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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 -- Rangers manager Ron Washington had a Nino Brown-like conversation with starter Neftali Feliz on Friday night.

Feliz gave up just one run but labored the though the outing, throwing 101 pitches and walking five in 4 2/3 innings before getting pulled by Washington one out away from qualifying for the victory.

Feliz had trouble controlling his fastball, and his release point was way off. Washington chewed him out on the mound after walking pitcher Wandy Rodriguez with two outs in the fourth. Feliz retired the next hitter, Jordan Schafer, via strikeout.

When Feliz got to the dugout, Washington was waiting for him and used the interpreter to make sure his points were getting across. Washington said he told Feliz the team depends on him and to get his act together.

"I had a deep conversation with him with the translator to make sure what I was saying was being heard and being felt," Washington said. "I wanted him to hear how much the guys depend on him and sometimes things don't go right when you're out there on the field, but you got to find it in yourself to straighenten it out the best you can. Not that he wasn't trying, it's just he tried hard but it just couldn't get there, so the decision (to pull him) fell in my lap and I had to make it.

Washington said he wasn't trying to send a message to Feliz by pulling him just one out from a victory, saying it was more situational. But Washington got his message across.

"What I said then should resonate for days to come," Washington said.

Notes: Closer Joe Nathan most likely won't pitch Saturday night. He's gone the last four days and has never pitched in five consecutive games. Nathan said he feels good, but it might not be in the best interest for any pitcher to go five consecutive days.

Yu Darvish threw a bullpen session Saturday afternoon. He's said in the past that his bullpen sessions weren't very good, but he's certainly been able to pitch well.

"Normally it's not that good when I was in Japan," Darvish said through an interpreter. "Today I was OK. Anyway, it doesn't affect my starts."

We'll have more on this later, but expect Mike Adams to need another day of rest. He's battling a respiratory infection that has zapped his energy. The Rangers have gone to reliever Koji Uehara in the late innings. Uehara pitched the eighth inning of Friday night's victory and should do so again Saturday if necessary.

Uehara hasn't allowed a run in 10 1/3 innings and has lowered his ERA from 4.50 to 1.26.

"Hopefully, I'll be able to continue to produce," he said through an interpreter.

HOUSTON -- Joe Nathan couldn't remember the last time he's pitched in five consecutive games, but the Texas Rangers closer said he would do so if asked.

Friday night, Nathan earned his ninth save of the season in the Rangers' 4-1 victory over the Astros. Nathan was pitching for the fourth consecutive game. It's the first time Nathan has done so since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2010.

Nathan had a 1-2-3 ninth inning, throwing 21 pitches.

"I felt strong, I felt sharp," he said. "I made sure I threw strikes. I didn't want to go 3-2 with the first two guys, but I know in situations you can't walk guys. I tried to keep pumping strikes and get guys to put them in play."

There was concern about Nathan's availability after pitching three consecutive days, and manager Ron Washington wasn't sure before the game if his closer could or wanted to do it.

Washington said he would ask Nathan about his ability to pitch for a fourth consecutive day and the closer responded well.

The Rangers didn't have setup man Mike Adams available, so Washington juggled the bullpen responsibilities by moving Koji Uehara to Adams' spot.

Uehara threw a scoreless eighth inning, extending his scoreless streak to 10 1/3 innings. His ERA is now 1.26.

That left the ninth for Nathan, who threw the fastball with consistency on both sides of the plate.

It was the first time Nathan has pitched four consecutive days since Sept. 13-16, 2009, when he pitched for Minnesota.

"I know it's been a while, but I had Tommy John," Nathan said. "I knew we weren't going to do it in 2010 because I didn't throw an inning (due to the surgery). It was kind of tough to do it in a comeback year (2011). I think everybody with the Twin Cities were cautious in 2011. I think I threw only one back-to-back maybe once that year. It's a situation where I'm feeling better, I'm feeling stronger and I think everybody here is getting more comfortable putting me out there on consecutive days."

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.

HOUSTON -- Texas Rangers closer Joe Nathan has pitched the last three games and is most likely available for Friday night's game at the Houston Astros.

Nathan has gone three innings over the last three games with five strikeouts, posting a 0.71 ERA. He is tied for fourth in the AL with eight saves.

"I haven't talked to him yet, but if there's a closing situation, you will see Nathan," Rangers manager Ron Washington said before the game.

