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Following a day off, the Texas Rangers begin a three-game set with the Toronto Blue Jays at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. LHP Derek Holland will face RHP Brandon Morrow. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and TXA-21. Here’s a closer look at the pitchers:

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Holland (3-3, 4.27 ERA): Holland looks to bounce back from his last start Saturday against the Houston Astros. He allowed five runs on five hits -- three of them were home runs -- in five innings during the 6-5 loss. …Holland is 1-1 with a 2.95 ERA in his last three starts, dropping his ERA from 5.13 to 4.27. … He pitched a complete game shutout on 95 pitches last season in his last matchup against the Blue Jays on July 30 at the Rogers Centre. … Holland is 2-1 with a 5.55 ERA in five games against the Blue Jays.

Morrow (5-2, 2.63 ERA): Morrow is off to an impressive start this season. In his last outing, he had a complete game shutout against the New York Mets on Saturday. … He’s 3-0 with a 0.63 ERA on the road in four starts with a .156 opponent batting average. … Morrow picked up a win in his last start against the Rangers on July 31 last season. He allowed two runs on six hits in seven innings and struck out 11. … In seven games against the Rangers, Morrow is 3-3 with a 5.46 ERA. … He’s 1-2 with a 7.71 ERA in four appearances at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. … Morrow’s ERA ranks sixth in the American League and his 0.96 WHIP is fourth best in the AL.

Hitters: Ian Kinsler (6-for-16), Michael Young (6-for-15), David Murphy (4-for-11) and Elvis Andrus (3-for-7) have been the most successful against Morrow. Nelson Cruz (1-for-13), Mike Napoli (2-for-14) and Josh Hamilton (2-for-9) have struggled. … The Blue jays have a .256 batting average and .329 slugging percentage against Holland. … The Blue Jays’ No. 3, 4 and 5 hitters Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and J.P Arencibia are 6-for-23 against Holland with zero home runs and five strikeouts. … Adam Lind has the most hits on the Blue Jays off Holland (4-for-12).

Up Next:

Sat. vs. Tor.: RHP Colby Lewis (4-3, 3.30) vs. RHP Henderson Alvarez (3-4, 3.30), 2:05 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1540/FSSW
Sun. vs. Tor.: RHP Yu Darvish (6-2, 3.05) vs. RHP Kyle Drabek (4-4, 3.27), 2:05 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3/1540/FSSW
Mon. vs. Sea.: LHP Matt Harrison (5-3, 4.72) vs. RHP Kevin Millwood (3-4, 3.72), 7:05 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3/1540/FSSW/MLB Network

HOUSTON -- It was the only highlight of the night for the Texas Rangers.

Outfielder David Murphy hit a three-run inside-the-park home run in the third inning of Saturday night's 6-5 loss to the Houston Astros.

It was Murphy's first career inside-the-park homer and the 23rd in franchise history.

Murphy's shot eluded a diving right fielder, Justin Maxwell and the ball skipped to the wall. Center fielder Jordan Schafer also reached out for the ball and fell down, spraining an ankle on the play.

"I don't hit many of those, so I couldn't tell ya," said Murphy when asked when was the last time he hit one outside of the majors. "I saw both guys dive and after I saw it got past them, I was probably halfway between first and second and I knew I had a chance. I started running as fast as I could and I probably put it in overdrive a little too quickly because I ran out of gas in the end."

The homer gave the Rangers a commanding 4-0 lead which they would eventually lose.

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 -- David Murphy is in left field for Game 2 of the Silver Boot series at Minute Maid Park after not playing Friday night. Murphy has a three-game hitting streak going. Here are the lineups:

Rangers
2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
CF Josh Hamilton
3B Adrian Beltre
1B Michael Young
LF David Murphy
C Mike Napoli
P Derek Holland

Astros
CF Jordan Schafer
2B Jose Altuve
RF Justin Maxwell
1B Carlos Lee
SS Jed Lowrie
3B Matt Downs
LF J.D. Martinez
C Chris Snyder
P Lucas Harrell

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Yu Darvish and a four-run fourth inning helped the Texas Rangers end a two-game slide and beat the Oakland A's, 4-1. Some quick thoughts on Wednesday night's game:

What it means: Texas is now five games in front of the A's, who are second in the AL West. It's the largest division lead in the AL.

