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HOUSTON -- The finale of Part I of the Silver Boot series goes to the Rangers, a 6-1 winner on Sunday afternoon over the Houston Astros.

Credit a five-run first inning and Colby Lewis with getting things done. Lewis ended a personal three-game losing streak with eight strong innings and was taken out after allowing a ninth-inning home run to Jed Lowrie to end the shutout and complete game bid.

Lewis with a solid effort: Right-hander Colby Lewis moved to 4-3 on the season with a wonderful pitching performance. He threw a season-high 123 pitches and allowed just one run on four hits through eight innings. It was Lewis' longest outing of the season. Lewis was given a five-run lead in the first inning and made it hold up. He retired 15 of 17 hitters in the middle innings and almost made everyone forget his personal three-game losing streak. The Rangers average 5.71 runs per game when he's on the mound and that trend continued Sunday.

First inning gets it started: Things got off fast for the Rangers against Astros starter Jordan Lyles. Josh Hamilton drove in the first run with a sac fly to center and then a pair of two-run singles from Nelson Cruz and Colby Lewis, yeah, Colby Lewis, pushed the lead to 5-0. Lewis, while excellent on the mound, was just as good at the plate, getting two hits, both singles and driving in two runs. It's the third time in interleague play a Ranger pitcher has produced a multi-RBI game. Darren Oliver was the first Ranger to do it, June 18, 1997 against Colorado and Lewis, who has now done it twice. Lewis first got it done on June 13, 2010 versus Milwaukee. Lewis has also produced the third two-hit game by a Rangers pitcher since the start of interleague play. Chan Ho Park and Lewis have done it.

Silver Boot stuff: While the Rangers took their first series since taking two-of-three from Los Angeles of Anaheim (May 11-13), the Silver Boot will remain in Arlington until the teams meet again June 15-17. The Rangers have won eight of the last 11 meetings between the teams and is 11-4 in the series since 2010. Houston hasn't won a series over Texas since June 24-26, 2008.

Notes: Ian Kinsler has struck out six times the last two games. Saturday night he struck out four times and twice on Sunday. Kinsler did, however, single to leadoff the game and eventually score. ... The 113,261 fans who attended the three-game set is the largest in the Silver Boot series since 2007. ... It didn't seem as if Nelson Cruz (tight quad) had any problems running around the bases. he ran hard with little problems after getting a seventh-inning single. Cruz went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI. ... Elvis Andrus' two hits continued his team lead with 17 multi-hit games this season. Andrus has 12 games with at least two hits. ... Adrian Beltre caught a pop fly that maybe hit one of the support beams in the roof at Minute Maid Park. A popup by Brian Bogusevic in the first seemed to hit one of the support beams high above the third base dugout. After Beltre caught the ball he smiled and said something to Lewis, to maybe indicate something weird happened. Astros manager Brad Mills came out to ask the umpiring crew to talk about it, which they did but they ruled the ball was clean.

What's next?: Rangers start a three-game set at Seattle with a good matchup in Game 1. Yu Darvish takes on Felix Hernandez. It's the first opponent the Rangers meet in a series for the second time.

HOUSTON -- Good morning. Or is it good afternoon. Either way the first leg of the Silver Boot series ends today at Minute Maid Park. Nelson Cruz, who was taken out of Saturday night's contest with a tight quad, is in the lineup today. Also, Astros center fielder Jordan Schafer is out of the lineup after spraining an ankle Saturday night.

Here we go.

Rangers

2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
CF Josh Hamilton
3B Adrian Beltre
1B Michael Young
LF David Murphy
RF Nelson Cruz
C Yorvit Torrealba
P Colby Lewis

Astros

2B Jose Altuve
SS Jed Lowrie
RF Brian Bogusevic
1B Carlos Lee
LF Travis Buck
3B Chris Johnson
CF Justin Maxwell
C Jason Castro
P Jordan Lyles

HOUSTON -- The first leg of the Silver Boot series concludes Sunday afternoon at Minute Maid Park and the Texas Rangers will have righty Colby Lewis, their opening day starter, facing Jordan Lyles.

Here's a preview:

Lewis (3-3, 3.63): The right-hander has lost his last three starts and hasn't earned a victory since April 28. He's given up 14 earned runs in the last three starts after just giving up a total of seven earned runs in five April starts. During this tough stretch, Lewis' ERA has risen from 1.93 to 3.63. Lewis' last start resulted in him committing two throwing errors, leading to five unearned runs. Lewis said he didn't do anything differently between starts, just two bullpen sessions and feels he will get out of this funk.