Washington said reliever Mike Adams is not available to pitch. He's thrown 11 pitches the last two days, including six Thursday in taking the loss to the Oakland A's.

Washington said Koji Uehara will replace Adams out of the bullpen in the late innings. Uehara extended his scoreless streak to 9 1/3 innings with a scoreless eighth inning Tuesday night vs. Kansas City. He hasn't allowed a run since giving up a home run April 21 at Detroit. He leads AL pitchers with a 15-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Michael Young, baring a sudden change, will play all three games in this NL park.

Young is slumping.

He's hitless in his last 11 at bats and went .148 on the just completed seven-game homestand.

Washington said it's not a hard decision to keep Young in the lineup and play first base despite what Mitch Moreland is doing.

Moreland hit .429 over the last seven games, with eight RBIs and three home runs.

"I'm not taking Michael out of the lineup," Washington said. Later he said, "he's going to come out of this. He just doesn't look very comfortable and that happens, and sometimes you can't find that spot in that box to get comfortable. It's like most things, when you're talking about a tremendous guy that has a great eye-hand coordination. It could happen today."

Starter Derek Holland said he had one bullpen session this week and feels good about his start Saturday night against Lucas Harrell. Holland said he couldn't remember how many pitches he threw in the session but didn't work on anything specifically.

Nolan Ryan and Josh Hamilton were sought after people by the Houston media.

Ryan said he's happy to see the Astros playing much better than last year and follows them every game.

Hamilton said it was good to have a day off and even noted, "I slept in a little bit and I came in and I relaxed a little bit and didn't have to rush and get a routine in."

On his 16-game hitting streak ending after he came in as a pinch-hitter Thursday: "I didn't know what type of hitting streak I was on."

Hamilton said Nathan informed him the streak was over.

"Whatever, show up and play," Hamilton said.

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 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.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers wasted little time in jumping on the Angels, using a six-run first inning -- that took a lot longer than expected thanks to a nearly two-hour rain delay -- on their way to a 10-3 victory. Texas had 15 hits. Yu Darvish pitched well, staying in after the delay, and Josh Hamilton added two more homers to increase his MLB-leading total to 17 this season.

What it means: The win means the Rangers are eight games ahead of the Angels in the AL West and move to a MLB-best 22-11. Oakland beat the Tigers, so the Rangers' lead remains five games over the A's, the largest division lead in the AL.

Darvish solid yet again: Don't let the line deceive you. Yu Darvish was very good Friday. He stayed loose through a 1-hour, 56-minute rain delay and got through 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs -- all of them on two homers (one by Mike Trout in the third, the other by Torii Hunter in the sixth) with seven strikeouts and three walks. Darvish's slider was very effective, but he didn't try to do anything fancy after he got staked to a 6-0 lead in the first. To Darvish's credit, he attacked hitters with his fastball and changed speeds with the slider but didn't appear to get caught up in throwing his entire arsenal.

Infield hits: The Rangers got things going in the first thanks to three infield singles. Elvis Andrus started it, followed by Hamilton (who slid headfirst into first even though no throw was made) and then Adrian Beltre. The Beltre grounder might have started an inning-ending double play, but Howie Kendrick didn't field it cleanly and then made an errant throw to first. Wilson then walked Michael Young to load the bases for Nelson Cruz. And that's when the rain came.

Flood gates open after rain quits: Cruz hit the first pitch he saw from Jerome Williams (who replaced C.J. Wilson) on the ground between shortstop and third base for a two-run single. That made it 3-0. Mike Napoli's ground ball was thrown to second, but the throw was not in time and the bases were loaded as another run scored. Then, Craig Gentry's two-run triple put the Rangers up 6-0 after the first inning.

Rain ends Wilson's start early: Wilson threw just 22 pitches (12 strikes) in his first start at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington as an Angel. But a nearly two-hour delay forced Wilson from the game as Williams, the scheduled starter for Saturday's game, came into the game in relief. Wilson's line: 1/3 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.

Torrealba hit by bat: Catcher Yorvit Torrealba was hit by Albert Pujols' bat as the slugger followed through on his swing in the first inning, and suffered a head contusion. He left the game after the rain delay. Pujols' bat broke, but the part of the bat he still had in his hands hit Torrealba in the head, knocking off his mask. He was looked at by manager Ron Washington and head athletic trainer Jamie Reed and stayed in for the next batter before he exited after the rain left. Napoli went to catcher and Mitch Moreland, who pinch-hit for Torrealba in the first after the rain delay, played first.

