ESPN

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers decided they wanted to stick with a right-handed bullpen option, so they replaced injured reliever Alexi Ogando with righty Dustin Nippert.

Ogando has a strained left oblique muscle and can't pitch the remainder of the series. Nippert pitched in the ALDS and gives the club someone with bullpen experience.

“We needed a righty,” Washington said. “Nippert is a bullpen piece we’ve had down there all year.”

The Rangers felt more comfortable with Nippert in the bullpen over Scott Feldman, another right-handed option. The club already has lefties Derek Holland, Darren Oliver and Michael Kirkman in the bullpen, so they didn’t want another left-hander against the Giants.

Ogando retired his first five batters Sunday night before throwing his second pitch to Juan Uribe with two outs in the sixth inning. The slider was way outside and went to the backstop. Athletic trainer Jamie Reed, manager Ron Washington and pitching coach Mike Maddux came out to check on him.

“It started bothering me in my second inning and it got a little worse and a little worse and finally I really felt it pull on the last two pitches,” said Ogando late Sunday after Game 3. “I feel bad because it's at a point where I can't help the team anymore. Things happen that way sometimes, but it's disappointing.”

Ogando threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings with six strikeouts and no walks in two World Series games.

SAN FRANCISCO -- In a matter of hours, Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington will have to turn in his completed 25-man roster. Holding up the works is his decision about the bullpen.

The predominantly right-handed hitting San Francisco Giants likely demand another right-hander reliever. The Rangers carried four lefties into the ALCS, but Clay Rapada is the most probable southpaw to sit out the World Series. But, which right-handed arm gets the call?

Mark Lowe, Scott Feldman and Dustin Nippert are Washington's choices. Only Nippert has made a postseason roster so far, making one appearance in the ALDS. Lowe hasn't pitched much since returning from surgery for a herniated disc. Feldman, the Opening Day starter who dropped out of the rotation shortly after the All-Star break, just hasn't had his stuff, even in relief.

Then there's Nippert. The 6-foot-8, 225-pounder has pitched well since coming of a six-week stint on the disabled list after frighteningly taking an Austin Jackson line drive off his head in a July game in Detroit. He came off the DL on Sept. 2 and has pitched some of his best baseball of the season.

In 10 relief outings, Nippert has logged 14 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on eight hits. Nippert would provide Washington with a right-handed long reliever to go with lefty Derek Holland.

Among those three right-handed arms, has Nippert earned the right to pitch in the World Series?

The Rangers have made two changes to their postseason roster for the ALCS to add some lefties to the bullpen:

* In are LHPs Michael Kirkman and Clay Rapada

* Out is RHP Dustin Nippert and pinch-runner Esteban German

The rest of the roster stays the same. The Yankees have some tough left-handed hitters and a handful of switch-hitters. The numbers suggest that most of those hitters aren't as good against left-handed pitchers. This gives manager Ron Washington a chance to throw some lefties out against those hitters and make the switch-hitters bat right-handed if he chooses too.

A few quick examples:

* Robinson Cano batted .337 against right-handed pitchers and .285 against lefties

* Lance Berkman, a switch-hitter, is batting .267 from the left side and just .171 from the right side

* Brett Gardner, a left-handed batter, hit .252 against lefties, 35 points lower than against righties

* Mark Teixeira, by the way, hits better against lefties (.278) than he does righties (.247). He has 23 homers in 421 at-bats against RHPs and 10 homers in 180 at-bats against LHPs.

Here is the Rangers' roster for the ALCS:

RH Pitchers (5): Neftali Feliz, Tommy Hunter, Colby Lewis, Darren O'Day, Alexi Ogando
LH Pitchers (6): Derek Holland, Michael Kirkman, Cliff Lee, Darren Oliver, Clay Rapada, C.J. Wilson
Catchers (2): Bengie Molina, Matt Treanor
Infielders (6): Elvis Andrus, Andres Blanco, Jorge Cantu, Ian Kinsler, Mitch Moreland, Michael Young
Outfielders (6): Julio Borbon, Nelson Cruz, Jeff Francoeur, Vladimir Guerrero, Josh Hamilton, David Murphy

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas Rangers left-handed starter C.J. Wilson spent Game 3 in the bullpen and he will be again for Game 4 just in case. Things got a littl precarious in Saturday's Game 3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays when manager Ron Washington turned to Dustin Nippert in the ninth after Neftali Feliz gave up the go-ahead run in the eighth and then a ninth-inning lead-off home run to Carl Crawford.