Lyles (0-0, 3.00 ERA): In his last start, May 15, he drew a no-decision against Philadelphia, a 4-3 loss. Lyles gave up one run on six hits in six innings of work. He was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to make that start. Last year he pitched in two games against the Rangers, going 0-1 with a 5.54 ERA. The last time he faced them was June 28, 2011, when he was credited with the loss after allowing five runs on 10 hits in six innings.

Hitters vs. Lewis: Carlos Lee 5-for-19, Jed Lowrie 3-for-5 and Matt Downs 1-for-3.

Hitters vs. Lyles: Josh Hamilton 3-for-6, Nelson Cruz 2-for-6 and Ian Kinsler 2-for-4.

Up next:
Mon at Seattle: RHP Yu Darvish (6-1, 2.60) vs. RHP Feliz Hernandez (3-3, 3:02), 9:10 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1540/FSSW
Tue at Seattle: LHP Matt Harrison (4-3, 5.21) vs. RHP Hector Noesi (2-4, 5.61), 9:10 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3/1540/FSSW
Wed at Seattle: RHP Neftali Feliz (3-1, 3.16): vs. RHP Kevin Millwood (2-4, 4.17), 2:40 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3/1540/FSSW

HOUSTON -- Saturday afternoon, Colby Lewis was stretched out in front of his stall in the Rangers clubhouse relaxing. He looked like a man without a care in the world.

But he does have some worries.

Lewis, who starts Sunday afternoon's Silver Boot finale against the Houston Astros, has lost his last three games.

"Wins and losses don't really (duplicate) sometimes on how you pitch," Lewis said. "In 2010, I went though it. Sometimes when things are not going your way it seems it all comes in bunches. So it's like when I started the year with quality starts, everything happens in bunches. You want to eliminate the ones that are bad, that's it and try to get on a roll."

Lewis won three of his first five starts but now hasn't won a game since April 28.

In his last start, May 14, two throwing errors led to five unearned runs. In the previous start, May 10, he struck out 12 over seven innings, but gave up six earned runs.

"I threw the ball great (May 10), and then I beat myself the last start," Lewis said. "So it's not about any common denominator, like (Ron Washington) says, it's the way baseball go. I beat myself and they beat me with the homers in the previous start so nothing really too different."

HOUSTON -- The Texas Rangers blew an early four-run lead and had a rally fall just a run short in a 6-5 loss to the Houston Astros on Saturday night at Minute Maid Park.

Lefty Derek Holland, in his first starting appearance in eight days, had a four-run lead, but gave up a season-high three home runs and took the loss. The Rangers' biggest highlight was a David Murphy inside-the-park home run in the third that drove in three runs to give the Rangers a 4-0 lead.

Holland loses lead: Holland last started May 10 at Baltimore. He then pitched one inning in relief May 14 and had a bullpen session a few days later. Holland said he wasn't working on anything specifically and the extended rest shouldn't bother him. He pitched well early until the middle innings. With a 4-1 lead, Holland walked Justin Maxwell to start the fourth inning. Carlos Lee hammered a fastball to left for a home run to cut the deficit to 4-3. In the fifth, Holland gave up a two-out single to Jose Altuve and Maxwell hit a homer off a belt-high pitch to left, giving the Astros a 5-4 lead. Holland left after five innings. He gave up five earned runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out six.

Late rally shut down: The Rangers cut a two-run deficit to one when Josh Hamilton drove in Elvis Andrus on a sacrifice fly to right in the seventh inning. The Rangers tried to get a rally going in the eighth. Michael Young and Brandon Snyder reached on singles to start the inning. Reliever Brandon Lyon was brought in to minimize the damage. He got Nelson Cruz to fly out to right and Mike Napoli hit into what was almost a 4-6-3 double play. Instead, Napoli was ruled out at first but Snyder was safe at second when shortstop Jed Lowrie came off the bag too early on the relay throw from second baseman Altuve. Pinch hitter Craig Gentry ended the inning with a flyout to center.

The bullpen: Closer Joe Nathan appeared to be unavailable after pitching four consecutive days for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2010. Setup man Mike Adams was also unavailable because he's still recovering from a respiratory infection. It left manager Ron Washington to use Alexi Ogando, Mark Lowe and Koji Uehara as the setup men. Robbie Ross was available for at least one hitter after pitching Friday night. Ogando appeared in the sixth inning, relieving Holland. He allowed one run on two hits in two innings of work. Lowe pitched a scoreless eighth. He's allowed just one run the last nine games.