Darvish consistent: Darvish is making quality starts a habit. He went 7 2/3 innings and gave up one run on four hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. He's now got six wins, the most by a rookie in the AL this season. ... The single by Jemile Weeks in the eighth was Darvish's first hit allowed since a two-out single by Collin Cowgill in the third. Darvish added seven strikeouts, pushing his total to 58 on the season through eight starts. He now has five straight games of seven or more strikeouts, tying him with CC Sabathia for the big league lead. ... Darvish's 51 strikeouts through his seven career starts are the most in Rangers history and seventh all-time, according to baseball-reference.com (Nolan Ryan was eighth at 50 strikeouts through his first seven career starts in 1968).

Four is key number: Darvish was 49-0 in Japan when he got at least four runs of support and is now 5-0 in the big leagues when he gets that much support.

Darvish's glove solid: It's easy to overlook Darvish's defense since he's got such great movement on his pitches, but he knows what he's doing with his glove and feet. He made a nice stab at a chopper in the fourth (to retire Kila Ka'aihue) and always does a nice job of getting to first base quickly on a ground ball to first.

Speedy Gentry: Craig Gentry's speed was on display on Wednesday. He had a bunt single in the third, beat out an infield hit in the fourth (ground ball to third) and he sprinted to reach a ball deep in the left-center gap on a fly ball from Seth Smith.

Hamilton hit streak at 16: Josh Hamilton extended his hit streak to 16 games, the longest streak in the American League this season. Hamilton did it with an infield single in the fourth inning that hopped just past the mound toward second. Weeks had no chance to get Hamilton.

Beltre belts one: With Hamilton on in the fourth, Beltre hit a first-pitch changeup 371 feet to right field to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead.

Four in the fourth: The clutch hits that had escaped the Rangers the past two games returned in the fourth inning. What makes this lineup -- even when two starters are out (Michael Young got a rest and Ian Kinsler had a stomach illness) -- dangerous is that they can keep getting runners on base and put pressure on opponents. Even after Beltre's homer, Nelson Cruz had an infield single. Yorvit Torrealba walked. Then, with two outs and a runner in scoring position, Gentry beat out an infield single (it seemed like third baseman Josh Donaldson thought he had more time than he did) to score a run. And Elvis Andrus got his 18th RBI of the season on a single to score Torrealba.

New streak: One night after Andrus' 32-game on-base streak ended when he was unable to get on as a pinch hitter in the ninth, he got on base twice Wednesday, starting a new streak. Andrus has a hit in 17 of his last 20 games and his hitting .426 (32-for-75) over that span. He is 8-for-22 with two runs and two RBIs in this homestand.

Mickelson in front row: Four-time major winner Phil Mickelson, who is playing in this week's HP Byron Nelson Championship for the first time since 2007, was in the owner's box for most of Wednesday's game, leaving in the eighth. Mickelson has a 7:30 a.m. tee time off No. 10 at TPC Four Seasons in Las Colinas on Thursday.

Kinsler sick: Ian Kinsler was scratched from the lineup about 30 minutes prior to the game with a stomach illness. Alberto Gonzalez took his place at second base and Andrus was moved up to the leadoff spot with Gonzalez batting second.

Tidbits: The Rangers have yet another sellout Thursday with only scattered singles and a limited number of obstructed view and standing room only tickets left. All other reserved seats have been sold. ... They had 46,370 on Wednesday, the 12th sellout of the season. That's the third-most in Rangers history. The only two seasons with more than 12 sellouts: 1994 (21) and 1998 (15). ... Gary Sinise threw out the ceremonial first pitch. ... Mike Adams struck out the only batter he faced in the eighth, and Joe Nathan closed the game out in the ninth with three straight strikeouts.

Up next: Matt Harrison will start against former Ranger Brandon McCarthy at 1:05 p.m. on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and FSSW. It's the final game of this quick two-game series.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- It wasn't Game 2 of the ALCS, but Nelson Cruz's grand slam in the third inning Sunday did ignite a sellout crowd of 46,669 and served as further proof that he is hitting his way out of an early-season funk.