Nippert's first appearance of the ALDS left the Rangers' bullpen without another reliever. Had the the game gone into extra innings, it is possible that Wilson might have had to pitch. Under a similar situation in Game 4, Wilson said he will again be prepared to take on the role he used to have on this team out of the bullpen.

"It depends on what’s needed," Wilson said of his availability Sunday's Game 4, slated for a noon start. "But, with the number of lefties they have and my effectiveness against lefties, I would think I could throw an inning or two."

Wilson could pitch and not threaten his next start, which would now come in either Game 1 or Game 2 of a potential American League Championship Series.

"Theoretically, if we have to go the full distance, I’m not going to be starting. Cliff [Lee] will be starting Game 5," Wilson said. "My first start wouldn’t be until Friday of next week [the start of the ALCS].

Lee also spent Game 3 in the bullpen as an extreme emergency precaution. Game 4 would have to go deep, deep into extra innings for Washington to get to Lee.

However, potential issues arose in Game 3 because the Rangers opted to put 10 pitchers on the ALDS roster instead of 11. Frank Francisco's injury is one reason why.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- It's not that Dustin Nippert wouldn't like the chance to pitch in the postseason again. But if the starters pitch deep into games and it means he doesn't get any work, that's OK with him.

"As long as the starters are doing their jobs, it keeps me in the background," Nippert said. "That's fine. It means the team is doing well and they are having success."

Nippert is one of just a handful of players with postseason experience, albeit brief. He pitched in two playoff games for Arizona in 2007, giving up no runs on one hit in 2 1/3 innings with two strikeouts and no walks.

"It's a lot harder on the nerves when you're sitting down out there, but once you get in there, it's baseball," Nippert said. "You go about your business. Darren Oliver has done it so many times, we've all talked to him and he says the hardest thing is waiting and once you get out there, you're relaxed and just pitch."

Nippert could be used should a starter get into trouble. Through the first two games, Cliff Lee and C.J. Wilson both pitched at least into the seventh, meaning manager Ron Washington didn't have to worry about a long man. So Nippert will wait and stay ready. And if he isn't needed, he'll consider that a good sign for his team.

The Rangers are taking 31 players to Tampa Bay today for two days of workouts as they decide which 25 guys will be on the postseason roster. Texas has until 11 p.m. Dallas time on Tuesday to decide. There are still a few questions remaining:

* Will David Murphy show he's healthy enough to be on the roster? My bet is yes. He's been progressing fine and will get a chance to test the groin in the next few days. But there was no tear and he has done enough to indicate he's likely to be on that roster.

* If the Rangers take 11 pitchers, who makes the final bullpen spots? We know that Cliff Lee, C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis and Tommy Hunter are on the roster as the starters. In the bullpen, Neftali Feliz, Darren O'Day, Darren Oliver and Alexi Ogando are locks. I think Dustin Nippert is on the team as a guy that can give you multiple innings. So that leaves two spots. The Rangers announced Sunday that Mark Lowe and Matt Harrison will not be on the roster, but will go to Arizona to keep throwing in case they are needed for the ALCS. That means Derek Holland, Clay Rapada, Scott Feldman and Michael Kirkman are in the hunt for those final two spots.

My bet is Holland has one of those spots, making that final choice difficult. Since Tampa Bay has more right-handed hitters than the Yankees, the Rangers may figure they don't need Rapada, who is a situational lefty that would ideally pitch to one or two hitters.

* I do wonder if the club wouldn't consider choosing Holland and going with 10 pitchers, enabling them to put pinch-runner Esteban German on the team. It would be a bit risky, but they would have Hunter in the bullpen for Game 1 and could have C.J. Wilson out there for the final few games of the series after he starts in Game 2. Having German to run late, especially for the catchers, would be valuable. And in Nippert and Holland, they'd have two pitchers with some length. I would still bet on 11 pitchers going, but you never know.