Hamilton in homerless string: Hamilton hasn't hit a home run the last seven games, his longest drought of the season. No biggie. Hamilton still leads the majors with 18 home runs. Hamilton had a six-game stretch where he hit nine home runs. When his night was over, Hamilton was 0-3.

Murphy hits inside-the-park home run: Murphy's third-inning inside-the-park home run was the first of his career and the 23rd in franchise history. Murphy sent a shot to right-center field where right fielder Maxwell missed a diving catch. Murphy beat the throw home easily. It was Murphy's first inside-the-park homer of his career and first for the Rangers since Gentry did it Sept. 23, 2011.

Notes: The Rangers started the season 15-4 but since then have gone just 10-12, including a 8-10 mark in May. ... Because of pinch hitters, the Rangers moved Hamilton to right field in the ninth inning.

Next: The Rangers and Astros play the finale of the Silver Boot series at Minute Maid Park. Colby Lewis takes on Jordan Lyles at 1:05 p.m.

HOUSTON -- The Silver Boot series continues at Minute Maid Park after the Rangers took Game 1 on Friday night. Saturday, the Rangers send lefty Derek Holland to take on right-hander Lucas Harrell.

Holland (3-2, 3.78 ERA): He's making his eighth start of the season and first since May 10 at Baltimore. Holland had his start pushed back four days so the club could give him some extra rest and keep Yu Darvish and Colby Lewis on their regular schedules. Holland is 2-0, with a 1.33 ERA on the road, where opponents are hitting just .181 against him. Holland picked up the victory at Baltimore, where he allowed three runs, all unearned over six innings. Against the Astros, Holland is 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA in two career starts. He picked up a win last season at Houston.

Harrell (2-3, 4.40 ERA): Prior to this season, Harrell had just five major league starts. Now, he's scheduled to make his ninth start Saturday night. He took the loss May 14 at Philadelphia. He gave up just two earned runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings with three strikeouts. This is Harrell's first career start versus the Rangers. Harrell's last win came May 4 against St. Louis when he pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing four earned runs, three earned on seven hits. He struck out three.

Up next:
Sun. at Hou.: RHP Colby Lewis (3-3, 3.63) vs. RHP Jordan Lyles (0-0, 3.00), 1:05 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1540/FSSW

ARLINGTON, Texas -- As far as Michael Young is concerned, slumps are mythical creatures.

Never mind the fact that the Rangers' all-time hits leader is hacking away below the Mendoza Line in the last 22 games. Young is 18-for-92 (.196) in that span, dropping his season batting average from .414 to .280.

"I've never really bought into the idea of slumps," Young said. "There are going to be times you just don't get the results that you want in this game. It's just the nature of the big leagues. But what you've done in the past has nothing to do with what you're going to do the next game. You're allowed to wipe the slate clean and get back to work the next game."

Young will wipe the slate clean after Tuesday's 0-for-4 outing and get back to work against the A's. He says he feels "great" at the plate and anticipates the results will reflect that soon.

"All I look for is my next at-bat," Young said. "I make my adjustments pitch to pitch and at-bat to at-bat. I look forward to my next at-bat and expect things to go my way."

A few more leftovers from last night's loss to the Royals:

*The Rangers were swept in a home series for the first time since dropping four games to the Baltimore Orioles in July 2010.

"It's two games, two games," said Colby Lewis, the losing pitcher Tuesday night against the Royals. "I'm not really worried about it. Who cares? It's not even a full series. I wouldn't even call it a series. I mean, would you call it a series if they came here for one game? Would you call it getting swept if we lose one game in a makeup? I don't know. Whatever."

*The Rangers allowed seven unearned runs in the series against the Royals, which was two games, two games. They had allowed a total of 11 unearned runs in the first 35 games this season. A pair of errant throws by Lewis to first base led to five unearned runs Tuesday. It was the first time a Texas pitcher had two errors in a game since Lewis on Sept. 15, 2010 against Detroit.

*Ian Kinsler became the first Ranger with multiple steals in a game this season when he swiped second and third in the fifth inning. Kinsler, who has five stolen bases this season, was also the last Ranger with multiple steals in a game, pulling off the feat Sept. 25 against Seattle.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Colby Lewis' pitching wasn't the problem Tuesday night. At least, that's the way Ron Washington viewed it from the home dugout.

According to the skipper, the biggest issue in the Rangers' 7-4 loss to the Royals was Lewis' befuddling failure to be able to throw the ball to first base.

