander is starting against the Rangers, expect Baker to be in left field or at first base. He has played himself into a starting role against lefties, batting .444 (8-for-18) against southpaws with three home runs and five RBIs. Baker has homered in two straight games for the fifth time in his career.

"If he keeps swinging the bat the way he's swinging, then of course," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "You can expect it. That's what he's here for."

Baker has been the surprise for the Rangers' offense, helping to balance out a lineup stacked at the bottom with left-handed hitters. His emergence allowed Washington to use Baker for two starts at first base while Mitch Moreland was struggling against lefties.

Moreland is hitting everything how -- .batting .395 for his last 10 games -- while it's left fielder David Murphy that has slumped against righties and lefties, hitting .174 for the season. Murphy sat for a third straight game Thursday, unusual for a regular in Washington's lineup. Murphy was scheduled to start and Baker to sit if Peavy wasn't scratched before the game due to back spasms.

PODCAST
Randy Galloway, Matt Mosley and Mark Friedman discuss the latest with the Rangers, including their loss last night and Ron Washington's decision to leave Nick Tepesch in the game. Listen

Washington said he will find a spot for Baker against lefties, not just in place of Murphy.

"It's not a platoon," Washington said. "(Baker) is going to play. Right now we've hit a string of left-handers and he's swinging the bat. So is Moreland."

Baker, who isn't yet 100 percent after suffering a bruised knee last week on a sliding catch in Anaheim, was replaced for defense after the sixth inning of Wednesday's 5-2 loss. The game was tied 2-2 at the time and Washington subbed in Murphy for defensive purposes with Baker not slated to bat again until the eighth inning.

Baker said he felt fine to stay in the game. "I'm progressing well," he said. "I'm good. I'm going to be ready to play when I get the chance."

Other Rangers notes for Thursday:

Frasor aims for comfort: Reliever Jason Frasor has six consecutive shutout innings over eight appearances. More importantly, he hasn't been scored on in his last three outings at Rangers Ballpark.

Frasor, signed as a free agent in January, had a career 8.24 ERA in 21 games in Arlington, mostly with Toronto, before arriving in Texas. He retired all four batters he faced in Wednesday's 5-2 loss, getting two strikeouts.

"It's a good thing," Frasor said. "Honestly I don't know that I've ever felt comfortable pitching in this stadium, but I hope the more I get out there that I'll be comfortable. I felt good."

Olt needs more tests: Triple-A infielder Mike Olt will see an eye specialist next after an eye doctor he saw didn't see anything out of the ordinary. The Rangers are in the process of setting up an appointment with the a specialist. Olt, who is batting .139, informed the club he was having vision issues earlier this week.

Pierzynski was ready: Washington wanted to get catcher A.J. Pierzynski (sore oblique) an at-bat Wednesday night as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning to get some swings heading into Thursday's start. He especially wanted Pierzynski to hit as the tying run down 5-2 with a chance to tie the game with a three-run home run.

That didn't happen, but it explains why Pierzynski was at the plate when he was hit on the elbow by a pitch by White Sox closer Addison Reed.

"He was ready to go so even if we had tied the game up he could have caught," Washington said.

Rangers announce 2013 grant program: The Rangers Baseball Foundation announced details of its 2013 grant program designed to assist youth baseball and softball programs in the club's five-state broadcasting region.

It's the second consecutive year for the project. Starting Thursday, the Rangers Foundation began accepting proposals for grant from non-profit organizations that specifically support youth baseball or softball in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Arkansas.

The Foundation awarded seven grants in 2012: Paris Breakfast Optimist Club, Boys and Girls Clubs of Denison, East Wilco Challenger Sports, Battiest Baseball Team sponsored by Battiest Public School, RBI Austin, Arlington Girls Softball Association and Azle Little League.