* As for first base, I think it's Jorge Cantu and Mitch Moreland. Chris Davis will travel to Tampa, but I think Moreland has earned that other spot.

* Jeff Francoeur will be on this roster as well, even if that means German isn't if the club goes with 11 pitchers. Francoeur has hit left-handers well this season and has postseason experience.

Who would you put on the postseason roster and why?

OAKLAND, Calif. -- It's over. The Rangers are celebrating as the magic number is 0. They have their first AL West title since 1999 and it's the earliest they've clinched in their history. We'll have much more on the celebration and all the reaction coming up. But feel free to post some comments on this entry about how you feel now that the Rangers have clinched. Some random thoughts:

* This team was relaxed before the game and didn't get down when the A's suddenly tied it in the seventh. That's a credit to this club, which has played hard all season.

* Jorge Cantu was the hero on Saturday. He had two RBIs -- his first two as a Ranger -- and his final one was the go-ahead run on a solo shot to left in the eighth inning. It came after Oakland had tied it in the bottom of the seventh.

* With the Rangers up 3-1 in the seventh, Clay Rapada came in with no one on and one out and got left-handed hitting Gabe Gross, a pinch hitter. He stayed in to pitch to right-handed hitting Landon Powell and walked him. Switch-hitter Cliff Pennington, the No. 9 hitter, then hit a low and inside pitch out of the park down the left-field line to tie the score.

* Michael Young tied the score in the third with a solo home run to left field that hit just over the out-of-town scoreboard.

* Cantu's first RBI as a Ranger gave Texas a 2-1 lead in the sixth. Kinsler led off with a double and went to third on Jeff Francoeur's foul ball sacrifice fly down the right-field line. Cantu, with the infield in, stroked a solid single to left to score Kinsler.

* Francoeur's sac fly at-bat was impressive. It was a 10-pitch at-bat with eight foul balls total, including the last six straight. But it was a productive out that helped get the runner closer.

* Derek Holland got into trouble in the first inning with runners on the corners, but managed to get a ground ball from Kurt Suzuki that might have ended the inning. But Ian Kinsler didn't play the hop right and the ball trickled away from him so that he was only able to flip to Elvis Andrus for one out instead of starting a double play. So Rajai Davis scored to give the A's a 1-0 lead. Give Davis credit: He hit an infield single and then stole second to help put himself in position to score.

* Holland needed 91 pitches to go five innings, but he gave up just one run and the Rangers got the go-ahead run in the top of the sixth and he did not go back out for the bottom half of that inning. Holland's changeup was particularly effective. He did exactly what the Rangers wanted: He got them five innings and kept them in the game. Holland probably won't make the postseason roster, but he showed some grit out there on Saturday and can feel like he contributed.

* Dustin Nippert came in for the sixth inning and allowed a leadoff walk to Daric Barton. But he got Mark Ellis, Kurt Suzuki and Kevin Kouzmanoff on lazy fly balls. That gave manager Ron Washington the luxury of setting up his bullpen the way he wanted it for the final three innings.

* Speed helped produce a critical third run for the Rangers. Elvis Andrus walked, stole second and then, with Nelson Cruz batting, stole third. When the ball got away from catcher Landon Powell on a wild pitch and went to the backstop, Andrus just kept running and scored easily.

* Give Washington credit for sticking with Cantu. He put him in the lineup again today because of how he played Friday, but resisted the chance to pinch hit for him with Chris Davis despite a righty on the mound. And Cantu rewarded him with the homer.

* Feliz came in with two outs in the eighth and got Kouzmanoff on a 98 mph strikeout on the outside corner that Kouzmanoff watched go by. He stayed in and got the save, his rookie record 38th of the season. Feliz's save puts him past Kazuhiro Sasaki, who had 37 saves for the Mariners in 2000, for the most by a rookie in major league history.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Reliever Dustin Nippert's last memory of the Tigers before Tuesday night wasn't a pleasant one. He was struck in the head by an Austin Jackson liner in Detroit on July 19 and missed six weeks.

