ESPN

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:

PODCAST
Rangers GM Jon Daniels discusses the team's recent struggles, the interest level in Roy Oswalt and more. Listen

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

SEATTLE -- It seems just about every Rangers player with a bat in his hands has been in a funk lately, and the only reasonable explanation in the clubhouse is ... well, to paraphrase the manager, that's the way baseball goes.

"We haven’t been the best offense, for sure," shortstop Elvis Andrus said. "It’s kind of gotten rough a little bit fighting through it, but that’s the way the season goes. We’re going to have good times and we’re going to have bad times, and right now it’s not the best time for our offense playing well."

Rangers manager Ron Washington plans to sleep in and relax during the Rangers' first scheduled off day since May 3. The last thing on his mind is the offensive struggles this early in the season, considering the same lineup has won back-to-back American League championships.

"We’re in May," Washington said. "We've just got to keep grinding like we always do. I have quality guys out there in that clubhouse and we’ll put it back together."

In the past 10 games, the Rangers offense has been outscored by a run in series against the Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners.

"We know we can play better baseball than we have right now, but sometimes you’ve got to stay humble," Andrus said.

They were on the cusp of breaking out Wednesday, but they couldn't catch a break in a 5-3 loss to the Mariners.

Nelson Cruz hit two shots to the warning track in right field. Michael Young saw 20 pitches in his first two plate appearances and he didn't have a hit to show for it. Young hit a hard ground ball up over the mound that was kicked by pitcher Kevin Millwood to keep it in the infield in the second. Young had another ground ball dance down the third-base line in the third. It appeared to be a hit until Kyle Seager made a great play to record the out.

Young is batting .233 (19-of-87) with a .322 slugging percentage and eight RBIs in May. He's struck out 16 times and collected just two walks.

"I feel fine," Young said. "Those are the at-bats I want to keep on having. I don’t look at them as grinding. I look at them as a couple good at-bats. If I keep doing that, then things will start going my way."

He doesn't see the team's struggles as a slump. Just as quickly as the bats went cold, the Rangers know all it takes is a few good at-bats to get them going again.

"If we go through a tough stretch and we’re playing .500 ball, sometimes that happens," Young said. "But we know we're capable of going on hot stretches where we get a ton of wins in a row. We just stay focused on the things we know we're capable of."

Even with the woes at the plate, the Rangers are still nine games over .500.

"We're still in first place [of the AL West], and that's all that matters," Andrus said.

SEATTLE -- Texas Rangers starter Matt Harrison knew he was off in the first inning, but he kept his cool. Coupled with some great defensive plays, Harrison was able cruise from then on to collect his second win this month, a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

PODCAST
Rangers manager Ron Washington talks with Bryan Dolgin immediately following the Rangers 3-1 win in Seattle. Listen

Harrison ran into trouble early on after allowing his only two walks of the game. Alex Liddi got a free pass after a nine-pitch at-bat in the first and scored three batters later on a single by former Ranger Justin Smoak. Harrison followed that with an eight-pitch walk to load the bases with two outs, which brought pitching coach Mike Maddux out to the mound.

It took a one pitch, a 404-foot flyout from Casper Wells, to get Harrison out of the jam. Josh Hamilton made a leaping catch into the center field wall.

“I don’t what kind of catch he made, but he was able to run it down,” said Harrison, who threw 35 pitches in the first. “He’s an outstanding defensive player. It was great play to get me out of a jam. It could’ve been either way.”

Harrison said he thought he was overthrowing a bit during the inning, so he backed up on his fastball. He said it helped with his command and allowed him to settle in.

“I felt really good coming into the game,” Harrison said. “I felt like my arm felt the best today as it has all season.”

His defense was able to lend a helping hand. Harrison induced a double-play ball in the second to erase a leadoff single by Michael Saunders. And Hamilton made another leaping grab in the third, robbing Liddi of an extra base hit.

“He kept them in the big part of the field,” manger Ron Washington said. “It says 405 out there [in center field], but it plays like 445.”

Harrison said he had his best changeup of the season and was also able to work his curveball for strikes. Even with his first-inning struggles, Harrison was able to throw 75 of his 114 pitches for strikes and finished with six strikeouts.