Lewis made two throwing errors -- one on a routine comebacker in the first inning, the other on a pickoff attempt in the second -- that opened the floodgates early. The Rangers never recovered or came close to threatening the lead, sealing the Royals sweep in the two-game series.

Other than those errors, Washington was relatively pleased with Lewis' performance.

"That's five runs off the board," Washington said. "That's the way I look at the game."

Here's the problem: The Royals still hit Lewis hard.

Not quite as hard as the Orioles in Lewis' last start, when he got rocked for five homers despite racking up a career-high 12 strikeouts. The Royals only left the yard once against Lewis, who is tied for the major league lead in homers allowed with 12, but Kansas City also had four doubles. Lewis gave up seven runs on eight hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings.

"They did a good job of hitting them where we weren't," Lewis said, apparently referring to hard-to-reach spots like the outfield walls.

Only two of the runs allowed by Lewis were earned, but this outing continued a disturbing trend for Texas' Opening Day starter. It is the third consecutive start that Lewis has given up at least six runs in a loss, a stark contrast to allowing a total of seven runs while going 3-0 in his first five starts of the season.

"He hit a bad stretch and we're going to fight through it," Washington said after being pressed on the issue of Lewis being hit hard after the errors. "We're not going to get concerned about anything. We're going to do what we always do -- go to work and try to correct things. It's a long season.

"Next time he goes out there, you never know, it might be the beginning of him rattling off three or four (great starts). That's the way we think."

Added Lewis: "It's just a little spell or hiccup or whatever. I'll bounce back from it and move on."

The errant throws to first can be called a hiccup. The balls hit hard after being thrown down the middle of the plate? That's an issue Lewis needs to correct.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Texas No. 1 starter Colby Lewis will face Kansas City spot starter Vin Mazzaro on Tuesday, wrapping a quick two-game series. A look at the matchup:

Lewis (3-2, 3.69 ERA): Lewis has dropped his last two decisions after winning his first three this season. He’s coming off the strangest start in his career, when he set career highs in strikeouts (12) and home runs allowed (five) in a 6-5 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, becoming the first pitcher to give up five homers in a double-digit strikeout performance. Opponents are hitting an AL-low .077 (2-for-26) against him with runners in scoring position, with Lewis racking up 11 strikeouts in those situations. Lewis has a 1.45 ERA at home this season and is allowing the fewest walks per nine innings (1.2) of any AL starter.

Mazzaro (0-0, 0.00 ERA): Mazzaro has only pitched one inning in the big leagues this season. He was recalled from Triple-A Omaha last week and pitched a perfect eighth inning Friday night against the Chicago White Sox. He was 1-0 with a 4.37 ERA in Triple-A. The 25-year-old righty is 11-18 with a 5.11 ERA in 49 career big league appearances, including 39 starts. He is 0-1 with a 9.49 ERA in three outings against the Rangers.

Hitters: Current Royals are 7-for-25 with two doubles, four RBIs and three strikeouts against Lewis. No Kansas City player has more than five at-bats against him. Jason Bourgeois is 2-for-5 against Lewis. Eric Hosmer is 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs. Former Ranger Jeff Francoeur is 0-for-3. … Current Rangers are hitting .390 with three homers and seven RBIs in 41 at-bats off Mazzaro. David Murphy is 2-for-6 with two homers and three RBIs. Michael Young is 4-for-5 with a double. Mike Napoli is 3-for-8 with a homer and three RBIs. Elvis Andrus is 0-for-4.

Up next:
Wed. vs. Oak.: RHP Yu Darvish (5-1, 2.84) vs. LHP Tommy Milone (5-2, 3.92), 7:05 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1540/FSSW
Thur. vs. Oak.: LHP Matt Harrison (4-3, 5.23) vs. RHP Brandon McCarthy (3-3, 2.56), 1:05 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1540/FSSW

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Angels scored two runs in the seventh to break a tie and held on for a 4-2 win. All four runs were charged to Matt Harrison, though he left with two on and no outs in the seventh and Alexi Ogando wasn't able to keep those runs from scoring. Josh Hamilton hit yet another home run and has nine homers in his last six games (more on that below). Some quick thoughts:

What it means: The Angels even the series, setting up the rubber match on ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" at 7:05 p.m. Texas drops to 22-12. The Angels are now seven games back of Texas in the AL West.