The Rangers are assisted by the team’s broadcasting partners, Fox Sports Southwest, TXA21, and ESPN 103.3 FM and the Rangers ESPN Radio Network in promoting the grant program.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Jake Peavy has been scratched for Thursday night's start against the Rangers because of back spasms, so the Rangers will see left-hander Hector Santiago instead.

PODCAST
ESPN senior MLB analyst Buster Olney joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss the Rangers' strong start, Matt Harrison's additional back surgery and much more. Listen

It means the Rangers will face a left-handed starter for the third straight game. How this will impact the Rangers' lineup remains to be seen. David Murphy is supposed to start Thursday, but he has sat the last two nights with a left-handed starter going for the White Sox. It's also currently 46 degrees, which means the cold weather could impact designated hitter Lance Berkman and his sore knee and maybe catcher A.J. Pierzynski and his sore oblique (which he said was much improved after a pinch-hit appearance in Wednesday's game).

Santiago, a 23-year-old from Newark, N.J., is 0-1 with a 2.51 ERA in seven appearances. He will be making his first start of the season and fifth of his career. He appeared twice against the Rangers in 2012 and allowed a hit and no runs in two innings. Ian Kinsler had the lone hit out of seven Rangers' at-bats.

The 31-year-old Peavy is 3-1 with a 3.38 ERA for the season. He won his most recent start last Friday against Tampa Bay. But the two-time All-Star hasn't had great success against the Rangers, so Peavy being scratched might not be that big of a break.

Here are the lineups for Thursday's game:

RANGERS
2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
DH Lance Berkman
3B Adrian Beltre
RF Nelson Cruz
C A.J. Pierzynski
LF Jeff Baker
1B Mitch Moreland
CF Craig Gentry
SP Justin Grimm

WHITE SOX
LF Alejandro De Aza
2B Jeff Keppinger
RF Alex Rios
1B Adam Dunn
DH Paul Konerko
3B Conor Gillaspie
SS Alexei Ramirez
C Tyler Flowers
CF Dewayne Wise
SP Hector Santiago

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers are going back-to-back with rookie starters for a third straight turn.

PODCAST
ESPN senior MLB analyst Buster Olney joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss the Rangers' strong start, Matt Harrison's additional back surgery and much more. Listen

But for the first time, Justin Grimm will follow Nick Tepesch after a loss. It will be a little different situation for Grimm after his fellow rookie teammate allowed two home runs in the seventh inning in a 5-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

Grimm, who has been undaunted by replacing injured Matt Harrison in the rotation, said Wednesday that whatever the circumstance, he has to depend on himself first.

"The name of the game is trusting my stuff," Grimm said. "It's not just the stuff, it's just a mindset. It's not trying for the strikeout or trying to do too much, but just trusting my stuff out there."

Grimm is 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA in three starts since joining the rotation. The Rangers have won all three games. He didn't walk anyone in seven innings at Minnesota last Friday.

Grimm has been at his best when he has been in high pressure situations. Opponents are 1-for-19 against him with runners in scoring position.

Other notes:

Pierzynski expects to play: Catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who had his right elbow wrapped after getting hit by a pitch in a pinch-hit at-bat in the bottom of the ninth Wednesday, said he will play Thursday against his former team. Pierzynski has been out with a sore oblique. It will be interesting to see how Pierzynski and the White Sox handle things after closer Addison Reed came inside and hit him on the elbow. Pierzynski yelled out at the mound but said after the game that he didn't think Reed's intent was to hit him.

Kinsler streaking: Ian Kinsler will take a seven-game hitting streak into Thursday night. Kinsler has five multi-hit games in the last six games and is batting .452 (14-for-31) during that stretch. The Rangers' second baseman is driving the ball, just missing a grand slam over the 14-foot wall in left field in the second inning Wednesday.

Andrus hot: Shortstop Elvis Andrus has a team-best nine-game hitting streak. He extended it with a leadoff single in the eighth inning off Rangers nemesis Jesse Crain.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- A.J. Pierzynski and Addison Reed were battery mates last year, starting catcher and closer for the Chicago White Sox.