"It's tough to sit out and not be able to help this team," Nippert said. "I'm just glad they gave me a chance tonight, and I wanted to hold things where they were."

That's what he did. He came in for the fifth inning to relieve Derek Holland with the score tied at 4 after the Rangers scored three runs in the fourth to tie it. With one out, Nippert gave up a walk, a single and hit catcher Gerald Laird to load the bases.

"Maddux came out and told me to settle down and we went over the game plan to Ramon Santiago," Nippert said.

He struck out Santiago and then got Jackson on a strikeout to end the inning. Nippert then utilized a good two-seamer and his off-speed stuff to keep the Tigers off balance. After hitting Laird, he retired 12 of the next 14 batters.

"I want to do what I can to help this team win and I wasn't able to do that being out," Nippert said. "It feels good to do it and I hope I can continue to do it the rest of the season."

Several of Nippert's teammates talked about the job he did. He was the first player Michael Young mentioned in talking about the game, remembering what he called "a scary day" in Detroit when Nippert was hit in the head.

"Nip was huge," Young said. "We needed that. That's just a great job. That was big. Our bullpen is still good to go and they are fresh for tomorrow. He was out for a while. That was a scary day in Detroit. Now he's back doing what he does, contributing to the team, giving us big innings when we needed it. He's a big part of our team and we're happy he's back."

Other reaction:

* Yes, Ian Kinsler thought he had struck out on a 1-2 count in the sixth inning. Instead, it was called a ball by home plate umpire Brian Runge and Kinsler hit the next pitch to center field for an RBI single.

* Kinsler showed good patience in drawing three walks. He was 1-for-2. "I think that's more the guys in front of me," Kinsler said. "You have to go through Micheal and David and Vlad and Cruz before you get to me."

* Vladimir Guerrero now has 106 RBIs this season. His RBI groundout in the first inning was his 30th go-ahead RBI in 2010. He was leading the AL in that category going into Tuesday's game. He has the most go-ahead RBI by a Ranger since Alex Rodriguez had 30 in 2003. He's also hit safely in nine straight games and is batting .447 in that stretch.

* Tuesday was Young's 49th multi-hit game of the season, extending his club record to 537 for his career. He had three hits for the 157th time, also a club record.

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Rangers made a handful of roster moves today. Among them:

* RHP Dustin Nippert was reinstated off 15-day disabled list.

* C Taylor Teagarden was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City, giving the Rangers a third catcher.

* LHP Clay Rapada's contract was purchased from Triple-A Oklahoma City, adding another lefty to the Rangers bullpen.

* RHP Omar Beltre recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City and placed on 60-day disabled list with a right ankle sprain.

* OF Brandon Boggs cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

The Rangers were expected to get Teagarden back up here as soon as his 10-day assignment in the minors was up. That gives manager Ron Washington some more roster flexibility and some insurance at an important position. Teagarden had played much better in his second stint in the majors after going to Double-A Frisco for part of the season to get his swing figured out.

Texas wanted another left-handed bullpen option for September, so Clay Rapada gets the call. Whenever the 29-year-old gets into a game, it will be his first in the majors. He spent all of 2010 with Oklahoma City, going 1-2 with two saves and a 1.82 ERA in 50 relief appearances. Opposing PCL batters hit just .158 against him and that stat got even better against left-handed hitters (.120). So he could be a good situational lefty when needed. Moving Beltre to the 60-day creates the roster space to get Rapada on the 40-man.

Nippert, of course, gives Texas another experienced long man.

The Rangers' 40-man roster remains full at this time.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rangers manager Ron Washington said his staff briefly discussed giving Cliff Lee an extra day of rest and then decided to discuss it more after his next start, keeping him on track to pitch Tuesday in Kansas City.

The club has an off day Thursday between the Kansas City and Minnesota road series and they could alter things to get Lee some extra time then. That's something that will be talked about next week.

"We want some input from him and we'll talk about it," Washington said. "He's the guy that's toeing the rubber, so we'll listen to what he has to say."