Small (ball) seventh: The Angels got a walk, two bunt singles, an infield single and two sacrifice fly balls to put two runs on the board and retake the lead right after the Rangers had tied it in the bottom of the sixth. ... Ogando came in with two on in the seventh after Harrison had issued a leadoff walk and Howie Kendrick hit a perfect bunt single down the third-base line. Ogando couldn't keep the score tied as the Angels executed.

Hamilton homers again: Hamilton's memorable week continued as he drilled a hanging curve ball from C.J. Wilson out to right field to tie the score at 2 in the sixth inning. ... It was Hamilton's ninth homer this week (that's in his last six games and his eighth in the last five). ... ESPN Stats & Info says the most homers in a six-game stretch is 10 by Frank Howard of the Washington Senators in 1968. ... Hamilton is just the second player since 1918 to hit 18 homers in his club's first 34 games. The only other player to do it was Cy Williams in 1923. ... Hamilton also has a 12-game hitting streak. He's batting .422 (19-for-45) with 10 HRs, 22 RBIs, 13 R and 7 BB in that span.

Walks costly for Harrison: Harrison had retired 11 of his first 12 batters before issuing a two-out walk to Torii Hunter in the fourth. That allowed Mark Trumbo to bat, and he crushed a 1-0 cutter out to left field (an estimated 420 feet). ... In the seventh, Harrison walked Trumbo to lead things off, and after a bunt single by Kendrick, Harrison's day was over. But that walk came around to score to give the Angels back the lead. ... Harrison's line: 6 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HR.

Napoli hit by pitch, scores: Wilson threw a pitch that hit the dirt and then catcher Mike Napoli's foot with two outs. And that hurt Wilson's cause. Brandon Snyder then singled and Craig Gentry delivered a two-out RBI.

Gentry on a roll: The outfielder went the other way on a 2-0 fastball in the fifth to score the first run of the game. Gentry is hitting .363 (16-for-44) with a triple, homer, nine RBIs, six runs and four steals in his last 18 games. The RBI single came hours after he was 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs in Friday's win.

Early start time makes history: Making history seems to be the theme of the week. And the 12:07 p.m. start time Saturday is now in the history books as the earliest start to a game in Rangers Ballpark in Arlington history, breaking the old mark set at 12:08 p.m. four times (the last time Game 4 of the 2010 ALDS). ... It's the earliest start to a Rangers home game since a 12:03 p.m. start on April 18, 1992, versus Oakland at old Arlington Stadium.

Andrus on-base streak continues: Elvis Andrus walked in the first inning, extending his consecutive games streak of reaching base safely to 30 games. That's the longest active streak in the majors this season. ... But Andrus' hitting streak ended at 11 games.

A righty finally gets hit off Ogando: It took a bunt single by Peter Bourjos, one of the fastest players in the game, for a right-hander to finally get a hit off Ogando this season. Right-handed hitters were 0-for-28 versus Ogando before Bourjos' bunt single in the seventh. ... He gave up two infield hits in the seventh. Ogando had allowed two hits in his previous 10 innings combined.

Close call: Andrus appeared to beat out a slow-roller to third with two outs in the seventh. He was called out, and as soon as he was he started arguing and first-base coach Gary Pettis threw his hands up. Ron Washington came charging out of the dugout to argue the call and keep Andrus from getting into any trouble with the umpire. Replays appear to show that Andrus beat the throw, but it was very close. And had he been called safe, Hamilton would have come up as the tying run.

Tidbits: Albert Pujols got his first hit of the series, a single off Harrison. He is 1-for-7 in the series. He did end a string of 14 consecutive games without a walk, drawing one in the eighth. ... The Rangers hit into two double plays in the first two inning, killing chances to score early. ... With the score tied and the bases loaded with two outs in the sixth, Snyder hit a long fly ball to left that was caught by Mike Trout to end the threat. ... It was turnback day in Arlington as the Angels and Rangers wore jerseys from the 1970s. ... The Rangers had a crowd of 47,699 on Saturday, the eighth straight sellout and 10th on the season.

Up next: The Rangers play for the third time this season on ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" (they are 1-1). Neftali Feliz will take the mound for Texas against Jered Weaver.

BALTIMORE -- Texas Rangers starting pitcher Colby Lewis didn't know what to make of one of the strangest starts you'll see from a pitcher.

He took peaks and valleys to a new extreme in Thursday's 6-5 loss to the Baltimore Orioles in Game 1 of a doubleheader. It was either really good or really bad for Lewis. In between never showed up for him at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. He gave up five hits and all of them were homers, yet he also had a career-high 12 strikeouts. No pitcher since 1918 has done that.

