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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Decisions, decisions, decisions.

The Rangers have quite a few to make as they enter their first offseason in four years without a postseason game.

Will Nelson Cruz be back? How about Joe Nathan? Others, such as catchers A.J. Pierzynski and Geovany Soto, outfielder David Murphy and pitcher Matt Garza will be discussed ad nauseam before the winter meetings in December in Orlando.

Manager Ron Washington touched on the big ones -- Cruz and Nathan -- during his postmortem press conference Tuesday morning, 12 hours after the Rangers lost to the Tampa Bay Rays 5-2 in the American League tiebreaker game. He and general manager Jon Daniels and the rest of the brain trust will sit down at some point and go over all the options.

The big one is Cruz. He was suspended for the final 50 games of the regular season for violation of Major League Baseball's Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Cruz has to shoulder a portion of the blame for the Rangers' not making a stronger push for the AL West title, as they gave it up to Oakland in the final month.

The Rangers were disappointed by Cruz's decision-making and suspension, but they also know there's a lack of right-handed power hitters in the major leagues, and the minors too. The Rangers are likely to make Cruz a qualifying offer of about $13.5 million.

Washington, for one, would welcome Cruz back.

“When you think about a Nelson Cruz, who wouldn’t want a Nelson Cruz?" Washington said. "Big heart, great teammate, but there’s a lot of decisions to be made on our part and Nelson’s part. I do believe Jon Daniels will go down that road and see where it works or doesn’t work."

Then there's Nathan. The Rangers have a $9.5 million option on him for 2014, with a $750,000 buyout, a contract that Nathan can void and become a free agent. Nathan, 38, made it clear all season that he expects to pitch for several more years and will seek a multiyear deal.

Nathan blew three saves this season and finished with 43 saves. He may walk the tightrope sometimes, which drives the fan base crazy, but he's reliable and gets the job done.

“I thought Joe Nathan had a tremendous year,” Washington said. “I think at the end of the year, Joe Nathan proved to everyone that doubted him what he was made of, and I certainly would love to continue giving him the ball because he gets outs.”

There will be other decisions. Both Pierzynski and Soto would like to return, but the Rangers may set their sights on free-agent-to-be Brian McCann.

They gave up a lot for Garza, including pitcher C.J. Edwards -- who pitched tremendously for the Cubs in the minors after the trade. Is that reason enough to bring Garza back? Did he show enough despite going through a maddening stretch in August and September?

Whatever happens, this will be a fascinating offseason, one in which Daniels and his staff will have to make their mark.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers open a must-sweep three-game series against last-place Houston with left-hander Derek Holland facing Astros right-hander Jordan Lyles at 7:05 p.m. on Fox Sports Southwest, ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and 1540 AM.

Holland (9-9, 3.48): Holland is winless in his last eight starts, but he pitched better against Tampa Bay on Wednesday, allowing two runs in six innings. He had 5 2/3 shutout innings before allowing a two-out, two-run home run to the Rays' Sean Rodriguez in the bottom of the sixth that tied the game 2-2. The Rays won 4-3 in 12 innings. ... Holland is 0-3 with a 7.91 ERA in September. He has allowed 14 home runs in 15 starts since July 1. He leads the staff with 21 quality starts. He is 0-0 with a 3.75 ERA in two starts against the Astros this season.

Lyles (7-8, 5.26): Lyles allowed seven runs in 3 1/3 innings in his last start Tuesday against Cincinnati. He doesn't miss many bats with 91 strikeouts in 138 2/3 innings. The Astros are 9-15 for his starts. Houston scores for him, averaging 5.78 runs of support per start. He is 7-10 after a Houston loss. Lyles is a very respectable 3-2 with a 3.61 ERA on the road. He has made one start against the Rangers this season, allowing eight runs and 11 hits in four innings.

Hitters: Adrian Beltre (6-for-15, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs) and David Murphy (4-for-6, 2 HRs, 5 RBIs) have raked against Lyles. Astros catcher Jason Castro is 4-for-6 with a home run against Holland.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Manager Ron Washington went with speed and outfield defense in Saturday night's starting lineup against the Kansas City Royals by starting Craig Gentry in left field.

David Murphy gets his third start of the season as the designated hitter. Here's the starting lineups for tonight's game:

RANGERS
2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
RF Alex Rios
3B Adrian Beltre
C A.J. Pierzynski
1B Mitch Moreland
LF Craig Gentry
DH David Murphy
CF Leonys Martin
P Matt Garza

ROYALS
LF Alex Gordon
2B Emilio Bonifacio
1B Eric Hosmer
DH Billy Butler
C Salvador Perez
3B Mike Moustakas
RF Lorenzo Cain
CF Jarrod Dyson
SS Alcides Escobar
P Jeremy Guthrie

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Rangers just can't take the upper hand in the American League wild-card race.