“I thought he did a tremendous job after that first inning,” Washington said. “They fought him in that first inning pretty good and got his pitch count up. Then after that, he began to pound the strike zone.”

Washington left Harrison in the game in the eighth after he struck out Dustin Ackley to end the seventh, but Harrison gave up back-to-back singles to start the inning. Washington pulled Harrison with no outs, but Mike Adams came on and was able to leave Liddi and Ichiro Suzuki stranded on the bags.

“I had no doubt when I sent him out there and I had no doubt when I went and got him,” Washington said. “I felt good when I sent him out there. He was throwing the ball really good. It just didn’t work out.”

Washington will certainly take a one-run pitching performance, especially considering how it started and how Harrison's last two starts finished. Harrison lost his last two decisions before Tuesday’s game, allowing seven earned runs in 11 1/3 innings to the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels.

“I hope he understands what it takes to go deep in the ballgame,” Washington said. “That’s to make the opponents swing the bats and make that good defense behind you play.”

Matt Harrison pitched seven strong innings and Joe Nathan collected his 10th save as the Rangers evened the series with the Seattle Mariners at a game apiece with a 3-1 win Tuesday.

How it happened: Pitching was the key. Rangers starter Matt Harrison needed 35 pitches to get through a seven-batter first inning in which he gave up one run. Harrison needed just 26 pitches in the next three innings combined. He also had a stretch of nine straight batters retired end with a one-out double in the fifth inning. Harrison pitched into the eighth inning, and he left the game after giving up singles to the first two batters. Mike Adams inherited those two runners and retired the next three to hold the lead at 3-1. Joe Nathan closed the game for his 10th save.

PODCAST
Rangers manager Ron Washington talks with Bryan Dolgin immediately following the Rangers 3-1 win in Seattle. Listen

Seattle's finest: Harrison is now 7-1 in his career against the Mariners. His line Tuesday: 7-plus innings, seven hits, one run, two walks and six strikeouts on 114 pitches (75 for strikes). He is the Rangers' third five-game winner, joining Yu Darvish (6) and Robbie Ross (5).

Messing with Texas: Ichiro Suzuki’s first-inning single gave him 291 career hits against Texas, and his single in the eighth inning moved him past George Brett for the most hits against the Rangers.

Smoak signals: Former Ranger and current Mariner first baseman Justin Smoak drove in the Mariners' first-inning run with a single.

Not in the box score: Josh Hamilton made a great catch with his back to home plate while running down Casper Wells' drive on the warning track in center field to close out the bottom of the first inning and leave the bases filled with Mariners. Hamilton made another catch up against the center-field wall when Alex Liddi led off the third inning.

Walk through: Mariners starting pitcher Hector Noesi was perfect through two, but then he walked the leadoff man in the third and another Ranger with one out. Later that inning with two outs, Elvis Andrus drove in both of those walked batters with his third triple of the season.

In the box score: Hamilton swung on the first pitch following the Andrus two-RBI triple, and he delivered an RBI double for a 3-1 Rangers lead. Prior to that hit, Hamilton was 3-for-18 since his 16-game hitting streak.

Gold glove & off glove: Adrian Beltre made a sweet diving stop of Dustin Ackley’s grounder in the fifth for the second out, but Liddi followed with a grounder off Beltre’s glove for an error. Shockingly, Brendan Ryan, who moved up from second base to third base on that play, did not try to score as the ball rolled toward shallow left-center field. The score stayed at 3-1 with the Rangers leading.

HR drought: Ian Kinsler has not hit a home run in the last 24 games. He has just one RBI in his last 15 games.

Bullpen: Adams has appeared in five of the six games the Rangers played against the Mariners this season.

Rotation: The Rangers starting rotation stays in the same order, which means everyone gets an extra day of rest in between starts thanks to Thursday’s scheduled off day.

The Rangers and Mariners play the first of a three-game series at Safeco Field on Monday night with Yu Darvish facing Felix Hernandez.

