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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Third baseman Adrian Beltre produced the Texas Rangers' only run in a 3-1 loss Thursday night to the Chicago White Sox.

In his eyes, and for the team, that's not enough. Beltre, who had a home run in his first at-bat, stranded four runners in his final two at-bats, both crucial misses as the Rangers lost a series for the the first time this season.

For the second time this week, Beltre hit a home run -- this one to start the second inning for a 1-0 lead -- that seemingly was the moment to get him rolling. But it's not that time yet.

Beltre batted with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the sixth. The White Sox had just taken the lead on a two-out, three-run home run homer by catcher Tyler Flowers off Justin Grimm. The Rangers' rookie pitcher had been steaming along before three hits in the inning, the last one on a hanging curve ball out of the strike zone.

Beltre had a chance to immediately get the runs back. But White Sox reliever Matt Lindstrom was able to get ahead of him on two sliders. Lindstrom threw him another one and jammed Beltre. He hit a roller out to third baseman Conor Gillaspie that he turned for a rally-killing double play.

"It was a backdoor slider," Beltre said. "Instead of breaking away it broke in. I was hoping it was going to kind of hang but instead of hanging it backed up on me. I was a little late and I hit a ground ball."

Fate dealt Beltre another chance to turn the game in the bottom of the eighth. Pinch hitter Leonys Martin led off with a single, and after two fly balls outs, Lance Berkman walked to put the tying runs on base. Beltre again came up with a chance to tie the game or give the Rangers the lead, but he struck out on a 72-mph curve ball by Jesse Crain.

That left Beltre at 4-for-34 with runners in scoring position this season. He batted .287 with runners in scoring position last season.

"He's just missing pitches," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "That's it."

For his part, Beltre refuses to get down on himself. But he wants to do better for his teammates.

"I'm not frustrated, but I'm the kind of guy, I like to produce," Beltre said. "I'm here to produce. Obviously it's not happening. I'm not frustrated, but of course I want to do better. The team is relying on me right now. I'm getting in a lot of situations where I should be producing and doing a lot better, and I'm not doing that."

His night started splendidly when he hammered a cutter from White Sox starter Hector Santiago into the left-field seats. Beltre said he hates cold weather but wasn't bothered by the 43-degree game time temperature.

It was another moment -- just like his two-run homer on Tuesday -- when it looked like he was ready to break out. Beltre still believes he is.

"I hope," Beltre said. "That's what I want to think. I felt better today, though I missed two clutch at-bats in key situations that I didn't come through. I saw the ball better today. I feel a little better. Hopefully tomorrow I'll improve."

Washington, not surprisingly, is standing by one of his best players.

"He's going to be a run producer," Washington said. "I know he is. We scored one run tonight, and he got it for us. I can tell you this, what you see right now you won't see as we go through the season. That's a guarantee."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers' offense struggled on a cold night and starter Justin Grimm missed with one pitch as The Chicago White Sox won 3-1 at frigid Rangers Ballpark to hand Texas its first series loss of the season.

Offense flails: The Rangers had three hits, one Adrian Beltre's home run in the second inning. They were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position with Beltre failing to come through in the first two situations. The Rangers had the tying runs on base in the ninth inning and Mitch Moreland struck out on three pitches and Leonys Martin fanned to end the game.

One pitch costs Grimm: Justin Grimm, earlier awarded American League Rookie of the Month, dominated the White Sox for most of the night, except for four walks. He was in cruise control until the top of the sixth before he gave up singles to Conor Gillaspie and Alexei Ramirez and a three-run home run on a curve ball that didn't bite enough to catcher Tyler Flowers, his fourth of the year. Grimm tied a career-high nine strikeouts and had retired 10 in a row before Gillaspie's hit.

Beltre's latest miss: Beltre accounted for the Rangers only run with a solo shot to start the second inning. But it was a big miss with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the sixth that stood out in this game. Beltre got down in the count and fisted a ground ball to third base for an inning-ending double play. He also had the tying runs on base in the bottom of the eighth and struck out on a 72-mph curve ball by Ranger nemesis Jesse Crain. Beltre is 4-for-34 with runners in scoring position.

Clean shave works: Left-handed reliever Michael Kirkman is clean shaven after allowing runs in four of his past six appearances. He faced one batter Thursday night in the seventh inning, Adam Dunn, and struck the slugger out on three pitches.