Cruz mashed the homer 344 feet to left field, just going over the wall and inside the foul pole to turn a 2-2 game into a 6-2 Rangers lead. Adrian Beltre, on third base when Cruz hit the blast, jumped up and down as the dugout erupted. The homer was only the start for a Rangers offense that pounded out 19 hits and 13 runs in the 13-6 victory, taking two of three from the Los Angeles Angels.

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"He certainly was very productive tonight," Rangers manager Ron Washington said.

It was Cruz's third grand slam of his career in the regular season. And of course he had a big one in extra innings in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series in 2011 vs. Detroit, becoming the first player in big league history to hit a postseason walk-off grand slam.

But Cruz had actually been building toward Sunday's four-hit night. He was batting .283 in his last 13 games after starting the season so poorly. And despite hitting just .228 (11-for-48) off Jered Weaver, Cruz used all parts of the field and felt good.

"I said before that I felt like my swing was there, just not the results," Cruz said. "I thought it would come. It's good to see it."

Cruz wasn't the only hitter that performed well Sunday. Elvis Andrus was 4-for-5 and is hitting .328 this season. Mike Napoli, who has been scuffling the past few weeks, was 3-for-4. In fact, every starter in the lineup got on base and only one didn't have a hit was David Murphy.

But Murphy had one of the biggest at-bats of the game. He was down 0-2 in the count and worked it back to 3-2 before walking to load the bases for Cruz in the third. Cruz followed with the grand slam.

"It's a fun lineup to be a part of," Josh Hamilton said. "Every night somebody steps up. Either all of us, or bottom of the lineup or top of the lineup. It flip-flops or varies, which is a good thing to be able to say as a team. It's just fun to be a part of."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers poured in five runs in the third on their way to a 13-6 blowout win over the Los Angeles Angels. Every starter in the lineup got on base and only David Murphy didn't have a hit (though he drew a big walk in the third that led to Nelson Cruz's grand slam).

What it means: The Rangers take two of three from the Angels and are now five games up on Oakland and eight up on the Angels in the AL West.

Boomstick is back: Cruz, who was hitting .254 on the season and was starting to get more comfortable at the plate (.283 average over the past 13 games before Sunday), hit a two-out grand slam in the third inning off Jered Weaver. The homer went just 344 feet, but it was Cruz's first since April 17 in Boston and the third grand slam of his career. One of those previous grand slams was against the Angels on Aug. 16, 2006. The other was April 15, 2009 vs. Baltimore. ... Of course, Cruz's biggest grand slam was Game 2 of the 2011 ALCS, when he hit the first postseason walk-off grand slam in big league history (11th inning vs. Detroit). ... He finished with four hits, tying a career high. It's his first four-hit game of the season and first since August. ... Cruz was a triple shy of the cycle.

Hamilton doubles: Angels manager Mike Scioscia had the dilemma of either intentionally walking Josh Hamilton with runners at second and third with one out to face Adrian Beltre (who already had two RBIs on the night) or pitching to Hamilton. Weaver had struck Hamilton out twice, so they pitched to him, and the slugger hit a double to right-center to score two. He added an RBI single in the seventh and has a major league-leading 44 RBIs in 32 games. He hit 18 of those RBIs -- nearly 41 percent of them -- in the past seven games to go along with nine homers. What a week.

Broken (homer) bat: Hamilton broke the bat he used to hit his four home runs in Baltimore (and eight of his nine homers this week) late in Sunday's game, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. It is likely headed to the Hall of Fame. Hamilton did use a pink bat earlier in the game as part of MLB's Mother's Day initiative (breast cancer awareness). But he did switch back to his regular bat and broke it on his RBI single in the seventh.

Web-gem for Elvis: Elvis Andrus made a terrific defensive play to end the seventh inning. The Angels already had three runs and had the bases loaded looking to make it a game. Howard Kendrick, the ninth batter in the inning, hit a grounder up the middle. Andrus sprinted to his left, gloved it behind the bag and flipped it from his glove to Ian Kinsler covering second to get the force and end the threat. It was a tremendous play just when the Rangers needed it. ... Andrus stayed hot at the plate, too, matching his career high with four-hits. It's the eighth time he has done that and four of those are against the Angels.