"It was a freakin' weird game," Lewis said. "I don't know how to justify that game."

Lewis gave up home runs to the first three batters he faced, falling behind 3-0 after just eight pitches as Ryan Flaherty, J.J. Hardy and Nick Markakis all hit home runs. It was the first time in American League history that a team started a game with three straight homers (fourth time overall).

Lewis then did a tremendous Cy Young impersonation, retiring the next 18 batters he faced -- 11 of them on strikeouts. His slider was nasty, his fastball command solid, and he was unhittable. It was an impressive run and unlikely, given his start.

But in the seventh, he lost his remarkable form and gave up two more home runs -- a solo shot to Adam Jones and a two-run homer to Wilson Betemit, allowing six runs on five hits -- all of them homers. He collected a career-high 12 strikeouts in the process.

"It seemed like one of those days where you have really good stuff and if you miss your spot and it's not just a hit, it's a homer," Lewis said. "It was weird. You can't really look at it any other way. It was a weird game."

Lewis, who is now second in the AL in homers allowed with 11 on the year (so 45 percent of that total came in his seven-inning start Thursday), said he felt he threw good pitches on three of the homers. He'd like the slider back that he threw to Markakis in the first, saying he didn't bury it enough. Markakis hit it off the foul pole in right. And he threw a 2-0 fastball that was too high to Hardy, who is hitting the ball well right now and was looking for a fastball on that count.

"He kept us in the game," manager Ron Washington said. "He settled down and made some adjustments. It was just two innings. It just so happened it was the first and the seventh."

Lewis was still shaking his head after the game. He said he felt great, had good stuff and thought he had the energy to even pitch longer. He said he didn't allow the three straight homers in the first to rattle him.

"I'm not worried about it," Lewis said. "Somebody's going to get out. The best hitters get out seven out of 10 times. Eventually, something is going to happen."

BALTIMORE -- It was a remarkable afternoon for Colby Lewis, who gave up homers to the first three batters he faced (on his first eight pitches), then retired the next 18 in a row and then gave up a solo homer to Adam Jones to start the seventh and a two-run shot to Wilson Betemit that same inning. The five homers allowed were the most of his career as were the 12 strikeouts (his previous high was 11 set last year). Rookie pitcher Wei-Yin Chen held the Rangers to two runs in 7 2/3 innings, helping the Orioles to their first win of the series in the 6-5 victory.

What it means: The Orioles can split the series if they can win the second game of the doubleheader.

Record book: Lewis is the first pitcher in big league history to allow five homers and strike out at least 10 batters in the same game. Since 1918, it's just the second time that a pitcher has thrown at least seven innings and all five of his hits allowed were homers (fifth overall in the bigs since that date to have all five hits allowed be homers). The only other Texas Rangers pitcher to allow five home runs hits as the only hits was Charlie Hough on June 24, 1989.

Trio of homers: Lewis allowed three straight homers to start the game as Ryan Flaherty (right field), J.J. Hardy (left field) and Nick Markakis (off the foul pole in right) made it 3-0 Baltimore. The Orioles are the first team to start a game with three homers since Milwaukee in 2007 (Weeks, Hardy, Braun). ... Baltimore is the first AL team to ever do it and fourth overall.

What a turnaround: Lewis bounced back in a big way. The right-hander had his slider working and set a career-high with 12 strikeouts, kept his pitch count under control and retired the next 18 batters he faced.

What a turnaround (the other way): Lewis couldn't hold his form in the seventh, giving up a solo homer to Jones and then, after a walk to Matt Wieters, he surrendered a two-run shot to Betemit. The five homers were a career high, one behind the club record of six set by R.A. Dickey in 2006. ... Lewis has given up 11 homers on the season, the second-most in the AL. ... He led the AL in homers allowed in 2011, giving up 35 (second-most in the big leagues). ... Of the 11 homers allowed by Lewis, eight have come against left-handed batters.

Hamilton encore: In his first game since making history with four homers in Tuesday's game, Josh Hamilton struck out in his first at-bat and ended up 1-for-4 with two strikeouts and a single.

Pinch-hit homer: David Murphy pinch-hit for Craig Gentry in the ninth with two men on base and one out. He hit a home run to right field off Orioles closer Jim Johnson to make it a 6-5 game.