Dog night: There were 689 canines in attendance for Dog Night at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Overall attendance was 31,199 for a game that had a game time attendance of 43 degrees, the third coldest start in ballpark history.

Up next: The Rangers open a three-game series against the team with baseball's best record, the Boston Red Sox. Left-hander Derek Holland (1-2, 3.38 ERA) will face Red Sox left-hander Felix Doubront (3-0, 4.24) at 7:05 p.m. on Channel 21 and ESPN-FM 103.3 and 1540-AM.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Nick Tepesch allowed two home runs in the top of the seventh as the Chicago White Sox snapped a 2-2 tie and beat the Texas Rangers 5-2 on Wednesday night at Rangers Ballpark.

Rough seventh for Tepesch: For the second straight start, rookie Nick Tepesch had a rough seventh inning. He allowed two home runs with the game tied at two. White Sox third baseman Conor Gillaspie led off the inning with a 384-foot home run to right-center field. With two outs, leadoff hitter Alejandro De Aza smacked a two-run home run to right field for a 5-2 lead. Tepesch had allowed two home runs in 27⅓ innings before Wednesday's seventh inning.

Too long with Nick?: Rangers manager Ron Washington stuck with Tepesch after Gillaspie's tiebreaking home run even though the right-hander was around 100 pitches. The White Sox made the Rangers pay with De Aza's two-out homer for a three-run lead.

Eighth-inning threat crumbles: The Rangers hadn't scored against White Sox reliever Jesse Crain in 27⅓ innings before Wednesday night. They had one of their best shots at him after Elvis Andrus and Lance Berkman led off with singles. But Adrian Beltre continued his struggles with a fly out to center but did move Andrus to third. Nelson Cruz struck out on a high fastball. Sox left-handed reliever Matt Thornton came in and got David Murphy to ground out back to the pitcher.

Baserunning gaffe: The Rangers should have scored more in the bottom of the second. With the bases loaded, Ian Kinsler just missed a grand slam, as his line drive to left field hit off the top of the wall. The Rangers scored just one run because Geovany Soto didn't score from second base.

Beltre scuffles: Beltre, who had a two-run home run in his last at-bat Tuesday night, failed to get a hit with a runner at second base and two outs in the first inning. Beltre is four for his past 31 with runners in scoring position.

Frasor improving: Reliever Jason Frasor retired all four batters he faced with two strikeouts. Frasor hasn't allowed a run in his past six innings.

Up next: The Rangers and White Sox wrap up their three-game series Thursday night when rookie right-hander Justin Grimm (2-0, 1.59 ERA) takes on veteran right-hander Jake Peavy (3-1, 3.38 ERA) at 7:05 p.m. on Fox Sports Southwest and ESPN 103.3-FM and 1540-AM.

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.

The Rangers have this April thing down.

The Rangers won for the 17th time Tuesday night, beating the Chicago White Sox 10-6, and have gone three consecutive Aprils with at least 16 wins. It's the third time in club history they've won 17 games in April. The 1989 Rangers -- with new acquisitions Nolan Ryan, Rafael Palmeiro and Julio Franco -- faded and finished 83-79. Last year's Rangers were 17-6 in April and reached the American League wild-card game.

The 1998 Rangers are the only team in club history to top that, going 18-7 in April. They went on to win the club's second AL West title before losing to the New York Yankees in the AL Division Series.

Pitching carried the Rangers this April. They have a 3.14 ERA, best in baseball. Yu Darvish was 5-0, with all the wins coming after Rangers losses. The offense was inconsistent but might be re-energized after Tuesday's 10-run outburst, which was sparked by the continued surge of Mitch Moreland and a two-run home run by Adrian Beltre.

"We're a good team. We're a very good team," Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler said. "We have a lot of guys on this team that love to win and love to play baseball. We work hard, and when you have that and you win, it snowballs. We're a good team, and we're going to continue to play good baseball and see what happens."

Other notes:

1. Opening wins: The Rangers won their eighth straight series opener going back to their loss to Houston on opening night. The Rangers have been able to grind through the schedule because of it. They are 17-0-3 in their past 20 series when winning the opener.

2. Cruising in April: Nelson Cruz carried the Rangers in the last two weeks of the month. He hit safely in nine of 12 games, and batted .364 with five home runs and 15 RBIs. He sparked the Rangers again Tuesday night with a two-out home run to left field to cut Chicago's lead to 2-1. White Sox starter Jose Quintana, who had allowed two hits before Cruz's homer, gave up five hits to the next nine Rangers batters.