In a tight game Friday night, Texas blinked first when Neftali Feliz walked in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth and the Kansas City Royals picked up a crucial 2-1 victory over the Rangers at Kauffman Stadium.

The Rangers are 2-3 on the road trip and a dismal 4-14 in September.

Misery in the 8th: Jason Frasor struck out the first two Royals in the bottom of the eighth, and then the entire night unraveled on the Rangers. Lorenzo Cain singled up the middle. Mike Moustakas had a bloop single to left field just over the glove of Elvis Andrus. Frasor got ahead of pinch hitter David Lough with a 1-2 count but couldn't put him away and walked him to load the bases. Then, manager Ron Washington went to Feliz, who has had very little work in pressure situations since coming back from Tommy John surgery. Feliz delivered a four-pitch walk to No. 9 hitter Alcides Escobar to force in the go-ahead run. Left-hander Joe Ortiz did come and get Alex Gordon to ground out to second to end the inning.

Wild-card race: It was a very bad night for the Rangers in the wild-card race. The Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians beat the Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros, respectively. The Rangers now find themselves outside of the wild-card picture, trailing the Rays by a game and the Indians by a half-game. The Royals moved within two games of the Rangers, and the Orioles stayed two games back of Texas. The New York Yankees beat the San Francisco Giants to climb within 2.5 games of Texas.

Rangers strike first: Adrian Beltre started the second inning with a single off Ervin Santana. A.J. Pierzynski just missed a home run to right-center field, instead settling for a double high off the wall. Beltre took a risk and tried to score, and the Royals produced a very poor relay that allowed the Rangers to take a 1-0 lead.

Royals tie it: Salvador Perez and Cain started the bottom of the second with singles. Martin Perez then got his second double play in two innings but Perez moved to third. Justin Maxwell hit a low drive into center field that Leonys Martin just missed snagging, and Perez came in to tie the game.

Missed chance: The Rangers loaded the bases in the top of the fifth against Santana. David Murphy had a two-out double, Martin reached on an error and stole second and Ian Kinsler drew a walk. That brought up the shortstop Andrus, the Rangers' hottest hitter in September. Texas suffered some terrible luck when Santana uncorked a wild pitch -- Murphy couldn't score because the ball bounced off the backstop padding and kicked all the way back out to Perez at home plate. Andrus struck out to end the threat.

Perez's night: Perez only allowed one run in 5⅔ innings, but he had to pitch around a lot of baserunners. He allowed seven hits and four walks. He allowed two runners on after two outs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings but managed to get out of trouble (with the help of reliever Neal Cotts in the sixth). Perez did get hit by a screamer off his left elbow in the fifth inning near the same place he suffered a fracture during spring training and missed the beginning of the season. Perez stayed in the game and got a lineout by Perez to end the inning.

Cotts doing work: Cotts stayed in the game and pitched a perfect bottom of the seventh, the first 1-2-3 inning of the night for a Rangers pitcher. Cotts got two ground ball outs and a strikeout in lowering his major league-best ERA to 1.04.

No solving Santana: Santana pitched a gem for the Royals, allowing five hits in 7⅓ innings. It was a turnaround for Santana, who had a career 5.79 ERA against the Rangers coming into the game. Santana retired 11 in a row at one point.

Up next: The Rangers will send right-hander Matt Garza (9-6, 4.06 ERA) to the mound against Kansas City right-hander Jeremy Guthrie (14-11, 4.08) at 6:10 p.m. ET Saturday night on Fox Sports Southwest and ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and 1540 AM.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- David Murphy was back in the Rangers' starting lineup in left field for Friday's series opener against the Kansas City Royals, the first time he's started since last Friday.

"He's been working pretty good," manager Ron Washington said. "I see some improvement in his swing. For right now, he's in there.

Here are the rest of the lineups for Game 1 of Rangers-Royals:

RANGERS
2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
RF Alex Rios
3B Adrian Beltre
DH A.J. Pierzynski
1B Mitch Moreland
C Geovany Soto
LF David Murphy
CF Leonys Martin
P Martin Perez

ROYALS
LF Alex Gordon
2B Emilio Bonifacio
1B Eric Hosmer
DH Billy Butler
C Salvador Perez
CF Lorenzo Cain
3B Mike Moustakas
RF Justin Maxwell
SS Alcides Escobar
P Ervin Santana

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers will try another bat at designated hitter, this time David Murphy, who will take a .221 batting average into Friday's game against first-place Oakland.

Here are Friday's lineups for Game 1 of this important series against the A's:

RANGERS
2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
RF Alex Rios
3B Adrian Beltre
C A.J. Pierzynski
1B Mitch Moreland
LF Jim Adduci
DH David Murphy
CF Leonys Martin
P Derek Holland

ATHLETICS
CF Coco Crisp
3B Josh Donaldson
SS Jed Lowrie
LF Yoenis Cespedes
1B Nate Freiman
2B Alberto Callaspo
RF Chris Young
DH Derek Norris
C Kurt Suzuki
P Dan Straily

ARLINGTON, Texas -- It was bad enough when the Rangers were losing two out of three games in series versus Minnesota, Oakland and the Los Angeles Angels.