Though Washington, pitching coach Mike Maddux and others will have the ultimate say. Lee has allowed four or more earned runs in his last four starts. He's 0-3 with an 8.39 ERA. Opponents are batting .318 against him in that stretch. Since he arrived in Texas, Lee is 2-5 with a 4.50 ERA. The Rangers are 3-7 in Lee's starts. Despite starting the season on the disabled list, Lee has thrown 179 2/3 innings, the fourth-most in the AL.

Other notes:

* Washington said INF Alex Cora will play Saturday and Sunday against the A's. Cora will play second base both games. Andres Blanco will play shortstop on Sunday to give Elvis Andrus a day off. Cora has yet to start since he was activated this homestand.

* RHP Frank Francisco is available to pitch tonight. He warmed up yesterday and everything felt fine. So if the Rangers need him, he's ready to go.

* Cristian Guzman and Dustin Nippert were assigned to Double-A Frisco on a rehab assignment that's supposed to start today.

* A random note out of left field: Matt Harrison threw some two-seam fastballs at 96-98 mph on Monday. I asked him about that today, because I can't remember him ever throwing a two-seamer that fast (that was according to the radar gun on TV. That was the day the gun at the park didn't work). He said he couldn't remember ever throwing them that fast and figured it was because he knew Jim Thome was the only hitter he was facing and that he was particularly amped up. "I was overthrowing and the ball was even moving the other way," Harrison said. "A couple of guys mentioned it was really fast." Anyway, I just found it interesting.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rangers reliever Frank Francisco is not available for tonight's game after receiving a cortisone injection just below his armpit on his pitching arm.

The club said that Francisco should be able to return after a day or two. He experienced some soreness in that area, but the Rangers don't believe Francisco will need to go on the disabled list.

Other injury updates:

* Assistant GM Thad Levine said he hopes that Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz and Cristian Guzman can all go out for rehab assignments by the end of this week. They may be split up between Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Oklahoma City.

* Dustin Nippert is supposed to throw a bullpen tomorrow and would go out on a rehab assignment by the end of the week as well.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rich Harden lasted 2 1/3 innings in Saturday's loss at Oakland, and now he'll have to wait and wonder when he'll get back on the hill.

PODCAST
Ben and Skin go "In the Clubhouse" with LHP C.J. Wilson as he gets us ready for a possible postseason preview with the Yankees series set to start Tuesday night. Listen

Harden is being pushed back "at least" one day, manager Ron Washington said, allowing Colby Lewis to start Saturday's game against Boston. Harden or tonight's starter, C.J. Wilson, will take the mound for Sunday's finale of the five-game homestand.

Monday's off day and another Thursday make it possible for Washington to shorten the rotation. Lewis, who had a hard-luck no-decision Sunday at Oakland, will have five days between starts. Harden will have a full seven days between starts if Washington tabs him for Sunday's game against the Red Sox. Washington said he will make that decision Wednesday.

Cliff Lee will start Wednesday's game against New York, the finale of the short, two-game series, with Tommy Hunter starting Friday to open a three-game set against the Red Sox.

*Relief pitcher Dustin Nippert is getting closer to returning since getting hit in the head with a line drive July 19. He threw long toss off flat ground for the fourth time in five days Tuesday and reported no headaches or dizziness, as had been the case in several other attempts to get back to baseball activities.

"It means a lot because he's taken a few chances to try to come back and it didn't work," Washington said. "This time he's throwing the baseball, he's not coming up with the headaches, so he's getting over it. That was scary. It didn't glance him; it hit him solid. I'm glad he's getting back into baseball activities, just for his peace of mind, because that was scary."

*Catcher Matt Treanor is making progress toward a return since going on the DL on July 24 with a strained PCL in his right knee. Treanor ran the bases Tuesday and is getting back to baseball activities. He was eligible to return Sunday, but he's still not certain when he will be back.

When he returns, he won't be wearing No. 15. He's given up the number to newcomer Cristian Guzman, who asked Treanor for the number because he's worn it his entire career. Treanor gave it up and will don a number he's worn before, No. 20, the number his late brother, Michael, wore.