Walks hurt Rangers (again): Matt Harrison knows exactly how Neftali Feliz feels. Just like Harrison on Saturday, Feliz walked the batter ahead of Mark Trumbo and paid for it as Trumbo crushed a ball to the second deck in left field to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 Angels lead.

Mammoth shot: Trumbo's homer was estimated at the ballpark at 437 feet. He's just the 16th player to hit a home run to the club level in left field and the first since Cruz hit one 432 feet on April 8, 2009 vs. Cleveland. Trumbo is one of only three opponents to reach the club level in left. He joins Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria (June 6, 2008) and Mark McGwire (July 5, 1997). McGwire's went 447 feet (Longoria 442).

Feliz gets quality start: He wasn't dominant, but Feliz enjoyed plenty of run support and managed to get through six innings. He gave up two runs -- the Trumbo homer -- and had five strikeouts and two walks.

Beltre delivers: Beltre drove in runs for the Rangers in the first and third. He hit a sacrifice fly in the first and a single in the third. Andrus, who was at second, was waved home by third base coach Dave Anderson on the single, and while Vernon Wells' throw was a good one, it wasn't there quick enough to get Andrus. That RBI tied the score.

Lowe struggles: Mark Lowe came in with a 0.78 ERA and gave up three runs in the seventh inning. He had given up one run in 11 2/3 innings this season before that. His ERA is now 2.92.

Big walk: Murphy was the only Rangers starter without a hit Sunday, but he did walk after falling behind 0-2 in the third. That walk loaded the bases with two outs for Cruz, who hit the grand slam.

Tidbits: Koji Uehara had another good performance. He gave up one hit and had one strikeout in 1 1/3 innings. He now has a 1.46 ERA this season. ... Albert Pujols had two hits during the series, both singles. ... Closer Joe Nathan, who hasn't had a ton of work the last week, came in to pitch the ninth. He gave up a homer to Kendrys Morales with two outs.

Up next: The Kansas City Royals come to town. It's likely that Scott Feldman starts for the Rangers against LHP Bruce Chen.

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 -- It's finally time to welcome the Los Angeles Angels to Arlington.

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Texas Rangers fans have had to wait five weeks for one of the most anticipated rivalries of the 2012 season to get going. And while the Texas Rangers players stress that focus on winning every series -- no matter the opponent -- is the goal, the players understand the Angels are one of their top competitors in the AL, not to mention the AL West, and expect some excitement in front of sellout crowds this weekend.

"It's fun to play in front of packed houses and we've had that almost every game," Michael Young said. "When our park gets going, it's the loudest ballpark in the big leagues. I've played in the World Series twice and played in other parks. It's the loudest. The Cardinals said the same thing to us last year in those games in Arlington. Lots of parks don't seat 40,000 and we've got close to 50,000 and the just the way the ballpark is structured, it makes for a very loud place. We've been spoiled this year. We've had big crowds nearly every night. We feed off of it. We love it."

But Young and the rest of his teammates downplayed the hype surrounding what is turning into one of the biggest rivalries in the American League. While fans and media get excited about the prospect of Yu Darvish starting against C.J. Wilson, the pitcher he replaced in the rotation, the players just want to go out and try to win a series.

"I think the fans will enjoy it with everything that's been made out of it," David Murphy said. "It's ironic how everything has been built up in the offseason and the first meeting is C.J. versus Yu. It should be fun Friday night. They're a tough team. I don't think it will be any different than it has in the past. We have to play hard and try to win."

As the Rangers and Angels prepare to square off for the first of 19 games Friday night, both teams enter the contest after vastly different starts.

The Rangers come in as one of the top teams in the American League, off to a solid start to the season and full of star power. They lead the AL West by five games over the A's and seven games over the Angels. Josh Hamilton made history just days ago with a four-homer game. Darvish has made a fairly smooth transition to the major leagues from Japan. The Rangers' lineup continues to show off its depth, leading the league in runs scored (5.6 per game) and batting average (.291). They are tops in OPS and total bases. A young starting rotation has performed well, despite some trouble spots here and there from Derek Holland, Matt Harrison and Neftali Feliz. And the bullpen has solidified with Alexi Ogando, Mike Adams and Joe Nathan providing a formidable trio in winning situations.