PODCAST
Randy Galloway, Matt Mosley and Mark Friedman discuss the latest with the Rangers, including their loss last night and Ron Washington's decision to leave Nick Tepesch in the game. Listen

On Wednesday, Reed, still the White Sox's closer, went inside on his former teammate Pierzynski in the bottom of the ninth and hit the Texas Rangers catcher on the elbow. Pierzynski, who had missed the first 17 innings of the series because of a sore oblique muscle, got drilled with two outs and nobody on and the White Sox leading 5-2.

Chicago held on to win by that score. Was there any foul play by the White Sox?

"I'm sure they were trying to pitch me inside and it just got away," Pierzynski said. "There were two outs and we were down by three runs."

Reed said after the game that's exactly what happened.

“I was trying to throw inside and it happened to hit him,’’ said Reed, who worked a scoreless ninth for his ninth save. “Was I trying to hit him? Absolutely not.’’

Reed said he enjoyed throwing to Pierzynski when he was the White Sox catcher.

“I grew up a Sox fan rooting for him,’’ Reed said. “I have nothing at all against him.’’

Pierzynski said he didn't know of any ill will between him and the 24-year old Reed, who broke through with the White Sox last year to record 29 saves.

""Not that I know of," said Pierzynski, who last year had 27 home runs in one of his best seasons with the White Sox. "I always got along fine with him."

White Sox manager Robin Ventura said with a three-run lead against the powerful Rangers lineup, “we’re not trying to put anybody on base. You saw what happened. Thirty seconds later, they had the tying run at the plate.

“There was no message sent.’’

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Lance Berkman will eventually play first base in a game this season. The question of whether he'll play there next week under National League rules in Chicago and Milwaukee is still a mystery.

Rangers manager Ron Washington said Wednesday that Berkman needs repetition at first base -- taking ground balls -- to prepare. But Washington also has said he's comfortable putting Berkman in the lineup at first base without him getting work there.

"He needs some repetition. We have to start getting him out there," said Washington, who added he hopes to get Berkman out for infield work soon. "You could put Berkman out there whether he's had repetition or not. I'm going to find out if he wants to play out there, and if he says he wants to play out there, I'm going to put him out there. You'd like to get some repetition before you put somebody into a position."

Berkman said Wednesday while it would help to take ground balls, it wouldn't be the same as being at first base in a real game. "The speed of the game is the real deal," Berkman said.

The Rangers will have to give up the designated hitter for Monday's makeup game at the Cubs and Tuesday and Wednesday at Milwaukee. Cold weather could also be an issue, though Milwaukee's Miller Park does have a roof to provide climate control.

Another issue could be taking Mitch Moreland's bat out of the lineup to make room for Berkman at first. Moreland is currently the Rangers' hottest hitter, batting .429 with six RBIs in his last nine games.

Other notes:

Pierzynski out again: Catcher A.J. Pierzynski, out Tuesday and Wednesday with a sore oblique, is an extra scout when it comes to his former team, the White Sox, after spending eight years with them. While Pierzynski sat by Washington for much of the game on the bench, the catcher wasn't offering up nuggets of information about his former team.

"He's was talking about anything and everything," Washington said. "Half of the stuff I couldn't understand."

Pierzynski said before Wednesday's game that the bruising in the area around his right oblique has improved and that he expects to play Thursday. Pierznyski took batting practice in the cages before the game.

Andrus is OK: Elvis Andrus is back in the lineup Wednesday after fouling a ball off his calf in the fifth inning of Tuesday's game. His calf stiffened up enough to where he couldn't move well to his left, which explains why Ian Kinsler was able to go all the way behind second base for a ground ball and get on out that brought on a full salute from Washington.

Kinsler said after the game that Andrus would usually be able to get to the ball.

"I don't usually foul the ball off my leg," Andrus said. "I've never had one like that."