*Washington found a silver lining for Sunday's sure-to-be-toasty 2 p.m. start against Boston.

"Well, you know what it does is it will get us out of here and on the road at a reasonable hour, get us into Tampa at a reasonable hour instead of getting up there at 3 in the morning," Washington said, referring to a three-game set at Tampa Bay starting Monday night. "I have no problem with playing day games on Sundays. We just have to endure it."

More good news is that after another forecasted four consecutive days of temperatures warmer than 100 degrees, the string is expected to snap Sunday, when the high is projected to be only 98 degrees at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

*Washington opted to go with Jorge Cantu Tuesday night against Yankees righty A.J. Burnett, preferring to bat the veteran right-handed hitter. Washington said Mitch Moreland will be back at first base Wednesday.

SEATTLE -- Rangers RHP Dustin Nippert, who was hit in the head by a line drive on July 19, has been cleared to begin activity.

Nippert is doing cardiovascular exercise and will start a throwing program Friday, according to Rangers officials.

There is no timetable for his return. But this is certainly a good sign of some progress from Nippert.

SEATTLE -- Rangers RHP Darren O'Day is back with his diary. He talks about his new teammates and planning for a wedding to rival the one Chelsea Clinton just had. O'Day now has his own facebook page at www.facebook.com/darrenoday56.

The dust has finally settled after the non-waiver trade deadline, and I love where our team stands at the moment. Our front office has gotten creative, due to our ownership situation, and landed some great players to help us through the stretch run. They have done their part, now it's up to us, the players, to do ours.

We first went out and picked up Bengie Molina who, as a pitcher, I cannot say enough good things about. He's very easy to throw to, blocks everything, and calls a great game. It's easy to have confidence in a guy who has been around for so long and seen so many things. Having a catcher like that really accelerates the learning of young pitchers like me. He sees things that the rest of us wouldn't.

Cliff Lee's work since he's been with us speaks for itself. I've never seen a guy pound the zone so relentlessly. He challenges hitters, and his aggressive approach throws hitters off. If they come up there waiting to get a fat pitch to drive, they might find themselves walking back to the dugout before they know it. He just doesn't make mistakes. He's so efficient with his pitches, that I joke with our strength coach I can do my upper body lift before every fifth game, and not have to worry about being sore, because I'll never see the mound! He eats innings and saves the bullpen every time out.

I couldn't be happier to have Jorge Cantu on our team. I never liked facing him. He's a great RBI guy and always had good at bats. If fact, he had a great one in early 2009 when he had a game winning hit off me when I was playing for the Mets. He hit a good outside slider from me right over the shortstop's head, and the Marlins walked off with a victory. When I first met him in the locker room a few days ago, I made him agree to never do that do me again. I thought we were done adding to the team, but they went out and found the perfect complement for our needs with Kins on the DL and some infield depth. I haven't gotten to see Cristian Guzman play too much, but his defense has impressed already. For a 10 and 5 guy to approve a trade from a city where his family is comfortable, it shows how much he wants to win. I think that sometimes people say that pro atheletes are all about the money. I think this is a great example of a guy showing what we really play the game for.

Quick sidenote: I think it's cool what Lebron, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade did in Miami. Although Lebron's press conference was tired, for all three to take less money to win championships is nice to see.

We recently had our annual All-Star break. For those of us who didn't make the trip to Anaheim, it's a nice three day respite in the middle of a long season. I actually hadn't been home to Atlanta to see our new house since we bought it during spring training. There isn't much time for vacations or traditional summer activities, i.e. boating, beach, or whatever it may be. So When we do have a break, a lot of guys try to fit some of that stuff in.

This year it wasn't in the cards for me. You see, I am engaged to my longtime girlfriend Elizabeth Prann, and we are getting married in November. She is busier than I am with her job as the southeast correspondent for Fox News. Therefore, we took full advantage of those three days off to knock out wedding plans and yardwork. The first two days involved food tasting, meeting the officiant, finding a rehearsal dinner venue, and finalizing the guest list. Growing up my dad liked to call yard work days "family fun day." The last day of the break, Liz and I had some family fun pulling weeds, trimming bushes, and fertilizing dying grass. Somehow, we also managed to fit in some truly fun stuff in between.