How does a three-game sweep at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates grab you in September?

The Rangers plummeted to 2-8 for the month and have lost nine of their last 12 games as they continue to make life difficult for themselves with the American League West and wild-card playoff spots on the line.

AL West race: The Rangers will have to wait and see if Oakland can build on its 2 1/2-game lead in the division. The A's play at Minnesota on Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon, so the Rangers could be down 3 1/2 games in the West when their three-game series starts against Oakland in Arlington on Friday. The Rangers began Wednesday with a four-game lead for the final wild-card spot, with several teams chasing them playing night games.

Closing the gap: The Rangers scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh but left the tying run at third base. A.J. Pierzynski started the inning with a double. With one out, Jurickson Profar singled to put runners at first and third, and then David Murphy had an RBI single to cut the Pirates' lead to 6-3. Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus followed with line-drive singles to center field to trim Pittsburgh's lead to 6-5. In the second of two key at-bats, Alex Rios, the Rangers' hottest hitter recently, flied out to left field with runners at first and third.

Repeat of Tuesday: The Rangers couldn't come up with a clutch hit in the late innings. They had the tying runs on base in the bottom of the eighth after a single by Adrian Beltre and a walk to Mitch Moreland, but Vin Mazzaro struck out Profar looking and Murphy grounded out to first on the 10th pitch of his at-bat.

Sixth-inning uprising: The Rangers cut Pittsburgh's lead in half in the bottom of the sixth. Murphy and Leonys Martin opened the inning by drawing walks. Kinsler then had the Rangers' second hit of the game with a single to left field. Andrus delivered a single off the glove of Pirates shortstop Clint Barmes to score Murphy and Martin, cutting the Pirates' lead to 4-2. Starter A.J. Burnett stopped the Rangers right there. With runners at first and second, he induced a double-play ball from Rios and then got Beltre to fly out to right field to end the inning.

Garza disaster: Matt Garza had already been a disappointment overall in nine starts since being traded to the Rangers. His 10th start was a debacle. Garza walked the leadoff hitter in back-to-back innings early, and both runners scored. He walked the Pirates' No. 9 hitter, Felix Pie, to start the top of the third. Pie stole second and scored on Neil Walker's single to center field for a 1-0 lead. The top of the fourth was worse for Garza. He allowed the first four batters to reach base, starting with a walk to Pedro Alvarez. Garza loaded the bases and walked Clint Barmes to force in a run to make it 2-0. After Garza struck out Pie, Andrus booted a tailor-made double-play ball as the Pirates took a 3-0 lead. Garza threw 89 pitches and was out of the game after four innings.

Tough day for bullpen: Garza's inability to go past the fourth inning put the game in the hands of the bullpen which didn't keep Pittsburgh at three runs. Joseph Ortiz allowed a run on two hits in the fifth inning as the Rangers fell behind 4-0. The combination of Ortiz, Jason Frasor and Neal Cotts gave up two runs in the top of the seventh after the Rangers cut the lead to 6-2. That included a wild pitch by Cotts that plated the second run in the inning. After the Rangers cut the lead to 6-5 in the bottom of the seventh, Tanner Scheppers allowed Barmes' fifth home run of the season in the top of the eighth to give Pittsburgh a two-run lead.

Up next: The Rangers get a much-needed off day Thursday, their final one of the season, before beginning a 17-game stretch run that starts with American League West leader Oakland. The pitching matchups for the series are: Friday, left-hander Derek Holland (9-8, 3.17 ERA) versus right-hander Dan Straily (9-7, 4.15); Saturday, right-hander Yu Darvish versus right-hander Bartolo Colon (15-6, 2.85); and Sunday, left-hander Martin Perez (9-4, 3.60) versus right-hander Jarrod Parker (11-6, 3.55).

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Adrian Beltre is struggling. David Murphy is back in the lineup. And Lance Berkman is nowhere to be found.

That's where the Rangers' offense stands after a 1-0 loss to Gerrit Cole and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday.

In Ron Washington's weekly radio appearance Tuesday on Fitzsimmons & Durrett on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM, the Rangers' manager said the same thing that led to a September collapse last season is the big reason why his team is 3-7 in its last 10 games.

The Rangers can't score runs.

"The fact is the same thing that is eating at us right now was the reason why we didn't finish up real well last year," Washington said. "We can't drive a run in. Right now, that's the same thing that is eating at us. We can't drive in a run right now. You hate for that to happen right now."

The Rangers are averaging 2.9 runs per game in this 10-game stretch. They're hitting .171 with runners in scoring position. They had only two such chances Monday night and didn't score.