Moreland in, Murphy out: Moreland was back in the lineup while David Murphy sat Wednesday. Jeff Baker was in left field to get his right-handed bat in the lineup against White Sox left-hander Chris Sale.

It's the first time either Murphy or Moreland have been out of the lineup for consecutive days. Moreland had three hits against White Sox lefty Jose Quintana and reached base all four plate appearances, giving Washington further reason to keep him in Wednesday's lineup.

"Logic would suggest that," Washington said. Murphy will play in left field Thursday against White Sox right-hander Jake Peavy, the manager said.

Washington will reach quicker: Murphy will be a defensive replacement for Baker in the eighth inning if the Rangers have a lead in a close game Wednesday night.

Washington said he should have put Murphy in the game in eighth inning of Tuesday's 10-6 victory. Baker, still nursing a knee injury, had a ball fall into front of him in the eighth inning. Baker bruised his right knee making a sliding catch in the left-corner in Anaheim last Tuesday. He's still not 100 percent, he said after Tuesday's game.

"It took a toll on him," Washington said. "He's fine. I have to make my defensive replacement earlier."

No update on Olt: Daniels said the Rangers didn't have an update on Triple-A infielder Mike Olt, who reported vision issues to club earlier this week. Olt, batting .139 for 72 at-bats, saw doctors Tuesday.

A.J. Pierzynski, who missed Tuesday's series opener against the White Sox because of an issue with his right oblique muscle, is out again tonight. Geovany Soto will be behind the plate catching Nick Tepesch, who is coming off a win last Thursday against the Twins. Chris Sale is on the mound for the White Sox. Here are the lineups:

RANGERS

Ian Kinsler 2B
Elvis Andrus SS
Lance Berkman DH
Adrian Beltre 3B
Nelson Cruz RF
Jeff Baker LF
Mitch Moreland 1B
Geovany Soto C
Craig Gentry CF

WHITE SOX

Alejandro De Aza LF
Jeff Keppinger 2B
Alex Rios RF
Adam Dunn DH
Paul Konerko 1B
Conor Gillaspie 3B
Alexei Ramirez SS
Tyler Flowers C
Dewayne Wise CF

ARLINGTON, Texas -- A.J. Pierzynski could very well get another day off Wednesday as he rests a sore oblique muscle.

PODCAST
Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss Yu Darvish, the Rangers' recent losses and if the notion that the team looked fatigued is warranted this early in the season. Listen

On Saturday, No. 2 and 3 hitters Elvis Andrus and Lance Berkman had a scheduled day off. Berkman was given time off in the cold weather in Chicago a few weeks ago.

Rangers manager Ron Washington is serious about giving his regulars more time off during the season. Washington said in the days after the Rangers were eliminated by Baltimore in the AL wild-card game that he wished he had given his everyday players more rest. The Rangers lost 10 of 14 games and were swept by Oakland to end the 2012 season.

Third baseman Adrian Beltre was among five Rangers who played in at least 156 games. Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz and Andrus all played in the most games of their careers.

"My regulars were healthy and they were able to go out there, but if I can look back now maybe I could have done something in the middle of the season where I could have given them some time down," Washington said in post-mortemum news conference last October. "My everyday guys, I rode them, man."

Andrus, Beltre and Kinsler all had full days off in April. Veterans Pierzynski and Berkman have had a combined 10 games off. Washington has avoiding using regulars in pinch-hitting situations to make sure his players get a full day off.

The Rangers are off to another great start. Washington's approach could help bring a stronger finish.

Let's talk: Washington continues to get positive results when he makes a rare visit to the mound to talk to a pitcher. The skipper went to talk to reliever Robbie Ross after he hit Adam Dunn and fell behind Paul Konerko in the top of the ninth with two outs and a 10-6 lead. Ross responded by getting Konerko to ground out to end the game.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rangers catcher A.J. Pierzynski will not play against his former team Tuesday night.