PODCAST
Ben and Skin discuss the three most important figures for the Rangers, Mavs, and Cowboys. Who is the most vital to the ultimate success of each organization? Listen

Darvish (6-1, 2.60): This is the first time Darvish will meet an opponent for the second time. In the first meeting, Darvish's major league debut April 9, he allowed five earned runs over 5 2/3 innings in getting a victory. Darvish has 58 strikeouts in his first eight starts of the 2012 season, making him one of just six AL pitchers since 1984 to start a career with that many strikeouts. Darvish went 7 2/3 innings in his last start, Wednesday versus Oakland. Darvish struck out seven and allowed just one run on four hits.

Hernandez (3-3, 3.02): Hernandez is 1-1, with a 0.78 ERA this season at Safeco Field, where he's compiled 27 strikeouts over 23 innings. In his last start, Hernandez took a 9-3 loss at Cleveland, giving up eight runs, six earned, in 3 2/3 innings. He walked three and gave up 10 hits while throwing 103 pitches. He hasn't won a game since May 5 against Minnesota.

Texas hitters: Against Hernandez, Elvis Andrus is hitting .349, Michael Young .288 and Josh Hamilton .195.

Seattle hitters: Ichiro Suzuki is hitting .750 against Darvish, while Dustin Ackley and Chone Figgins are a combined 0-for-6.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HOUSTON -- 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

HOUSTON --The Texas Rangers got a gutty and sloppy pitching effort from Neftali Feliz and some timely hitting to beat the Houston Astros, 4-1, in Game 1 of the Silver Boot series at Minute Maid Park on Friday night.

How it happened: It wasn't the best night for Feliz, but the Rangers bats helped him out early. Adrian Beltre drove in the first of his two runs with a sacrifice fly to center to bring in Ian Kinsler for the first run of the game in the third inning. Nelson Cruz added to the lead with an RBI single to center. In the fifth, the Rangers added one more run on an RBI double by Michael Young, who seems to have broken out of his slump with two hits and a walk. Beltre closed the deal with a solo shot to left field, that if not for that wall in left center, might have landed in Huntsville.

Long night for Feliz: Feliz was chastized by the manager, walked the No. 8 and No. 9 hitters and threw 84 pitches through four innings. When the Rangers starter's night was done, he had thrown 101 pitches in 4 2/3 innings and for a no-decision. Feliz battled trouble all night and couldn't control his fastball. he walked five, hit one batter and allowed just one run on three hits. He also struck out six. Feliz drew the ire of manager Ron Washington in the fourth inning when he walked pitcher Wandy Rodriguez with two outs. Washington jogged to the mound and after a one-sided conversation, headed back to the dugout. Feliz then struck out Jordan Schafer on three pitches. But Washington had seen enough to pull Feliz in the fifth after two more walks sandwiched around two outs. Rookie Robbie Ross retired Brian Bogusevic on a fielder's choice to end the inning. With Feliz out, Ross became the pitcher of record.

Young gets a hit: It's been a tough stretch for Young. He finished the Rangers' seven-game homestand with just four hits in 27 at-bats. He was hitless in his last 11 at-bats until a second-inning single to center ended the string. For the night, Young went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and an RBI. Before the game, Washington said Young will stay in the lineup and he felt his veteran utility man would break out of his slump. He was right and don't expect Young to sit tomorrow against a right-hander, Lucas Harrell, for Mitch Moreland.

Beltre on a tear: Third baseman Beltre has reached base in his last nine games. Friday night he went 2-for-3 with his eighth home run of the season, a blast to left center. Beltre is 12-for-46 during the last nine games with two doubles and two home runs. In the last 21 games, Beltre has six home runs, five doubles and 18 RBIs.

Joe Nathan gets the save: For the first time since 2009, closer Nathan pitched for a fourth consecutive game. Nathan, who picked up his ninth save, had uneventful ninth inning, including a strikeout to end the game. He has two saves in his last four outings and hasn't allowed a run since May 13. Sept. 13-16, Nathan went four consecutive games for the Minnesota Twins, registering three saves during that time.