Wasted opportunities: The Rangers loaded the bases with one out in the third but couldn't score. Elvis Andrus hit a ball back to the mound and starter Wei-Yin Chen came home to get the force out. The attempted double play throw hit Andrus in the back. So they stayed loaded for Hamilton, who hit a fly ball to left to end the inning. The deficit remained 3-0 at that point. ... In the eighth, the Rangers scored one and had two on with two outs for Michael Young, trying to put pressure on the Orioles. But Young struck out on a 3-2 pitch and Baltimore held its 6-2 lead.

Six straight Ks: Lewis had six straight strikeouts at one point early in his start, falling one short of the club record of seven set by Nolan Ryan (July 7, 1991) and Neftali Feliz (Aug. 7-13, 2009). He ended up striking out seven of eight batters in the first, second and third innings.

Good day for Torrealba at plate: The catcher came into Thursday batting just .196 with two RBIs. But he had a double in the third, an RBI single in the fourth and a double in the ninth. It was his first three-hit game since Game 3 of the ALCS in Detroit. It was his first regular season three-hit game since Aug. 8, 2011 vs. Seattle.

Communication breakdown: Elvis Andrus tried to catch a popup at the last second, bowling over Brandon Snyder who was camped under it near the mound in the seventh. Andrus was charged with the two-base error, but it didn't cost the Rangers a run.

Up next: The second game of this doubleheader features LHP Derek Holland (2-2, 4.43 ERA) against former Ranger RHP Tommy Hunter (2-1, 5.00 ERA).

BALTIMORE -- Colby Lewis takes the hill for the Texas Rangers in the first game of this doubleheader at 3:05 CDT as they face the Baltimore Orioles in the third game of this four-game series. The game is on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and FSSW. A look at the matchup:

RHP Lewis (3-1, 2.97 ERA): He'll be making his seventh start of the season and pitching on regular rest after losing for the first time this season Friday in Cleveland. ... Lewis allowed six runs on 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings in that outing, snapping his string of five straight quality starts. ... Before Friday, no opponent had gotten a hit off Lewis with a runner in scoring position, but the Indians got two such hits, including a two-out, two-run triple by Johnny Damon in the seventh that pushed the Indians' lead to three runs. ... Still, opposing hitters are 2-for-25 with 10 strikeouts with RISP off Lewis in 2012. ... He has pitched in six games (four starts) against Baltimore in his career and is 1-3 with a 5.53 ERA with 26 strikeouts and 10 walks. ... He split two decisions vs. the O's in 2011, losing the first game of a doubleheader at Camden Yards on April 9 and then winning on July 4 in Arlington thanks to a quality start (three runs in seven innings).

LHP Wei-Yin Chen (2-0, 2.76 ERA): The Orioles are 4-1 when the 26-year-old Chen is on the mound and the only loss was his first start of the season. ... Chen allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits in five innings with three walks and four strikeouts in Boston in his last start. ... Prior to his last outing, Chen had two straight quality starts, allowing two runs on 11 hits in 13 1/3 innings vs. the A's and Angels.

Hitters: The Rangers have never faced Chen. ... Wilson Betemit (3-for-5), J.J. Hardy (3-for-9, HR, 3 RBIs), Mark Reynolds (3-for-6, 2 HRs) and Matt Wieters (3-for-9) have had success off Lewis. ... Nick Markakis (1-for-10) and Brian Roberts (2-for-10) have not hit well against Lewis.

Up next:

Thu. at Bal.: LHP Derek Holland (2-2, 4.43) vs. TBD (likely Tommy Hunter), 6:05 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1540 AM/FSSW
Fri. vs. LAA: RHP Yu Darvish (4-1, 2.54) vs. LHP C.J. Wilson (4-2, 2.61), 7:05 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1540 AM/TXA21
Sat. vs. LAA: LHP Matt Harrison (4-2, 5.11) vs. RHP Jerome Williams (3-1, 3.38), 12:10 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1540 AM/FOX
Sun. vs. LAA: RHP Neftali Feliz vs. RHP Jered Weaver (5-0, 1.60), 7:05 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1540 AM/ESPN

BALTIMORE -- Perhaps rain is the only thing that can stop Texas Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton these days.

Mother Nature intervened Wednesday as wet weather postponed the Rangers-Baltimore Orioles game and prevented Hamilton from getting a chance at an encore one night after becoming the 16th player in big league history to hit four homers in a game.

The game is rescheduled as part of a doubleheader Thursday starting at 3:05 p.m. CST.

Game 2 will start at 6:05 p.m. as long as the first game is completed on time.