PODCAST
Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss Yu Darvish, the Rangers' recent losses and if the notion that the team looked fatigued is warranted this early in the season. Listen

Pierzynski is being held out of Tuesday's series opener against the White Sox because of an issue with his right oblique muscle. He is missing his first chance to play against Chicago in a regular-season game after playing eight seasons with the White Sox, including leading them to the 2005 World Series title.

"Obviously I want to play," Pierzynski said. "It's killing me not to play, especially for this series."

Geovany Soto is slated to be behind the plate for Rangers ace Yu Darvish.

Pierzynski said he is sitting out for precautionary reasons and that the oblique issue, which he has had for two weeks, was actually worse on the Rangers' road trip to Anaheim and Minnesota. With the Rangers off Monday, Pierzynski will get at least two full days off. Soto might also get the start Wednesday with the Rangers facing tough White Sox left-hander Chris Sale.

Pierzysnki, who saw team physician Keith Meister on Monday, said he isn't having any issues when he's catching, but when he's swinging. An oblique issue he had in the same area last year with the White Sox forced him to miss a series against the Rangers.

"It's better; it just looks worse," Pierzynski said of the coloring caused by a bruise. "It was worse last year. It feels better than it has in two weeks. I just don't want to miss two weeks or a month because of this."

Pierzynski is off to a great start. He's batting .295 with four home runs and 11 RBIs. He also has handled a pitching staff that leads the majors with a 3.023 ERA.

The Rangers don't have much catching depth behind Pierzynski and Soto. Robinson Chirinos, who was acquired earlier this month in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, is batting .327 with nine RBIs since joining Triple-A Round Rock on April 11.

So the Rangers proceed cautiously with Pierzynski.

"I need him around here for the rest of the year," Rangers manager Ron Washington said.

The Rangers take a much needed day off Monday before a week filled with Sox -- the Chicago White Sox and then baseball's best team, at least record-wise, the Boston Red Sox.

A Rangers offense that went cold over the weekend and didn't hit with runners in scoring position on a road trip to Anaheim and Minnesota faces tough pitching matchups this week. They'll see Chicago's Chris Sale and Jake Peavy, and Boston's Jon Lester.

White Sox start slow: Chicago is 10-14 to start the season, 4 1/2 games behind American League Central leader Kansas City. The White Sox are 3-7 on the road, having been swept by Washington and Minnesota. The White Sox are last in the AL with a .229 batting average and 83 runs scored. They are fourth in the AL with a 3.60 ERA (the Rangers are first with a 3.02 ERA, and the Red Sox are third at 3.39).

Pierzynski faces old team: Rangers catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who played for the White Sox from 2005 to '12, faces his old team for the first time in the regular season since signing as a free agent with the Rangers. Pierzynski helped the White Sox win the 2007 World Series. He had a .364 batting average against the White Sox when he played for Minnesota from 1998 to 2004. That, of course, was a long time ago. Pierzynski has warmed up to Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, where he is batting .360 in seven home games.

Konerko moves up list: White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko hit his fourth home run of the season in Chicago's 8-3 loss to David Price and Tampa Bay. It was Konerko's 426th career home run, tying him with Billy Williams for 45th all time. Konerko has 14 RBIs but is batting only .235 with 19 strikeouts.

Red Sox rolling: The Red Sox finished off a four-game home sweep of the hapless Houston Astros to improve to 18-7, matching their best start since 2002. The Red Sox, who have Monday off, can set the club record for most victories in April with a win Tuesday against Toronto. Boston is getting lights-out pitching from its top three pitchers: Lester, Clay Buchholz and former Ranger Ryan Dempster, who are a combined 10-2 with a 1.99 ERA.

Ortiz back and hot: Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz is back and is one of the hottest hitters in baseball. He had two hits in Sunday's 7-2 victory over Houston, giving him a 20-game hitting streak dating to last year, the longest run going in the major leagues. Ortiz went 2-for-4 on Sunday, dropping his batting average to .516.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Texas Rangers did far more crediting of the Minnesota Twins pitching than they did their own fatigue after losing back-to-back games for the first time this season.