An offensive resurgence will have to start with Beltre, who grounded out to shortstop with runners at second and third in the Rangers' best scoring chance in the sixth inning. Beltre takes a 2-for-23 skid into Tuesday's game against Pirates starter Francisco Liriano.

"(Adrian's) being challenged," Washington said Tuesday on Fitzsimmons & Durrett. "He's always been a guy who can rise to the challenge. And he will. I'm certain of that."

Washington said that Murphy, who has been in a season-long slump, will get most of the starts in left field while Jim Adduci deals with a right biceps strain. Adduci is day-to-day.

Engel Beltre and Joey Butler, both September call-ups, also could play in left field. Look for Craig Gentry or Butler to be in left field Tuesday against Liriano, a lefty.

One bat the Rangers could set free is Berkman.

Berkman had quality at-bats in two games last week in Oakland and hasn't played since then. He should have had a sacrifice fly on a ball Beltre failed to tag up on in Monday's game against the A's, which of course would have driven in a run.

Washington said Tuesday on Fitzsimmons & Durrett that Berkman hasn't played enough baseball and was a little sore a couple of days ago. Berkman said Monday that he can play, even though he probably needs a string of games to get his bat going.

"I certainly can't sit here and give you a timetable of when Lance will play," Washington said. "We have some guys out there right now who can help us win ballgames."

Still, this is Lance Berkman we're talking about. Lance Berkman. One of the best hitters of his generation is collecting dust on the Rangers' bench.

Since the Rangers will see four right-handers starting Wednesday with the Pirates' A.J. Burnett, why not give Berkman a chance? He can't do any worse than the rest of the roster.

Whoever is out there, the Rangers have to hit to catch the A's in the AL West.

"If we can ever get back to driving a run in, we'll get back to moving forward," Washington said.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Yu Darvish and Martin Perez will get two starts this week as the Rangers skip their fifth starter with Thursday's off day coming up and an important series looming against the division-leading Oakland A's after three tough games against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

As for that fifth starter spot, which will come up again Tuesday at Tampa Bay, that's still undecided.

But Rangers manager Ron Washington didn't shoot down the idea of Alexi Ogando, who is currently pitching out of the bullpen, making that start. Ogando picked up the win Sunday against the Los Angeles Angels, working 1⅓ scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

"Ogando has always been a candidate," Washington said. "We're trying to get him to face hitters. We'll make that decision as he moves deeper. Right now, he's going to be sitting in the bullpen."

Ogando has been on the disabled list three times this season while making 15 starts and going 5-4 with a 3.47 ERA. He's dealt with right shoulder inflammation and right biceps tendinitis.

Again, that doesn't mean he won't start Tuesday against the Rays. Nick Tepesch and Travis Blackley, who have made the past three starts when a fifth guy was needed, are also candidates for that start.

"I wouldn't be shocked if I see Ogando start a game," Washington said. "And I won't be shocked if I see him coming out of the bullpen. I just don't have an answer definitely today."

As long as Ogando is in the bullpen, he could pitch in back-to-back games. On a day such as Monday, when Ogando has worked the day before, it will all come down to the report pitching coach Mike Maddux provides to Washington before the game.

"If I did use him [Monday night], it would be for him to come and get some outs, not throw in multiple innings," Washington said. "We know what he can do coming out of that bullpen, and he did that yesterday. That's not to say you won't see him start a game, but for right now, he threw two innings yesterday and we'll find out how he feels today."

Murphy on sitting: David Murphy was out of the starting lineup Monday, and rookie Jim Adduci was in, as Washington is trying other options in left field.

Murphy also didn't play Sunday against the Angels.

"It's obvious," Washington said. "David is struggling. I'll play another guy and see what he can do."

Murphy is 5-for-27 in his past 12 games. He has the third-lowest batting average among American League qualifiers at .221. It's just been one of those seasons for a player who helped the Rangers reach the playoffs the past three seasons.

"You’d like to think at some point throughout the course of the season, I was going to figure something out, get on a hot streak and contribute," Murphy said. "That hasn’t exactly happened. I feel like I’ve been in a five-month slump basically. I might’ve had a five- or six-game streak where I hit .300, but I feel like most players have that 10-15-game streak a few times during the season where they hit .400 or .450. That just hasn’t happened."

Wash on Hurdle: The Pirates arrived in Arlington on Monday as baseball's surprise team, even though they were swept over the weekend by St. Louis and fell out of first place.

The Pirates are still 81-61 and guaranteed their first nonlosing season in 20 years. There's a reason for that, said Washington, when asked about the Buccos.

"Clint Hurdle," Washington said of the Pirates manager and Rangers hitting coach when they made it to their first World Series in 2010. "That's my impression. They have some talent over there. One thing that Clint has that he's always had -- he can communicate."