The Rangers will send Colby Lewis and Derek Holland to the mound. Lewis will pitch the first game. The Orioles will stick with Wei-Yin Chen in Game 1 and don't have a pitcher for Game 2 as they've decided to push back Jason Hammel, who has a sore knee. It's likely that Tommy Hunter will be called up from the minors and start on short rest.

"I don't like playing doubleheaders because it does something to your pitching, but what can you do?" Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "We'll have to get through it like we did last time."

The postponement likely means Scott Feldman will be pressed into spot start duty at some point next week.

As soon as it was announced in the clubhouse that the game wasn't going to be play, a handful of Rangers players, including Josh Hamilton, Michael Young, Brandon Snyder, Yorvit Torrealba, Craig Gentry and Elvis Andrus went sliding on the tarp to the cheers of the fans still in attendance at Camden Yards.

"We're kids, man," Hamilton said. "We've got to keep it fun."

Andrus claimed he had the longest slide, though Hamilton appeared to give him a run for his money.

BALTIMORE -- Josh Hamilton belted four home runs -- yes, four -- as the Texas Rangers defeated the Baltimore Orioles 10-3 on Tuesday. Neftali Feliz made an early lead hold up. But clearly Hamilton is the story. He's the 16th player in big league history to hit four homers in a game. More on all of that to come. Some quick thoughts:

What it means: The win guarantees the Rangers at least a split in the four-game series, which ends the club's series losing streak at three.

Hamilton's four homers: Hamilton is the first Rangers player to hit four homers in a game -- and all of them two-run homers. He did it off three pitchers -- Jake Arrieta, Zach Phillips and Darren O'Day -- and set a career high with eight RBIs. He had 18 total bases in the game, an American League record, and five extra-base hits, which ties a big league record. If you include Hamilton's final at-bat of Monday's win over Baltimore, he had two-run homers on three straight at-bats and five in his past six. ... He leads the AL with 14 homers and 36 RBIs. ... All four times Tuesday, Elvis Andrus was on base ahead of Hamilton (with a walk in the first, a bunt single in the third, a single in the seventh and a fielder's choice in the eighth). ... Hamilton has an eight-game hitting streak and is batting .448 (13-for-29) with six homers and 17 RBIs during that span.

Read more on Hamilton's night here.

PODCAST
Rangers manager Ron Washington visits with Bryan Dolgin following an historic night for Josh Hamilton and a 10-3 Rangers victory. Listen

Hamilton likes first-pitch swings: Hamilton still leads the league in percentage of first-pitch swings (he was at 56.5 percent going into the game). On balls in play on the first pitch, Hamilton is now 10-for-22 (.454) with three homers and eight RBIs.

Lots of bases: Hamilton had 18 total bases Tuesday (four homers and a double), and if you count his last at-bat Monday, he's got 22 total bases in his past six plate appearances.

Back-to-back jacks: For the fourth time this season, the Rangers hit back-to-back home runs as Adrian Beltre hit one following Hamilton's blast in the third. It's the second time Hamilton and Beltre have hit consecutive homers in 2012 (they did it in Boston on April 17).

Feliz has solid outing: Feliz had a 5-0 lead in Toronto and couldn't hold it. But on Tuesday, he got another 5-0 lead and did the job. He appeared to run out of gas a bit in the sixth but allowed just one run on four hits with a career-high eight strikeouts. Feliz struck out seven of the batters on 96-97 mph fastballs and one on an 88 mph changeup. He got six swinging strikeouts and one looking.

Long at-bat: Feliz's first at-bat of the game was 10 pitches to former Ranger Endy Chavez. Feliz threw seven fastballs in the at-bat, all of them between 95 and 99 mph, and got a strikeout on a foul tip of a fastball.

Other way: Nelson Cruz, who got some hits Monday after going through an extended slump, had two more hits Tuesday for his second consecutive multihit game. Both of his hits were to right field. Manager Ron Washington has stressed that Cruz is at his best when he uses the middle of the field or goes the other way. He did that Tuesday.

Tidbits: The Orioles employed the shift on Mitch Moreland, and he hit the ball between first and second in his first at-bat, which was fielded by the shortstop for the out. Moreland was 0-for-4, and three of those ground balls went to the right side. ... Andrus hit his first bunt single of the season in the third inning. ... Chris Davis, the former Ranger, is now 1-for-15 with eight strikeouts in his past three games. ... LHP Robbie Ross gave up two runs, both on homers.

Up next: RHP Colby Lewis goes up against LHP Wei-Yin Chen in the third game of the series at 6:05 p.m. CT on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and FSSW.