That said, they’re looking forward to their off day Monday.

Texas had just one day off since April 4, and 14 of their last 17 games have come on the road.

“You always look forward to off days,” catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. “They certainly are precious when you play this many games.”

The Rangers did have a brief three-game respite in Arlington against Seattle from April 19 through 21, but it still was part of what’s been a hectic travel schedule.

After finishing a six-game homestand on April 10, Texas went to Seattle for four games before an off day, then to Chicago for three against the Cubs, then back home for the three against the Mariners, then to Los Angeles for three against the Angels, and finally to Minnesota for it’s just-completed four-game stretch.

As an added bonus, Wednesday’s game against Los Angeles was an evening contest, meaning the Rangers arrived just before 7 a.m. on Thursday for the series with the Twins, which started Thursday night.

“The off day is definitely needed right now,” manager Ron Washington said. “The stretch is what it is. It’s the schedule and you play the schedule. It’s the big leagues, so we can’t be complaining about the schedule.”

Monday is one of two book-end off days sandwiching three-game series against the Sox – first White, then Red. In all it means eight consecutive days at home for Texas to recharge before an eight-game, three-city road trip.

“It seems like we haven’t been home in forever with the way the schedule is set up,” Pierzynski said. “We were home 3 days and gone a month it seems like. It’ll be nice to get home, get an off day at home and relax, get away from baseball for a day. Just get back to hopefully a little bit of normalcy and come back ready to go on Tuesday.”

Now for a few more Rangers notes:

1. Darvish follows lose again: Yu Darvish will pitch for the fifth time in six starts following a Rangers' loss. He is 4-0 in that situation this season and 11-3 for his career.

2. Kinsler's next steal: Second baseman Ian Kinsler didn't steal a base Sunday, but his next one will be historical. His next stolen base with give him 161 for his career, tying him with Bump Wills for the all-time franchise record.

3. One streak over: The Rangers streak without consecutive losses ended this weekend in the Twin Cities. They still have either won or split every series so far this season. They've won five series and split three.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Two starters both coming off their first win of the season will square off as the Texas Rangers’ Justin Grimm opposes the Minnesota Twins’ Scott Diamond. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. CT on TXA21 and ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM, with the Spanish broadcast on 1540 AM.

Justin Grimm (1-0, 2.70 ERA): Grimm, 24, struck out a career-high nine batters his last time out and walked just one en route to earning his second career win in Texas’ 11-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday. … The right-hander allowed two runs -- one earned -- while logging six innings for just the second time in his brief major league tenure. … Sunday’s win was Grimm’s first since his major league debut, when he pitched six innings of three-run ball in the Rangers’ 8-3 victory over the Houston Astros on June 16, 2012. … Friday will mark Grimm’s first appearance at Target Field and just his third appearance against an American League Central opponent. Grimm went 0-1 with a 20.25 ERA in two outings (one start) versus the AL Central in 2012.

Scott Diamond (1-1, 4.35 ERA): The 26-year-old left-hander will face Texas for the second time in his career. Diamond was ejected in the third inning of his previous outing versus the Rangers on Aug. 24, 2012, for throwing a pitch behind the head of Josh Hamilton. Texas starter Roy Oswalt hit Twins catcher Joe Mauer in the back in the preceding half-inning. … Diamond got off to a late start this spring after offseason surgery to remove bone spurs from his left elbow, and began the season on the disabled list. … He allowed two runs -- one earned -- in six innings against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, striking out five. Diamond has five or more strikeouts in a game just eight times in 36 career starts. … He was a pleasant surprise for Minnesota last season, finishing 12-9 with a 3.54 ERA.

Hitters: Eduardo Escobar (1-for-2) is the only Twins hitter with at-bats against Grimm. Current Rangers are a combined 5-for-17 with a walk against Diamond, including doubles from A.J. Pierzynski and Geovany Soto.