Washington didn't just stop at Hurdle's people skills. He also raved about his knowledge of the game.

"He's a well-prepared guy," Washington said. "He's very studious. He knows his opponents in and out. He knows his players in and out. And the general manager and ownership have given him what he needs to make a run. He's done a great job in three years."

Pressure? What pressure?: The Rangers are 1½ games behind Oakland with 20 games to play in another tight American League West race.

That would be cause for some tension, right? Wrong, Washington said Monday.

"I don't feel pressure," Washington said. "I've been in this game too long to feel pressure."

Berkman sits: Designated hitter Lance Berkman hasn't been in the starting lineup for five games now, going back to last Tuesday in Oakland, but he said Monday that he gets it.

Berkman was 0-for-6 in those two games, though Washington said Monday he thought the veteran had good at-bats. Berkman still will be used as a pinch hitter.

"I understand it," Berkman said. "You can't afford to let a guy get his feet wet in a pennant race. As a competitor, you obviously want to be out there and a part of things, but I don't hold a grudge. It's the circumstances of a pennant race."

Short hops: Left-hander Matt Harrison underwent Thoracic Outlet Syndrome surgery on his right side Monday. Harrison, who had the surgery on his left side in 2009 -- in addition to two back surgeries this year -- is expected to be ready for spring training. … The Rangers are 25-14 in one-run games entering Monday, with nine wins in their past 13 of that kind.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- In a perfect baseball world for manager Ron Washington, his Texas Rangers would be running away with the American League West. In the real world, they're tied for first with the Oakland Athletics with 25 games left to play after suffering a 4-2 loss to the A's on Monday in the opener of a three-game series.

Washington, though, said he has no problem dealing with that reality.

"I think if we had gotten to spring training on Feb. 11 when we got down there and you'd have said at this time of the year we'd be tied for first, I think I'd have took it," Washington said. "We're not going anywhere. We ain't going no place. We're right here in Oakland, and we'll show up tomorrow and play."

The Rangers have lost three of four games, and, for the first time since Aug. 9, they have to share first place with the A's. Their offense is in a funk, and they left 11 runners on base Monday, going 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Their only runs came on David Murphy's two-run homer in the fifth.

Even so, Washington and his players struck a confident pose after the game.

"I think both teams are evenly matched," said designated hitter Lance Berkman, who returned to action for the first time since July 6. "I don't think either team is going to run away with this thing in the next 25 games. I think it's going to come all the way down to the wire. But, today, they just beat us. We got to come back out here tomorrow and try to win tomorrow night."

Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre said he has no problem being neck-and-neck with Oakland heading into the backstretch.

"We're playing OK," Beltre said. "I don't think we're playing our best baseball right now, and we are tied for first with a team that's playing really well, too.

"We'll take our chances. We have two more games to go here, and we're going to face those guys back at home three more times. I think our destiny's in our hands, so we'll see what happens."

With left-hander Derek Holland on the mound Monday, the Rangers had to like their chances against Oakland. Entering the game, he was 5-2 with a 2.64 ERA for his career against the A's. In his last start against Oakland on Aug. 4, he threw eight shutout innings in a 4-0 win at the O.co Coliseum.

This time, Holland (9-7) lasted only 4⅔ innings. He gave up a solo home run to Yoenis Cespedes in the second inning and a two-run shot to Coco Crisp in the fifth when the A's snapped a 2-2 tie. Holland gave up four runs -- three of them earned -- on five hits. He matched his season high with five walks and struck out a season-low one.

"It was horrible," Holland said of his performance. "I'm sure it wasn't fun for you guys to watch, and it definitely wasn't fun for me to be out there and pitch the way I did. It was terrible.

"The execution was terrible. I missed over the plate. I didn't hit my spots like I should have. I fell behind. I had five walks. It's not a good performance."

Berkman, who has battled knee and hip injuries this season, was activated from the disabled list Sunday and started at designated hitter against the A's. He went 0-for-4, but he hit the ball hard twice with runners in scoring position.

With one out and the bases loaded in the sixth, Berkman smoked a sinking line drive to right, but A's right fielder Chris Young raced in to make a nice catch. The ball looked deep enough for Beltre to tag and score from third, but he initially thought it was going to drop in front of Young, and he was off the base when Young caught it.

"I made a mistake there," Beltre said. "He was coming in and I thought he was going to short-hop it. I didn't want to be thrown out at home plate if he short-hopped it. I probably should have tagged and seen what happened."

With runners on first and second and two outs in the eighth, Berkman sent a deep drive to right center. Young, who moved from right to center field in the seventh, tracked that ball down, too.

"I hit both of them pretty well," Berkman said. "I can hit them better, but I definitely got most of the barrel on the ball. It just didn't work out."

In the ninth, the Rangers had runners on second and third with one out against A's closer Grant Balfour, but Ian Kinsler flew out to right, and Beltre grounded out to third.