3. Beltre breaks out: Beltre snapped an 0-for-11 stretch with runners in scoring position with a two-run home run to cap a six-run sixth inning. Manager Ron Washington proved prophetic, having said on "Fitzsimmons and Durrett" on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM on Tuesday that Beltre would do something big in his fourth at-bat. The manager knows.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Struggling prospects Mike Olt and Cody Buckel began their search Tuesday for what's behind their shockingly poor starts to the season.

PODCAST
Tanner Scheppers joins Matt Mosley and Chuck Cooperstein to discuss pitching for the Rangers and what it's like watching Yu Darvish. Listen

Olt, the Rangers' second-highest ranked prospect behind shortstop Jurickson Profar, saw team doctors Tuesday after informing club officials he was having issues with his vision. It could be as simple as the Triple-A Round Rock infielder needing contacts or glasses, general manager Jon Daniels said, or it could be something more. Daniels didn't have a diagnosis for Olt before the Rangers' game Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox.

Buckel, a right-handed pitcher who has been having issues with his control at Double-A Frisco, was moved from the starting rotation to the bullpen Tuesday. Buckel, the club's eighth-best prospect, has 25 walks in 18 innings. He had three walks and didn't record an out in his most recent start, against Corpus Christi on Saturday.

Olt's vision problems might help explain why he's off to a dismal start. Olt, a career .282 hitter in the minors entering the season, entered Tuesday batting .139 in 72-bats and has one home run after tying for the Texas League lead with 28 home runs last year.

"It would make sense if that's what has developed," Daniels said Tuesday.

Buckel heads to the bullpen after not pitching more than three innings in his five starts this season. He had a season-high six walks in three innings at San Antonio on April 22 and has walked at least five in three other starts.

Buckel will take up some innings in what has been a dominant bullpen in Frisco. But Daniels said the club thought it was better that Buckel sort things out in Double-A rather than at extended spring training.

"It's nothing physical with Cody," Daniels said. "He's been scuffling all season."

Both Olt's and Buckel's names came up in trade talks during the offseason.

Other Rangers notes:

Baker in, Murphy out: Jeff Baker got the start in left field against White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana, giving struggling starter David Murphy an extra day off. Murphy, batting .176 with two home runs, has a track record that says he will get his bat going.

"He's missing pitches that he usually gets," manager Ron Washington said.

Murphy and third baseman Adrian Beltre both have started slow. Beltre is batting .221 with four home runs and only nine RBIs.

"You know their track record is there," Washington said. "You just have to be patient."

More on Beltre: Beltre said Tuesday that he's not concerned with his slow start, noting he always has been a warm-weather player. Beltre is batting .107 with runners in scoring position.

"I know I'm going to be OK," Beltre said. "I would say I've been average. There hasn't been a time when I've felt great and there's not a period where I've felt terrible."

Randy Wells retires: Veteran pitcher Randy Wells, who has been at Triple-A Round Rock, has retired, Daniels said Tuesday. Daniels said the 30-year-old Wells told club officials that he didn't have the same level of desire for the game.

It's Joseph Ortiz: The Rangers said Tuesday that reliever Joe Ortiz has been asked to be called Joseph Ortiz from this point forward. Ortiz has allowed runs in his past three appearances, but the Rangers didn't provide that as the reason he is going with Joseph.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Two starters coming off back-to-back wins will square off as the Texas Rangers' Yu Darvish opposes the Chicago White Sox's Jose Quintana on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game set. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. CT on Fox Sports Southwest and ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM, with the Spanish broadcast on 1540 AM.

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

Darvish (4-1, 1.65 ERA): Darvish, 26, has gone back-to-back outings and a total of 18 consecutive innings going back three starts without allowing a run. … He struck out 11 over six innings his last time out in an 11-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. The right-hander has notched double-digit strikeouts in back-to-back games. He has yet to strike out 10 or more hitters in three consecutive starts in his major league career. … Darvish faced Chicago once last season and was saddled with the loss after allowing six runs – five earned – on eight hits and three walks with six strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings on July 27. … Darvish is 5-0 in seven regular-season home starts since losing to the White Sox.