Up Next:

Saturday at Minnesota: LHP Derek Holland (1-1, 3.25) vs. Pedro Hernandez (0-0, 3.86), 3:10 p.m. CT, ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1270 AM/Fox Sports Southwest

Sunday at Minnesota: RHP Alexi Ogando (2-1, 3.12) vs. RHP Kevin Correia (2-1, 2.86), 1:10 p.m. CT, ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1540 AM/Fox Sports Southwest

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Texas Rangers' best offensive inning of the young season centered around patience.

That is, until Nelson Cruz took the aggressive route.

PODCAST
Jim Bowden discusses the state of the Rangers rotation, Mitch Moreland's struggles, the weaknesses of the team and if Jurickson Profar should have been shipped during the offseason. Listen

The Rangers sent 13 batters to the plate in the fourth inning of Wednesday night's 11-3, series-clinching victory against the Los Angeles Angels. It was the most plate appearances in a frame since last April. They managed nine runs, the most in a road-game inning since 2007.

And it began with restraint, as Adrian Beltre opened the frame by drawing his first of two walks.

"How weird is that?" Beltre asked reporters. "Two walks? Is that a record? Two walks in an inning? I think for me it is."

Cruz followed with a single, sparking a sequence that proved to be the turning point against rookie left-hander Michael Roth, the Angels' ninth-round selection in last year's amateur draft whose only other start this season came at Double-A Arkansas.

In all, there were five walks and five base hits in the fourth. Cruz sent fans to the exits with a broken-bat homer to left-center field that made it 9-0.

"When he gets through the baseball, it doesn't matter if the bat holds together or not," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He showed you what his strength is all about."

Cruz showed smarts, as well.

"When you see a guy struggling to find the strike zone, sometimes it's good to be aggressive," Beltre said. "Sometimes you get a good pitch to hit, and [Cruz] did. You assume he's going to throw a fastball, and he did."

The Rangers enjoyed very productive at-bats with runners in scoring position, going 5-for-9 in those situations one night after a weak 1-for-13 effort.

The lead grew to 11-0 by the time Yu Darvish, who tossed six scoreless innings, left the game. A light drizzle blanketed Angel Stadium in the seventh, but it had begun to pour long before then as the Rangers won yet another series.

"Adrian got on base, Nelson got him to third and it kind of snowballed from there," said A.J. Pierzynski, who singled and walked in the fourth. "Adrian had another good at-bat later, and it culminated with Nelson hitting a big home run. It was big."

Beltre smiled when asked if he had ever hit a broken-bat blast like Cruz did.

"I'm not that strong," he said.

Catcher A.J. Pierzynski has batted fifth in the Rangers' lineup for his last two starts, a minor tweak by manager Ron Washington that paid off in a big way in Monday's 7-6 comeback win over the Los Angeles Angels.

PODCAST
Manager Ron Washington joins Ian Fitzsimmons to discuss the Rangers' comeback win over the Angels, A.J. Pierzynski's value to the team and much more. Listen

Pierzynski, one of the Rangers' hottest hitters to start the season, came up in two critical moments late in Monday's game. With the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the seventh and the Rangers trailing 6-3, Pierzynski ripped an opposite-field single to score a run. The Rangers scored two more runs in the inning to tie the score.

Pierzynski gave the Rangers the lead the next time he came up. Facing Angels closer Ernesto Frieri, Pierzynski broke a 6-6 tie with a two-out home run to right-center field. Rangers closer Joe Nathan saved the Rangers' fourth straight win in the bottom of the ninth.

Frieri had thrown 31 pitches in Sunday's 13-inning win over Detroit and wasn't sharp. Right before Pierzynski's homer, Frieri left a fastball over the middle of the plate to Adrian Beltre and the Rangers' third baseman just missed a home run to left field. Frieri made one too many mistakes, and Pierzynski made him pay.