"We're giving ourselves opportunities," Washington said. "I said before the game started that it's going to be three games of opportunities and who takes advantage of them. We put ourselves in more opportunities, we just didn't take advantage of them all."

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Texas Rangers suffered a 4-2 loss Monday afternoon to the Oakland A's in the opener of a three-game series and fell into a first-place tie with the A's in the American League West. With 25 games left to play, the A's and Rangers are deadlocked at 79-58.

Rough outing: Rangers left-hander Derek Holland lasted only 4⅔ innings, allowing four runs (three earned) and five hits, two of them home runs. A's left fielder Yoenis Cespedes launched a solo homer to left center in the second inning, and Coco Crisp hit a two-run homer in the fifth, his career-high 17th.

Early hole: Holland dug himself an early hole by giving up two runs in the second. Leading off, Cespedes sent Holland's 95 mph fastball over the fence for his 21st home run of the season. Cespedes entered the game with only two hits in 11 at-bats against Holland, but both of them were home runs. Holland had allowed only 14 homers all season before Cespedes' blast. The A's made it 2-0 when Alberto Callaspo doubled to left and scored on Chris Young's single to center. The ball got past center fielder Leonys Martin, and Young raced to third and headed home but was nailed at the plate on a relay from Martin to shortstop Jurickson Profar to catcher A.J. Pierzynski.

Murphy ends drought: Left fielder David Murphy pulled the Rangers even at two with a two-run blast in the top of the fifth inning to end his 23-game homerless streak. It was his first home run since Aug. 1. With one out and Mitch Moreland on first via a walk, Murphy sent right-hander Dan Straily's 2-2 pitch high and deep over the 400-foot mark on the center-field fence. Murphy came into the game on a 6-for-36 (.167) skid.

After further review: With no outs and a runner on first in the bottom of the sixth, Crisp homered down the left-field line, hitting the foul pole just above the short fence. Rangers manager Ron Washington immediately asked for and was granted a video review, but the call stood, and the A's took a 4-2 lead. Crisp homered for the third straight game and has seven homers in his past 12 games. He left the game in the sixth shortly after fouling a pitch off his right shin. The A's are calling it a right shin contusion.

Berkman's return: Rangers designated hitter Lance Berkman, who was activated from the disabled list Sunday, made his first appearance since July 6 against the Houston Astros and went 0-for-4. Berkman had a chance to do some damage in his first at-bat against Straily in the second inning. After Alex Rios roped a two-out double and Moreland walked, Berkman worked a 3-2 count, but Straily struck him out on a fastball. Berkman flew out with a runner on first and no outs in the fifth. In the sixth against right-hander Dan Otero, he lined out to right field with one out and the bases loaded. Then, with two on and two outs in the eighth, he sent a Ryan Cook offering to deep right center, but Young tracked it down for the third out. As a team, the Rangers left 11 runners on base.

Rally fizzles: Murphy led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk off A's closer Grant Balfour and moved to second on Martin's single to left. Both runners advanced when Profar grounded out to first. But Ian Kinsler flew out to right, and Adrian Beltre grounded out to third.

Rios locked in: Rios doubled to right in the second inning at-bat and finished the game with three hits in four at-bats. He's hitting .278.

Add three: During the game, the Rangers announced that they would promote three more players from Triple-A Round Rock, effective Tuesday: right-hander Ross Wolf and outfielders Engel Beltre and Joey Butler.

Hometown kid: A's outfielder Michael Choice, a product of Timberview High School in Arlington, Texas, and the University of Texas-Arlington, made his major league debut Monday at designated hitter against the Rangers. Choice, the No. 10 overall pick in the June 2010 draft, was promoted Sunday from Triple-A Sacramento, after he hit .302 with 14 home runs and 89 RBIs in 132 games this season. On Monday, Choice went 0-for-2 with a walk and scored a run.

Up next: Rangers left-hander Martin Perez (8-3, 3.58 ERA) will face A's righty Bartolo Colon (14-5, 2.94) on Tuesday night in the second of this three-game series. First pitch is at 9:05 p.m. on Fox Sports Southwest and ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and 1540 AM.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Forget no-hitters. Just holding on to leads has been an issue for Yu Darvish lately.

Despite cruising into the seventh with a no-hitter intact and up 2-0, Texas' ace couldn't make it out of the inning after giving up the go-ahead runs. The Rangers would lose 3-2 to the Minnesota Twins to open a quick three-game homestand Friday night at Rangers Ballpark.

Darvish appeared to be on the verge of snapping a streak of two consecutive no-decisions by dominating the Twins for two turns through the lineup. The All-Star was pitching with a purpose and economically, at least by his standards, on a sweltering evening.