Quintana (2-0, 2.78 ERA): The left-hander lasted just five innings against Cleveland in his last outing but got the win in Chicago’s 3-2 victory after allowing two runs on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts. … Quintana’s three strikeouts against the Indians tied a season low. … The 24-year-old picked up the win in his only career outing against Texas last season, allowing one run on just two hits and a walk while striking out eight through eight innings on July 5. … Quintana has yet to allow an earned run on the road this season, having given up a combined six hits and two walks in 13 2/3 innings with 14 strikeouts against Cleveland and Toronto. Quintana was better on the road (3.42 ERA in 12 appearances) than at home (4.13 ERA in 13 appearances) last season.

Hitters: Gordon Beckham (2-for-3) is the only White Sox player with multiple hits or an extra base hit against Darvish, but he’s on the disabled list with a fractured hamate bone in his left wrist. Rangers hitters are a combined 2-for-19 against Quintana. Adrian Beltre and Ian Kinsler own the only two hits.

Up Next:

Wednesday vs. Chicago: RHP Nick Tepesch (2-1, 2.53) vs. LHP Chris Sale (2-2, 4.09), 7:05 p.m. CT, ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1540 AM/FSSW
Thursday vs. Chicago: RHP Justin Grimm (2-0, 1.59) vs. RHP Jake Peavy (3-1, 3.38) 7:05 p.m. CT, ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1540 AM/FSSW

Sitting atop the Rangers' wish list for this week's homestand against the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox -- getting the bat of third baseman Adrian Beltre going.

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

For whatever reason, Beltre isn't driving in runs this season. He has nine RBIs in 25 games. He had one RBI on the Rangers' seven-game road trip to Anaheim and Minnesota.

The eyeball test says Beltre is about to get hot. Beltre showed signs of life on the road trip, hitting in five straight games before joining the rest of the lineup and cooling down in losses Saturday and Sunday (he was 0-for-8 in those games). His home run in Friday's' game was a rocket to center field. He had only two strikeouts in 28 at-bats.

Beltre's numbers are down from the first 25 games last season when he batted .315 with five home runs and 16 RBIs. He's at .221 with four home runs so far this season. There's no discernible difference in his other numbers. He's walked more times this season -- eight -- compared to five through 25 games last season.

It goes without saying that he's struggled with runners on base. He has three hits in 28 at-bats with runners in scoring position. One positive -- he has been one of the Rangers' best hitters late in games, batting .391 with two homers and four RBIs in the seventh inning or later.

More good news: Beltre had 21 RBIs last May, tying for his best month of the season.

And, of course, all Rangers fans remember how he finished. He had 41 of his 102 RBIs last season in August and September (and one October regular season game).

More Rangers notes:

1. Lewis throws in game: Rehabbing right-hander Colby Lewis threw 17 pitches in one inning in an extended spring game Monday. He came out of the outing reporting no issues. Expect Lewis to get into another extended spring game in a few days.

2. Minor note: Class A Hickory outfielder Nick Williams, whose seven home runs are second to teammate Joey Gallo's eight in the Sally League, went on the 7-day disabled list with a shoulder injury this weekend. Williams, a second-round pick last year, landed awkwardly on his shoulder diving for a ball. The injury isn't considered to be serious.

3. Angels, A's go 19: It's April, so maybe it's too early to scoreboard watch. But that's just impossible with the state of affairs with Josh Hamilton and the Angels. Division rival Oakland delivered the latest blow to the Angels' psyche as Brandon Moss hit a walk-off home run in the 19th inning for a 10-8 A's victory. The game ended at 3:41 a.m. Texas time. The Angels led 7-2 going into the bottom of the eighth before giving up four runs in the inning and the tying run in the ninth. Hamilton was 0-for-8 with three strikeouts. The A's moved within two games of the Rangers while the Angels dropped seven games out of first place.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Nelson Cruz’s work with the bat has been impressive. But perhaps even more important has been his ability to stay on the field.

Cruz revamped his offseason routine prior to the 2012 season and it paid off as he played in a career-best 159 games. On Sunday, Cruz is in the lineup for the 25th time in 25 games this season -- one of only three Texas Rangers who can make the claim.

For Cruz, it’s simply a matter of understanding his body.

“You know what you need to do to prepare,” Cruz said. “Sometimes your body tells you you need to rest. You have to make sure you’re loose for the games, make sure you work out during the season, outside the season.”

Cruz said he’s extra diligent with his hamstring and quads, which conspired among other maladies to limit him to an average of 113 games from 2009 to 2011, with 128 games his career high until last season.