Notes: Rangers fans were in full force at Minute Maid Park on Friday night. There was a "Let's Go Rangers" chant in the eighth inning. ... Rangers are now 136-131 all-time in interleague play. ... Rangers are 62-72 in NL parks. ... When Feliz pitches, the Rangers normally do well, they're 5-2 in his starts in 2012. ... Friday night was the Rangers' 14th series of the 2012 season which marked the 14th different opponent. When the Rangers begin a three-game set at Seattle on Monday, it will be the first time they've seen an opponent a second time. ... Yu Darvish will speak with reporters Saturday afternoon. ... With Mike Adams unavailable, Koji Uehara took his spot as the setup man in the eighth. He struck out one in a scoreless inning. ... Kinsler was knocked down by a pitch that sailed over his head in the ninth inning by reliever Rhiner Cruz. Kinsler flew out to deep left field and when he got back to the dugout, slammed his helmet into a cubbie hole. Cruz then hit the next batter, Elvis Andrus, who promptly stole second. ... Josh Hamilton, who had a 16-game hitting streak snapped Thursday afternoon, began a new one with a single in the third.

Next: Rangers-Astros play Game 2 of the Silver Boot series at Minute Maid Park. Derek Holland takes on Lucas Harrell at 6:15 p.m.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Ron Washington is managing with one goal in mind: To get the Texas Rangers ready for the stretch drive and postseason.

Yes, even in the middle of May, Washington is thinking about the big picture. That's not to say he doesn't keep his players focused on the present and attempt to win every series they play. But when it comes to having his team fully prepared for the heat of a pennant race in September, Washington sees value in putting together a plan now.

That includes rest. Right now. He watches his players every day and seems to understand when they need a mental break, and he doesn't hesitate to give it to them. If that means sitting two regulars in the same game, so be it.

Monday it was Ian Kinsler and Mike Napoli. Tuesday it was Nelson Cruz and Elvis Andrus. And Wednesday was Michael Young's turn to get a night off, even after Ian Kinsler was a late scratch because of a stomach virus.

Even Josh Hamilton must sit too. That could happen as early as Thursday.

Haven't two World Series appearances built enough trust in Washington's methods for Rangers fans?

Perhaps no manager in the majors has a better sense of the pulse of his team than Washington.

When the Rangers need a swift kick in the rear, he's more than willing to do the kicking. If he feels they need a boost, he'll shower them with compliments even when it seems like it's the last thing they deserve. In the end, no one gets more from his team than Washington.

So if the manager thinks his starters need a break, trust him.

Read the rest of the story here.

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 -- The Texas Rangers are giving Michael Young a night off as manager Ron Washington continues to rest players. Here's lineup for both teams:

OAKLAND
2B Jemile Weeks (S)
CF Collin Cowgill
RF Josh Reddick
LF Seth Smith (L)
DH Kila Ka'aihue (L)
3B Josh Donaldson
1B Daric Barton (L)
C Anthony Recker
SS Eric Sogard (L)

RANGERS
2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
LF Josh Hamilton (L)
3B Adrian Beltre
RF Nelson Cruz
DH Mike Napoli
C Yorvit Torrealba
1B Brandon Snyder
CF Craig Gentry

ARLINGTON, Texas – Don’t hold your breath waiting for Ron Washington to express regret for resting two regulars in each loss to the Royals.

Washington certainly didn’t second-guess himself after keeping Ian Kinsler and Mike Napoli out of the lineup for Monday’s loss. Tuesday’s lineup, which didn’t include the sizzling duo of Elvis Andrus and Nelson Cruz, made that clear.

"I've still got a potent lineup," Washington said before Tuesday’s loss. "I've got enough. If I do one at a time, it will take forever. This is important.”

The leftovers lineups didn’t exactly back up Washington. The Rangers scored a total of five runs while being swept in the two-game series by the Royals.

But these decisions weren’t designed to give the Rangers their best possible chance of beating the Royals. They were designed to maximize the Rangers’ chances of beating the teams they’ll see in the postseason.

“We need them for the rest of the year, not just in May,” said Washington, who also plans to give Josh Hamilton a day off this week.

This isn’t a case of coddling players. Far from it.