But just like his last outing, Darvish was unable to protect a slim lead against a struggling club. The Chicago White Sox got to Darvish late after also falling behind 2-0. Darvish has now left his two most recent games with the score tied 2-2.

This time, back-to-back home runs by Chris Herrmann and Justin Morneau -- Minnesota's first two hits of the game -- left the Rangers down 3-2. (Brian Dozier walked to lead off the inning.) After Trevor Plouffe doubled two batters later, Ron Washington had seen enough and pulled Darvish.

Darvish (12-6) lost for the first time since July 27, but despite a quality start that included 11 strikeouts, the Rangers can't feel good about his outing nor how Darvish ended August.

Failure to capitalize: The Rangers wasted a golden opportunity to tie the game in the seventh. Craig Gentry, pinch-hitting for David Murphy, tripled into the right-field corner with one out and Texas down a run.

Leonys Martin, facing left-hander Brian Duensing, grounded out meekly to second against a drawn-in infield. Elvis Andrus did the same to short against righty Josh Roenicke to end the inning.

Nearly back-to-back: Jurickson Profar and Murphy provided some pop at the bottom of the lineup, as the Rangers took a 1-0 lead in the third. Profar's fifth homer of the season -- and first since Aug. 2 -- ricocheted off the upper-deck ribbon board in right, traveling an estimated 399 feet.

Murphy followed with a shot about as far to straightaway center that stayed in the ballpark but not in the glove of center fielder Clete Thomas, who hit the wall. Murphy strolled into second with an easy double but was stranded by an inning-ending double play.

Nefty almost back: Instead of making a scheduled appearance for Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday, former All-Star closer Neftali Feliz will be activated and rejoin the bullpen when rosters expand on Sunday.

Ortiz back: The club recalled left-handed pitcher Joseph Ortiz from Triple-A Round Rock. To make room on the active roster, right-handed pitcher Ross Wolf was optioned to Round Rock.

Hickory power: Joey Gallo of Low-A Hickory stroked three home runs Friday, giving him 36 for the season. It's his second three-homer game this season. He also has seven long balls in the past 10 games.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers' consistent bench production hasn't been lost on manager Ron Washington, who has used platoons and pinch hitters more than ever this season, his seventh in Texas.

"We haven't had this bench since we've been here," Washington said.

Rangers pinch hitters have 21 hits in their 64 at-bats (.344) and they've been on base even more than that. The bench helped win a game Wednesday against Milwaukee and could easily have won Friday's game against Seattle.

Craig Gentry had an important two-run double in a pinch-hit situation in Saturday's 15-3 victory. It turned a 5-3 lead into a 7-3 advantage. Gentry has a single, double and two walks in his past four pinch-hit appearances.

Jeff Baker is 1-for-2 with a walk in his past three pinch-hit chances. Gentry and Baker have helped Washington give David Murphy a chance to get going against right-handers only with other options in left field against southpaws.

"With Baker and Gentry and [Murphy's] struggles, all of that is coming into play," Washington said. "I have to have Gentry and Baker in there. But if you asked Murphy, he wants to be facing everybody. Right now with the roster and the way things are going, this is working well."

A trustworthy bench has allowed Washington to keep his regulars fresh and his bench players sharp.

"Nobody's been complaining about playing time so it helps to move people around and give everybody a chance," Washington said. "We're giving them opportunities. In the past we didn't have too many guys you would pinch hit for. And this is the best we've had."

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ARLINGTON, Texas -- David Murphy isn't worried about yesterday. He isn't worried about tomorrow.

He's only concerned with how he can help the Rangers on Sunday against Seattle in another huge game on his team's schedule.

It's a testament to the kind of guy and the kind of teammate Murphy has been throughout his Rangers' career.

It's been a dismal season. He takes a .225 batting average into Sunday. There have been few hot streaks. He hasn't hit with runners in scoring position.

Then he has a clutch hit like he did in Saturday night's 15-3 victory -- a two-run double against Felix Hernandez to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead in the second inning -- and the questions come flying again.

Has he turned a corner? Is this going to be the hit to get him started?

Murphy's been asked these questions a million times this season. He's handled a sub-standard season in a contract year with class and dignity. He's not worried about how Saturday's game might help him Sunday.

"I could careless at this point about how my season ends personally," Murphy said. "There's a lot of good that I can do for this team."

Don't take that as Murphy doesn't want to finish off this season on a high note for himself. But he also knows if he has more big hits like the one he had on Friday night, the Rangers will win the American League West and be back in the playoffs.

"Obviously personal success is fun for anybody," Murphy said. "Everybody is shooting to play to their potential, but sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't.

"It's been a weird year for me, but the bottom line is this team is in a great place and we've got about 25 percent of the season left and there's some great things we can do and I just want to be a part of it."

Murphy has his teammates and his manager pulling for him because he can help win games just like he did by getting Hernandez again. Murphy's two-run double gave him a career high 16 RBIs off King Felix, his most against any pitcher.