The resulting health has put Cruz in position to be among the league’s offensive leaders in several categories. His 19 RBI are tied for fifth in the American League, his five home runs are tied for 13th and his .322 batting average is good for 13th, as well.

And thanks to Cruz’s renewed focus on staying healthy, manager Ron Washington has been less tempted to pull him out of the lineup for maintenance days.

“He’s an animal, look at him,” Washington said. “At some point I’m going to give him a day off, but I got him a day DHing, and I’ll get him another day DHing. It’s just that he’s been productive, and sometimes it’s hard to pull that out of the lineup.”

Cruz is in the midst of a five-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in seven straight contests. Saturday’s game snapped a six-game RBI streak in which he drove in 13 runs.

Lineup staples: In addition to Cruz, Adrian Beltre and Mitch Moreland have been in the lineup every game this season. Moreland’s career high is 134 games played for the 2011 Rangers. Beltre has played in 152 or more games eight times in his career, including 156 for Texas last season. His career high of 159 games came for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2002.

Elvis Andrus, David Murphy and Ian Kinsler have played in every game but one this season. Washington considered sitting Kinsler on Sunday, but the Rangers’ second baseman resisted with an off day scheduled for Tuesday.

Strikeout guy: Tuesday’s starter, Yu Darvish, leads all of baseball with 49 strikeouts this season. But he’s also topped seven innings just once and pitched six or fewer innings in three of his five starts.

It comes with the territory for strikeout pitchers, and Washington certainly isn’t complaining. But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t mind seeing fewer pitches and longer outings from his right-hander.

“If you can strike out a guy out in a certain situation, I love a strikeout,” Washington said. “But you can be striking out 17 or 18 guys and you’re throwing a lot of pitches. All you have to do is throw one pitch and you can get a ground ball and get a guy out.”

But Darvish fans need not worry about Washington and the Rangers trying to tweak the 26-year-old’s approach.

“Yu’s a strikeout guy,” Washington said. “I’d like to see him get some quick outs, but I’m not going to try to change him. I’m saying that to me, saying that to the pitching coach. I’m not saying that to Yu Darvish.”

The Texas Rangers witnessed another great outing by one of their young starting pitchers -- this time Justin Grimm -- as they won their second straight game over the Minnesota Twins, 4-3, on Friday night at Target Field.

Grimm cruises: Grimm followed up on fellow rookie Nick Tepesch's brilliant start on Thursday night with seven shutout innings. Following Tepesch's lead, Grimm had total command of the strike zone with no walks. He allowed five hits and had four strikeouts. Grimm has two walks in his past 13 innings.

First-inning runs: The Rangers jumped on the Twins with three first-inning doubles that helped build a 2-0 lead. Elvis Andrus had a one-out double, stole third and scored on Lance Berkman's double to center field. Nelson Cruz made it six straight games with an RBI as he went to the opposite field once again with a double to right field.

Cruz stays hot: Cruz is the third player boasting six straight games with an RBI this season in the majors, joining the Detroit Tigers' Prince Fielder and the Cincinnati Reds' Todd Frazier. It ties a career high that he's accomplished four times.

Beltre hammers another one: Adrian Beltre is starting to hit the ball with authority. He crushed a home run to straightaway center field to give Texas a 3-0 lead in the sixth inning. Beltre has seven hits in his past 24 at-bats, including two of his four home runs.

Outs on the bases: The Rangers made three outs on the bases as they didn't get as much out of their 13 hits as they could have. They made two outs on the bases in the third inning, as Andrus was thrown out at home and Berkman got hung up and was out at third base for the second out of the inning.

Rough ninth: Left-hander Joe Ortiz started the bottom of the ninth with a four-run lead and allowed a double to Josh Willingham and a soft single to Justin Morneau. Ortiz did strike out Chris Parmelee for the first out and turned the game over to closer Joe Nathan. He got the second out, fanning Trevor Plouffe, then allowed a three-run homer to Oswaldo Arcia to make things interesting. Nathan was able to bounce back and get Ryan Doumit to line out to center fielder Craig Gentry to end the game.

What scheduling issue?: The Rangers were supposed to be sluggish in the second game after a late plane flight from Anaheim to Minneapolis, but they haven't shown it in this series, winning two one-run games.

Up next: The Rangers go for three wins in a row over the Twins when left-hander Derek Holland (1-1, 3.25 ERA) takes on Minnesota left-hander Pedro Hernandez (0-0, 3.86 ERA) at 3:10 p.m. Saturday on FSSW and ESPN-FM 103.3 and 1270-AM.