Meanwhile the Angels have struggled to get things going. They fell behind the Rangers quickly out of the gate and still sit seven games behind in the AL West as the clubs begin head-to-head play against each other. Clearly, the Angels have plenty of time to catch up. But they'll need to play well against the Rangers and find some more consistency. The Angels have had trouble scoring runs, sitting 12th in the AL with just 3.65 runs per game -- nearly two full runs per game fewer than Texas. Part of that is Albert Pujols' slow start. It took him 110 at-bats to hit his first -- and only -- home run of the season and he's hitting just .198 on the season.

Still, it's a club with weapons. Pujols will certainly figure it out and the starting rotation, when clicking, is one of the best and deepest in the league. Early bullpen struggles hurt the Angels and they've made a change at closer.

"They haven't played as well as everyone thought they would this year, but we know how capable they are of putting together a good run," Murphy said. "There's way too much baseball left to be played. There's no reason for us to take them lightly. When you think about their team, you think first of all about how deep their starting pitching is, but they have a pretty good lineup too. They're a good team.

"I think everybody would be surprised if they continued to play all season the way that they have so far."

Young said the club will do what it always does: focus on how to improve and win games.

"I look at it that we have 13 rivals," Young said. "It's the American League. Every team is good. Every team wants to win the division. They are in our division and we're playing for the same prize. They're a good team. They've been good for a long time. But one thing we've been good at over the past few years is focusing on ourselves. We're trying to find ways to play better as the season goes along."

BALTIMORE -- The Texas Rangers overcame a rough defensive second inning and put up three runs on the board in the seventh to effectively put the game away in a 7-3 win. Derek Holland got his second straight quality start, allowing no earned runs in six innings, and the bullpen closed things down.

What it means: Texas splits the doubleheader and wins the series, ending a three-series losing streak. The Rangers return home for the Angels series at 21-11 after a 5-5 road trip through Toronto, Cleveland and Baltimore.

Holland solid again: This was a good road trip for Derek Holland, who bounced back from his two rough starts at home vs. the Yankees and Rays, and posted two quality starts. That includes six innings Thursday. He allowed three runs, but none of them were earned. Holland gave up two runs (one earned) in 7 1/3 innings in Cleveland. So he's allowed just one earned run in his last 13 1/3 innings. That's a big improvement. He's dropped his ERA from 5.13 when this trip started to 3.86.

Trio of errors: The Rangers committed three errors in the second inning, helping turn a 2-0 lead into a one-run deficit. It ties the club record (set 15 times) for errors in an inning. The last time was Sept. 15, 2005, vs. Seattle (Kameron Loe had 2 and Hank Blalock the other). Ian Kinsler missed a ball hit right at him that might have started a double play. Elvis Andrus made an errant throw to first that allowed a run to score and Josh Hamilton's throw from the outfield on a fly ball was over the cutoff man and wide of home plate, which gave Mark Reynolds the chance to score easily as he was waiting halfway down the line. All three runs scored in the inning off Holland were unearned.

Hamilton homers: After going 1-for-4 with just a single in Game 1, Hamilton hit yet another two-run homer (yes, with Andrus on in front of him). It was his sixth homer of the series and 15th of the season. All six of his homers in Baltimore have been two-run shots with Andrus on base. Hamilton's homer Thursday night landed on Eutaw Street. It's the 60th time that's happened in the ballpark's 20-year history and the 35th by an opponent. ... It's worth pointing out that Hamilton used to regularly hit home runs when Tommy Hunter started for the Rangers. Now, he's doing it when Hunter starts for Baltimore.

A rare triple: Mike Napoli, who was 4-for-27 (.148) on this road trip and trying to find a comfort level at the plate, hit a triple to right field. He got enough on it to keep it fair and Nick Markakis tried to make a diving catch and it got past him. Napoli never hestitated going to third. The hit drove in Nelson Cruz to tie the score. Cruz was on second after a double. ... Napoli also had a single in the sixth, giving him his third multi-hit game in his last four starts. We'll see if maybe Thursday allows him to start feeling more comfortable at the plate.