Rest assured that Cruz didn’t ask for his first day off all season immediately after homering in back-to-back games for the first time this year. Kinsler and Andrus made it clear that they wanted to be in the lineup but were following manager’s orders.

PODCAST
Ron Washington explains why resting players this early in the season is important and gives his view on whether Yu Darvish is the Rangers' ace. Listen

Washington makes giving his stars occasional mental and physical breaks a priority because he expects the Rangers to make a postseason run.

No, it didn’t work with the Royals in town. But it worked out awfully well while the Rangers won the American League pennant the last two seasons.

If the Rangers are fresh in October again, there won’t be any complaints about a couple of punchless losses to the Royals in May.

The Rangers are giving Elvis Andrus and Nelson Cruz the night off Tuesday against the Royals.

Andrus, who is off to one of his best offensive starts with a .326 average, has reached base in 32 straight games. Cruz, the only Ranger to play every game in the field this season, homered for the second straight night Monday.

"We need them for the rest of the year, not just May," said manager Ron Washington, who kept Ian Kinsler and Mike Napoli out of the lineup for Monday's 3-1 loss to the Royals. "They need a day. I've got to get them a day. Today is theirs."

The lineups:

ROYALS

CF Jarrod Dyson
1B Eric Hosmer
DH Billy Butler
LF Alex Gordon
RF Jeff Francoeur
3B Mike Moustakas
C Brayan Pena
2B Chris Getz
SS Alcides Escobar

RHP Vin Mazzaro is pitching.

RANGERS

2B Ian Kinsler
3B Michael Young
LF Josh Hamilton
DH Adrian Beltre
RF David Murphy
C Mike Napoli
1B Mitch Moreland
SS Alberto Gonzalez
CF Craig Gentry

RHP Colby Lewis is pitching.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- It's an interesting week for the Texas Rangers. They welcome the Kansas City Royals to town for two games followed by the Oakland A's for two before heading to Houston to open interleague play against the Astros, a future AL West rival. A few things to watch this week:

PODCAST
Josh Hamilton just finished one of the greatest weeks of all time, but do the Rangers actually want to sign him? Also, C.J. Wilson gets booed by the fans and the guys say it was in poor taste. Listen

* Josh Hamilton. He's must-see TV these days, especially after his last week. From Monday to Sunday, Hamilton had nine homers and 18 RBIs. He hit .467 (14-for-30) and had an OPS of 1.963. He will be facing a Royals pitching staff that has a 4.58 ERA but has given up the fewest homers of any staff in the league. He'll see better pitching from Oakland, which sports a 3.54 ERA, third in the AL (the Rangers lead at 3.34, by the way).

* Wednesday should be fun with two rookie pitchers with five wins each. Yu Darvish takes the hill in the first game of a two-game set with Oakland and is slated to face left-hander Tommy Milone. He's 5-2 with a 3.92 ERA. Darvish is 5-1 with a 2.84 ERA. The A's are currently second in the AL West as well.

* Elvis Andrus is having his best offensive season to date and it's getting a bit lost thanks to all of Hamilton's exploits. The shortstop bulked up a bit in the offseason and focused on driving more balls, and he's seeing results. He's hitting .328 with one homer and 17 RBIs and continues to show off his glove in the field. He made one of his best plays of the season Sunday night, going behind the bag to glove a ball and flipping it with his glove to Ian Kinsler at second for the out with the bases loaded in a five-run game in the seventh. The play stopped any momentum the Angels appeared to be generating. Andrus' .328 avarage is sixth in the AL.

* Nelson Cruz is heating up. His grand slam Sunday was just the latest example. He was hitting .289 in his previous 13 games before that and then had a four-hit game with four RBIs. If Boomstick becomes a factor again, this lineup gets even better.

* Mark Lowe struggled for the first time all season Sunday. Watch to see how he responds in his next few outings. He's got lots of confidence, so it shouldn't rattle him.

* A handful of Rangers pitchers took batting practice Sunday and more of them are expected to do the same today. Texas faces Houston over the weekend in interleague play, which means the pitchers may hit. They were working on bunting: Ron Washington doesn't want them doing anything but take controlled swings.