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.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Mike Trout kept the game tied with his glove in the ninth inning and Howie Kendrick delivered the walk-off home run in the 11th, as the Texas Rangers fell, 5-4, to the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night.

Bad luck: Adrian Beltre would have been the hero if not for Trout's leaping catch with two outs in the ninth. With Ian Kinsler representing the go-ahead run at third, Beltre hit the ball hard, but it stayed up long enough for Trout to chase it down at the warning track near the bullpen gate in left field. The Rangers were 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

Struggles through seven: Aside from Nelson Cruz's three-run shot in the sixth, the Rangers didn't muster much against Angels left-hander Jason Vargas, who was 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA coming into the game. Vargas went a season-high seven innings, as Texas struggled to come through in clutch situations.

More from less: Mitch Moreland, who had three hits in Monday's opener, had two more Tuesday batting in the No. 9 spot. The multi-hit performance was significant given the fact that he had been 1-for-19 (.053) against left-handers entering the night.

Staying up: Rangers starting pitcher Alexi Ogando and manager Ron Washington agreed that poor pitch location was the cause of his troubles in Chicago last week, and the same issue appeared to affect him early when Kendrick jumped on a high fastball for a homer to the deepest part of the park, increasing the Halos' lead to four. It was Ogando's biggest mistake of the night, as he rebounded from last week's poor outing.

Baker flashes leather: Jeff Baker was in the starting lineup Tuesday for his bat, but he never got to use it. The left fielder robbed Josh Hamilton of extras bases with a sliding catch near the foul line in the first inning, but crashed into the padded wall at full speed and exited with a bruised left knee. David Murphy, who had been 1-for-19 in his career against Vargas, replaced him.

Up next: Yu Darvish (3-1, 2.03 ERA) looks for his second victory against Los Angeles this season. Angels right-hander Jerome Williams (1-0, 3.18 ERA) is expected to make the spot start in place of Tommy Hanson, who is on the bereavement list. First pitch is 9:05 p.m. CT on ESPN 103.3-FM.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Texas Rangers erased a three-run deficit in the seventh inning and A.J. Pierzynski delivered the go-ahead home run with two outs in the ninth to beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-6 on Monday night in the opener of a three-game series at Angel Stadium.

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

The rally: Elvis Andrus and Lance Berkman singled to start the seventh, and Adrian Beltre followed with a walk to load the bases. Pierzynski then singled in Andrus before a fielder's choice and an error allowed the Rangers to plate the tying runs.

Limiting the big bats: Rangers pitchers struck out Albert Pujols three times and got him to ground into a double play. They weren't as successful against Josh Hamilton, who recorded his first four-hit game as an Angel (all were singles).

Sixth-inning struggle: Derek Holland couldn't escape a sixth-inning jam, giving up the go-ahead run on Chris Iannetta's two-out double. The left-hander had recorded five of his previous six outs via strikeout but was unable to put Iannetta away. Jason Frasor relieved him and immediately surrendered a two-run single that gave the Angels a three-run cushion.

Singles party: The Rangers' first eight hits were singles, as they struggled to deliver an early knockout punch against Joe Blanton, who had lost all three of his starts this season. With Texas unable to come up with a key hit, Blanton pitched into the sixth inning for the first time in an Angels uniform.

Rangy Rangers: David Murphy made a diving catch in left field to limit the damage in the fourth, and Andrus followed it up with a spectacular play deep in the hole an inning later to get the speedy Peter Bourjos out by a step.

Up next: Alexi Ogando (2-1, 3.32 ERA) looks to rebound Tuesday night from his forgettable start in Chicago, where he surrendered five runs in 2⅓ innings. The Angels will counter with left-hander Jason Vargas (0-2, 6.75 ERA). First pitch is at 9:05 p.m. CT on Fox Sports Southwest, ESPN-FM 103.3 and 1540-AM.

The Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels meet up again Monday night to start a three-game series in Anaheim. Rangers left-hander Derek Holland faces right-hander Joe Blanton in the opener at 9:05 p.m. on FSSW and ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM.