Pierzynski did great work for the Chicago White Sox last season when he batted fifth, hitting .316 with eight of 27 home runs and 31 of his 77 RBIs.

Washington prefers not to tinker with his lineup. The batting order has stayed the same for most of the season, with David Murphy batting fifth 13 times before Pierzynski was shifted there.

On Monday night, Wash's wisdom paid off in a big way.

Washington said Sunday that he wanted to give veteran reliever Jason Frasor more opportunities out of the bullpen, a move that didn't go well Monday. With Derek Holland at 104 pitches and No. 9 hitter Luis Jimenez coming up for the Angels in the sixth inning, Washington went to Frasor. He allowed what at the time looked like a crushing two-run single to Jimenez to give the Angels a 6-3 lead. Frasor did respond with two runners in scoring position with AL Rookie of the Year Mike Trout up next, getting the Angels star to pop out to second base to end the inning.

We spent much of the offseason talking about Josh Hamilton and how the club was going to try to replace some of his production. But how the club was going to replace Mike Napoli was also a topic of conversation.

PODCAST
Manager Ron Washington joins Ian Fitzsimmons to discuss the Rangers' comeback win over the Angels, A.J. Pierzynski's value to the team and much more. Listen

It can be such a big difference in the offense when the guy behind the plate adds offensive production. Sure, the No. 1 job of a catcher for any Ron Washington team is to take care of the pitching staff. But if he can give the club some pop with the bat, it gives the offense a huge boost.

In 2012, the Rangers didn't get enough from the catching position. They ended up trading for Geovany Soto at the deadline and released Yorvit Torrealba in an effort to spark something. But with Napoli struggling and dealing with injuries, it never happened. Rangers catchers hit just .228 in 2012 and were middle of the pack in just about every offensive category. It was not a position of offensive strength, though Napoli did hit 24 home runs in limited playing time.

In 2011, the Rangers were tops in the AL in the average by catchers, hitting .299 behind the ridiculous second half that Napoli put together. Then, they were at or near the top in most of the offensive numbers for catchers.

They are trending that way again in 2013 thanks to A.J. Pierzynski. He had two key at-bats on Monday, helping the club rally in the seventh and then hitting the solo home run to give the club the lead with two outs in the ninth (Joe Nathan got the save to end it). Texas catchers are hitting .286, good enough for fifth in the league. The 10 RBIs are tied for third, along with the four home runs. We'll see if they can keep up that trend. But early in the season, it's been big for the Rangers to get some offensive production from Pierzynski behind the plate.

Rangers manager Ron Washington said this week that roles still haven't been defined in the club's bullpen.

PODCAST
Manager Ron Washington joins Ian Fitzsimmons to discuss the Rangers' comeback win over the Angels, A.J. Pierzynski's value to the team and much more. Listen

Well, right-hander Tanner Scheppers has one. He's the Rangers seventh- and eighth-inning stopper.

Scheppers was at again Monday night as the Rangers rallied for a 7-6 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. The right-hander entered Monday's game in Anaheim after the Rangers had scored three runs in the top of the seventh to tie the score and retired six out of seven Angels hitters.

It was the second time this season Scheppers pitched two shutout innings in relief. He hasn't allowed a run in 10 2/3 innings. The four times he's allowed a runner into scoring position, he's gotten an out.

Scheppers has been especially good against right-handed hitters, who have just three hits against him in 26 at-bats. He has six strikeouts, including a seventh-inning punchout Monday night in which he fanned Angels slugger Albert Pujols on three pitches.

Scheppers has been able to bear down when he puts runners on base. He's allowed one hit in 10 at-bats with runners on. After allowing a two-out single to Josh Hamilton in the bottom of the seventh, Scheppers got Howie Kendrick to line out to Ian Kinsler.

It was one of two shutdown innings the Rangers needed to set up A.J. Pierzynski's game-winning home run in the top of the ninth.