The hardest part about playing this game is being away from loved ones. We are truly blessed to play the game we love for a living, but everyone in our life makes immeasurable sacrifices. We miss weddings, kids' ball games, school plays, and countless birthdays. I think the folks waiting at home deserve a lot of credit for putting up with us throughout the year. I know I wouldn't be able to do it without the endless support of my family and friends.

Until next time that is all. The plan for Monday was for a few of us are going salmon fishing in Seattle, so hopefully I will have some pictures and material for my next blog. Shoutout to Dustin Nippert for setting it up, even though he had to stay home to recover from post-concussion symptoms. We'll rip some lips for ya bud.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Rangers defeated the Angels, 6-4, behind a sterling peformance by Vladimir Guerrero: 4-for-4 with two homers and five RBIs. You think the Angels wish they had him back? Some thoughts:

* Guerrero sure has reminded the Angels of what they lost by not re-signing him. He hit a grand slam home run and pumped his fist some as he trotted toward first. The long ball gave the Rangers a 4-3 lead. Guerrero added a solo shot in the eighth. It was his third multi-homer game of the season and 42nd of his career.

He also doubled in the fifth, showing heads-up play on the bases. There was no one going to cover second base, and Guerrero quickly turned at first and made it there without a problem. He got another nice ovation when he came up for his first at-bat. But Guerrero has three homers and eight RBIs in two games against his former team here in Anaheim. He has 18 homers and 68 RBIs on the season. The RBIs are tied for the league lead with Miguel Cabrera. More on Guerrero in Ranger Reax.

* All eyes were on Omar Beltre in his first major league start. Things didn't begin well. He gave up a home run to the first big league hitter he faced, Erick Aybar, becoming the first Ranger to do that since Doug Davis on Aug. 9, 1999 against Toronto's Shawn Green. He then allowed two more runs in the second after hitting a batter and giving up some singles. Beltre did settle down to get through the third and fourth. He ended up with four walks and six strikeouts -- he struck out Bobby Abreu, who was 0-for-3 against him -- and allowed five hits. It was an up and down outing, but he left with the Rangers in front. He'll learn from it.

* Ian Kinsler continues to hit the ball well. Manager Ron Washington talked about how he was squaring things up and not trying to do too much before the game and that carried over to Wednesday as well. He hit a hard single to center to score a run in the fifth, giving the Rangers a 5-3 lead at the time. Kinsler seems dialed in right now, which is important to the middle of that lineup. He's also getting the job done defensively. He sprinted to shallow right and made a nice catch to end the fifth.

* The little things can catch up to you. Dustin Nippert gave up a leadoff double to Bobby Wilson in the sixth and then threw a wild pitch to get him to third. That allowed him to score with one out on a ground ball to the right side of the infield.

* Nippert came in for the fifth inning in relief of Beltre. He made things interesting in the sixth after a leadoff double, wild pitch and ground ball scored one run. Howie Kendrick and Abreu had singles and executed a double steal with Torii Hunter at the plate. But Nippert pitched well to Hunter and ended up getting him to hit one back to the mound after breaking his bat. That kept things 5-4 through six. I was surprised when Nippert was left in for the seventh, but he got through a 1-2-3 inning (thanks in large part to Elvis Andrus) and got the club three innings.

* Andrus turned in another spectacular defensive play in the seventh. He dived, fully stretched to his right, on a hard hit ball by Mike Napoli, caught it and threw to first to get him. That's got to be a top play on SportsCenter. And Andrus always seems to make those things look routine.

* Josh Hamilton's hit streak is now at 23 games after his double down the left-field line in the eighth inning. He finished June with 49 hits, a club record for any month. Hamilton had a fielder's choice, a ground out and an intentional walk before getting the double.

* Frank Francisco needed 22 pitches, but he got a 1-2-3 eighth inning with two strikeouts. And he threw 17 strikes. Francisco was aggressive and didn't mess around.

* Neftali Feliz ended a good night of work for the bullpen with a perfect ninth.