Reaching safely: Andrus has reached base safely in 28 straight games, tying the major league high this season (Curtis Granderson). ... He also has a 10-game hitting streak and delivered a two-out, go-ahead single in the fifth that put the Rangers up, 4-3.

Insurance runs: Texas added three runs in the seventh to push the lead out a bit. Andrus continues to hit the ball well. he had an RBI single to score Mitch Moreland. The Orioles decided to intentionally walk Hamilton to load the bases for Beltre, who hit a grounder to third that was scored an error. Beltre was given an RBI as Kinsler scored. Michael Young's ground ball scored Andrus.

Bullpen gets work: For the first time all series, the Rangers were able to utilize their bullpen in standard flying formation -- Alexi Ogando in the seventh, Mike Adams in the eighth and Joe Nathan in the ninth. The relievers didn't allow a run.

Aggressive baserunning: The Rangers do it better than most teams. But on a deep fly ball in the ninth, Andrus went from first to second. That put him in scoring position with two outs for Young. Andrus didn't score, but those are the kinds of plays that can matter.

Up next: Assuming Mother Nature allows it, the Rangers and Angels will finally get this rivalry going for 2012 with the intriguing matchup of RHP Yu Darvish against LHP C.J. Wilson.

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 -- 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.

BALTIMORE -- The Texas Rangers will start Adrian Beltre at designated hitter and Michael Young at third base tonight. A look at the lineups:

RANGERS
2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
CF Josh Hamilton (L)
DH Adrian Beltre
3B Michael Young
LF David Murphy (L)
RF Nelson Cruz
C Mike Napoli
1B Mitch Moreland (L)

ORIOLES
LF Endy Chavez (L)
SS J.J. Hardy
RF Nick Markakis (L)
CF Adam Jones
C Matt Wieters (S)
1B Chris Davis (L)
3B Wilson Betemit (S)
DH Mark Reynolds
2B Robert Andino

Could the Rangers make a late comeback for a second straight day in Cleveland? They trailed 4-2 headed into the ninth inning when Indians closer Chris Perez faced the Rangers. Mitch Moreland led off by beating the over-shift with a single to right field. Then Mike Napoli pinch hit for Yorvit Torrealba, who was 0-for-3. Napoli popped out to the second baseman.

Adrian Beltre pinch hit for Alberto Gonzalez, who was 0-for-3. Beltre lifted the Rangers to a 5-2, 11-inning win Saturday night thanks to his three-run, pinch-hit home run off Joe Smith. That ended the Rangers' 0-for-12 stretch in pinch-hitting at-bats this season. On Sunday, Shin-Soo Choo made a diving catch on Beltre’s batted ball to right field.

Ian Kinsler struck out swinging to end the game. The Rangers lost 4-2. They lost 2-of-3 to the Indians, and they are 2-4 on the current trip.

Rangers & Indians: The Rangers have won 12 of their last 15 games versus the Indians dating back to 2010. The Rangers were 9-1 vs. the Indians last season.

PODCAST
Rangers manager Ron Washington talks with Bryan Dolgin following the Rangers' 4-2 loss in Cleveland on Sunday. Listen

Stay there or not: The opposition was hitting .194 with runners in scoring position against Yu Darvish entering Sunday’s game. In the first inning, the first two batters reached base and Darvish retired the next three. He retired two more with a runner at second base in the second. Asdrubal Cabrera knocked in two with a double in the third. Opponents are now 3-for-28 with RISP vs. Darvish in the last four games, including 2-for-11 Sunday.

Special K's: Darvish established an MLB career high in strikeouts with 11. His previous high was 10 against the Yankees on April 24.

Not used to this: For the first time in his six major league starts, Darvish (4-1) left with the Rangers trailing. The score was 4-0. He threw 112 pitches (63 strikes) in six innings and allowed six hits, four runs (three earned), walked four and struck out 11. It’s a quality start if you are into that stat.