Derek Holland (1-1, 1.64): Holland is one of the hottest starting pitchers going in the American League. He is third in the AL with a 1.64 ERA, trailing Boston's Clay Buchholz (0.90) and Tampa Bay's Matt Moore (1.00). ... Holland earned his first victory in his last start Tuesday night at Chicago, throwing seven shutout innings with the temperature in the 30s at Wrigley Field. It was the second time in 93 career starts that Holland went seven innings or more and allowed no more than two hits, the other coming against Boston in 2011. ... He has gone at least seven innings in each start, allowing two earned runs or less, joining Buchholz and the New York Mets' Matt Harvey as the only starters to do that. ... Holland is 7-5 with a 5.36 ERA in 17 games (14 starts) vs. the Angels. ... He has steadily improved against the Angels, going 2-0 with a 4.79 ERA in his last three starts against the Halos. ... He is 4-3 with 4.81 in his career in Anaheim.

Joe Blanton (0-3, 8.59): Blanton, making his fourth start, is off to a rocky beginning with his new team. ... He lost in his last outing, allowing four earned runs and nine hits in a loss at Minnesota on Monday. ... Blanton has given up 26 hits in 14 2/3 innings, including six home runs -- the second most in the American League. ... He hasn't lasted more than five innings in his three starts, giving up at least four earned runs in each outing. ... Opposing batters are hitting .377 against Blanton. ... Blanton is 6-4 with a 4.89 ERA in 13 games (12 starts) against the Rangers, most of them coming when he was with the A's from 2005-08. ... He spent the last six seasons in the National League with the Phillies and the Dodgers.

Hitters: Several Angels hitters have good numbers against Holland, including Alberto Callaspo (12-for-34, 5 2Bs, 1 HR, 5 RBIs), Mike Trout (6-for-17, 2 HRs, 5 RBIs) and Howard Kendrick (14-for-41, 2 HRs, 10 RBIs). Adrian Beltre (13-for-48, 4 2Bs, 7 RBIs) has been the Rangers' best hitter against Blanton.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- This is the damage the Rangers' offense can do when it's in sync.

From Leonys Martin's first career home run to Nelson Cruz's fifth career grand slam. From Mitch Moreland's go-ahead two-run home run in the fourth inning to Adrian Beltre's two-run shot in the sixth.

The Rangers finally started hitting home runs with runners on base in Sunday's 11-3 throttling of the Seattle Mariners. Let the rest of the American League be put on notice: The Rangers can still slug it with the best of them.

"We're dangerous all the way one through nine," Cruz, who belted his grand slam in the fifth inning, said. "I'm glad it was there for the whole team. It was a good series."

The Rangers scored 23 runs in three wins against Seattle, earning their first sweep since last June. They reached a season high in runs with 11 on Sunday, a drastic improvement after scoring four runs or less in the seven games that preceded Friday's series opener against the Mariners. The Rangers were the only team in baseball that hadn't score eight runs in a game.

Have the bats finally awoken in Texas?

"We'll get consistent," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "Everyone will realize if we're consistent or not."

This weekend was a good start. Sunday was a great start as far as home runs go.

Martin's home run was a solo shot to tie the score at one in the third inning. That made it 15 of 19 home runs with no one on base for the Rangers. Moreland's fourth-inning homer changed that trend.

Fighting through a 1-for-20 slump, Moreland kept his approach -- grind out at-bats. Put a good swing on the ball. He got a sinker that didn't sink on a 2-1 pitch from Aaron Harang. Moreland crushed it 422 feet to center field. The two-run homer gave the Rangers a 3-1 lead.

"I got up there and missed a pitch early in the at-bat," Moreland said of a first-pitch sinker that he fouled off. "I got another one in the zone over the plate. I'm just trying to grind out at-bats."

Cruz said he's been trying to stay patient with his at-bats as his average has dropped from .458 to .277 in the past 11 games. He had two RBIs in 12 games before his grand slam.

Cruz took advantage of a 2-0 count against Harang and ripped a fastball seven or eight rows up in the center-field stands for the Rangers' first grand slam since last August (by Moreland). Another sign that the Rangers offense is starting to percolate.

"This game was an indication of that," Moreland said. "We definitely took a step forward. Nellie's swing today was a big blow."

Beltre added a two-run home run in the sixth inning, his third of the season. Beltre came into Sunday's game batting .222, but it appears he is starting to drive the ball. Three of his past four hits have gone for extra bases.

Martin had the most memorable home run of the day. He also had a triple in the fifth inning and scored on Ian Kinsler's single. Martin didn't have an extra-base hit before Sunday.

"I just made a connection," Martin said. "I didn't know it was a home run until it went in the stands. It was exciting. I'm not going to forget that for the rest of my life."