His manager knows Murphy can compete against the best.

"I'd like him to come in tomorrow and do the same thing," Ron Washington said. "Because it would certainly set things off if we can get Murphy going. It's been a battle for him all year, but you know he's a good teammate and he comes every day and works hard."

The bottom line for Murphy. He helped his team win Friday night. His manager still has faith in him. So he's still living for each day. Not the past or the future.

"There's a few different ways to look at it," Murphy said. "I could dwell on what's happened and be upset or I can look at the positive. I haven't had the best season but my team is in a great spot and I'm getting to play. A lot of guys if they're having the season I've had, they might have played themselves into a bench role. So I'm thankful to still be having the opportunities I'm having and the key is make the most of them."

WHAT'S UP NOW: Rapid Reaction from the Rangers' 15-3 victory over Seattle. Plus, Alexi Ogando had an injection Saturday morning and will miss a start. And a post-game blog on the Rangers' big scoring night without a home run.

ON DECK: The Rangers finish off a three-game series against Seattle with ace right-hander Yu Darvish (12-5, 2.64 ERA) versus right-hander Erasmo Ramirez (4-0, 7.06) at 2:05 p.m. Sunday afternoon at Fox Sports Southwest and ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and 1540-AM.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How many strikeouts will Yu Darvish have on Sunday against Seattle? And can he possibly at 207 strikeouts reach 300 for the season?

ARLINGTON, Texas -- These aren't your next door neighbor's Texas Rangers. These aren't your best friend's Rangers.

Frankly, no one has ever seen these Rangers.

Fifteen runs. And no home runs. That's something that has never happened for the home team at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

But against Felix Hernandez, who is as good as it gets in the American League, and against a Seattle Mariners team that gives the local nine fits, the Rangers used singles and a few timely doubles to rip off a 15-3 victory over the Mariners and their King on Saturday night.

The Rangers won for the 15th time in 18 games and took their lead back to 1½ games over Oakland in the American League West. Texas has won its past six games in which it hasn't homered.

The Rangers trailed 2-0 heading into the bottom of the second, and against Hernandez, that's usually like being down six or seven runs. Adrian Beltre led the way to a big inning.

Beltre had an eight-pitch at-bat against his ex-teammate and good friend and started the inning with a single. Alex Rios followed with a single. Mitch Moreland walked, and after Geovany Soto struck out, Jurickson Profar delivered an RBI single to cut the lead to 2-1.

That brought up David Murphy, who started the day batting .222, but who also has great career numbers against Hernandez (.324 BA, 3 HRs, 14 RBIs). Murphy drilled a hanging curveball over center fielder Dustin Ackley's head for a two-run double and a 3-2 lead.

The Rangers never looked back as Leonys Martin had a suicide squeeze to score Profar, who got a bad jump from third but made up for it with a great slide for a 4-2 lead. Elvis Andrus made it 5-2 with an RBI single.

"Our guys were grinding against a very good pitcher," manager Ron Washington said. "It's good to see Murphy get his bat going."

Murphy has 16 career RBIs against Hernandez, his most against any pitcher. It's one of those baseball oddities you'll never get. He was looking to make, at worst, a productive out and instead connected with the go-ahead double.

"There's a lot [of] different ways to be successful right there," Murphy said. "Even if that ball doesn't get over his head, it's a sacrifice fly and there's a run. I take the same approach with him as I take with everyone else. It's not like I look at who we're facing and it's the Mariners and I say, 'Yes, we're facing Felix.' That's just the way things work out."

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The Rangers scored 15 runs at home without a long ball for the first time since 1977 against Milwaukee at old Arlington Stadium. The Rangers have scored as many as 15 runs without a homer four times in club history.

They had seven RBIs out of the No. 8 and 9 spots in the lineup. Craig Gentry came in as a pinch hitter for Murphy in the No. 9 spot in the seventh inning and had three RBIs. Murphy and Profar each had two RBIs.

Texas put the game away with eight runs in the bottom of the eighth. The Rangers sent 13 batters to the plate and had three infield hits among their six that inning.

"The thing that I've liked with the last few weeks is how we've used every pitch of our 27 outs," Murphy said. "There's been times where we might get those five runs and we might not get runs the rest of the game. There's that sense of contentment. We're not content until the last out of the game, and we're going to use all 27 outs."

The Rangers gave Martin Perez loads of support, with the 22-year-old left-hander facing one of his heroes, Hernandez, a fellow Venezuelan.

Perez allowed single runs in the first three innings. He settled in after that when it looked like he might just go five innings and was back on the mound to start the eighth. Perez allowed eight hits overall but blanked the Mariners for the final four innings.

It was almost as impressive as his complete game on Sunday in Houston just because of the way he battled.

"I didn't have all of my pitches," Perez said. "But I competed. That's important."