If U don’t know me ...: Indians starter Ubaldo Jimenez was stingy against the Rangers. After allowing a lead-off double to David Murphy to begin the fourth, Jimenez retired the next 10 Rangers until Moreland walked with one out in the seventh. Jimenez pitched seven scoreless innings, gave up two hits, walked five and struck out six.

Safely aboard: Elvis Andrus has reached base safely in 24 consecutive games thanks to a first-inning walk. He also has reached base with a hit in all 26 games he has ever played against the Indians. Elvis doubled in the eighth, his fourth plate appearance of the day.

A Sipp of success: The Rangers found success at the plate against lefty Tony Sipp in the eighth. After Kinsler singled and Andrus doubled to begin the inning, Josh Hamilton’s groundout produced his 26th RBI of the season. He began the day leading the American League in RBIs. Michael Young followed with an RBI single, which means he has hit safely in 21 of 27 games. The Rangers trailed 4-2 when Sipp exited with two outs in the 8th.

A full Nelson: Nelson Cruz was 0-for-4. He’s 3-for-26 on this trip and is batting .216 this season.

Day-to-day: Third baseman Beltre was not in the starting lineup for the fifth consecutive day due to hamstring trouble but pinch hit for the second game in a row.

The Texas Rangers's losing streak reached three games with a 6-3 loss at Cleveland to begin a three-games series Friday night. The Rangers have their longest skid since Aug. 23-25, when they lost three straight to the Boston Red Sox. The Rangers are 1-3 on the current road trip.

The seventh inning marked the difference. After the first batters reached for the Rangers, Ian Kinsler hit into a double play and Elvis Andrus grounded out to end the inning. In the bottom of the frame, Johnny Damon's two-out, two-RBI double gave the Indians the 6-3 lead and ended Colby Lewis' night.

Untouchable no more: Lewis entered this start with opposing hitters 0-for-21 against him with runners in scoring position. That stretch reached 0-for-23 before an infield hit by Asdrubel Cabrera in the sixth. The 23 at-bats was the highest total without a hit in the majors.

The long ball: Lewis gave up a two-run home run to Shin Soo Choo in the bottom of the second. It was the first home run of the season for Choo. Lewis also gave up a leadoff homer to Jack Hannahan in the third. It was originally ruled a triple, but the umpires reviewed it and gave him the home run. That was the second home run of the game given up by Lewis and the sixth of the season. Five of the six home runs have been hit by a left-handed hitter, including both Friday.

Napoli nabs two: Mike Napoli caught Michael Brantley trying to steal second base in the second and Cabrera in the sixth, the first two runners thrown out by Napoli in 2012. He is 2-for-6 in catching potential base thieves. Teammate Yorvit Torealba has caught three of seven would-be base stealers.

Fundamentals: After Mitch Moreland led off the third with a double, Alberto Gonzalez moved him to third with a groundout to second base. Then, Ian Kinsler brought Moreland home with a sacrifice fly to right field. Kinsler has driven in 16 on the season. That sac fly cut the Rangers' deficit to 2-1.

PODCAST
Ron Washington discusses missed opportunities, Colby Lewis and Nelson cruz following a 6-3 loss at Cleveland. Listen

Beating the drum: David Murphy was a .478 hitter (11-for-23) against the Indians last season. He singled in the second inning Friday and brought the Rangers to within a run with an RBI double in the fourth. Murphy finished 2-for-4.

Cruz control?: Nelson Cruz was 1-for-13 on this trip before Friday. He grounded into a double play in the second, flied out center in the fourth to advance Murphy to third base and singled home the tying run in the sixth to make the score 3-3. If you go back further, Cruz entered this game 6-for-40 in the last 11 games without a home run.

Hits keep coming?: Elvis Andrus has hit safely in each of the first 24 games he has played against the Indians. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this is the longest start of a career streak by a any player against any team. He extended the streak to 24 with a 1st inning infield single off righty Jeanmar Gomez.

He's back: Josh Hamilton returned to the starting lineup. He's been day-to-day since leaving the game Sunday with a back issue. Hamilton did not play in the three games in Toronto but finished Friday 1-for-4 with a single.

Adrian Beltre stayed out of the starting lineup for the third consecutive day. He pinch-hit for Gonzalez in the ninth, but he flied to right to end the game.