Hamilton homers twice: Josh Hamilton continued his ridiculous season (and, in particular, past week) at the plate. He had two home runs Friday -- one was a pitching wedge to right field with serious hang time, the other a 3-iron line drive -- and now has 17 homers this season. After the second homer in the fourth, Hamilton had eight home runs in his past 17 at-bats (five games). ... He has 17 home runs in the club's first 33 games (Friday was Hamilton's 30th game). According to baseball-reference.com, the only other two players since 1918 to hit that many homers in their team's first 33 games of a season were Cy Williams with the Phillies in 1923 and Frank Howard with the Senators in 1968. ... At one point, manager Ron Washington just shook his head at Hamilton, probably amazed (like everyone else) by what Hamilton is doing right now. ... It was his sixth career multihit game and his second of the season. ... Hamilton came up with first base open and two outs in the fifth and the Angels intentionally walked him.

Dugout warnings: Williams threw behind Ian Kinsler in the fifth. It's unclear why, though it's possible that it was because the Rangers continued to put runners on the move in a 9-2 game (and if that's the reason, I'm perplexed because it's the fifth inning and you never know if a team can scratch back in it with four innings left and if you wanted to send that kind of message, it would make more sense to hit Gentry, who had stolen one before ... so I don't know). Williams and both dugouts were warned. Darvish did end up throwing inside and hitting Mark Trumbo with one out in the sixth. It's unclear if that was Darvish's way of sticking up for his teammate. But that was Darvish's last batter, as Ron Washington opted to go with Mark Lowe to get the last two outs of the sixth inning.

Wilson booed during intros: It was not surprising to hear boos when Wilson was introduced by public address announcer Chuck Morgan. Read more about that here.

Napoli going triple crazy: Napoli, who went two years without a triple before hitting one Thursday night in Baltimore, hit another one Friday. He hit a long fly ball to left that Vernon Wells couldn't track down and he slid in just safely at third.

Aggressive running: The Rangers were aggressive on the bases as usual. Andrus and Gentry had stolen bases, while Cruz was thrown out. But Texas wasn't afraid to keep the pressure on, even with a six-run lead.

Streaks continue: Andrus singled in the first, pushing his hitting streak to 11 games and has been on base in 29 consecutive games this season, the current high in the big leagues.

Pujols 0-for-4: Pujols' batting average dipped to .192 after he went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. He didn't get a ball out of the infield.

Walk streak ends: Koji Uehara issued his first walk since Aug. 6, 2011 vs. Cleveland. He went a club-record 28 consecutive appearances without a walk before Friday. But he pitched a scoreless eighth.

Tidbits: Mike Trout was running on a pitch in the seventh and thought it was a foul ball. So after he got to second, he started to head back to first until someone yelled at him. The Rangers weren't covering the bag, so he wasn't tagged out, but he was smiling. ... Kudos to the crowd of 48,201, the club's seventh straight sellout, for staying through the delay. ... Moreland's homer in the seventh hit the ribbon board on the Home Run Porch in right (402 feet). It was his fourth homer of the season. ... Lowe pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts.

Up next: It's a quick turnaround, as the Rangers and Angels play at 12:05 p.m. Saturday. Matt Harrison will be on the mound for the Rangers.

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 -- Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington isn't taking any chances. Neither is Adrian Beltre, for that matter.

Beltre said his strained left hamstring felt good enough in early work to make him a player in tonight's game. But he's not in the field. Not yet, anyway. He took grounders and moved around with no issues, but Washington wants to see how Beltre feels after getting more at-bats as the designated hitter. It's Beltre's first start since last Monday in Toronto.

"We'll see how he comes out of that," Washington said. "I want to put hiim in the field as much as everyone wants to see him there. But I want to be sure we can keep him there."

Beltre said he's taking things day to day as he tries to make sure the hamstring injury doesn't turn into something long-term. He's going through treatment every day and trying different things before the game to test it out, though nothing that would risk hurting it more. Asked if he was going crazy, Beltre said: "You could say that."

Beltre has managed hamstring issues for a while now. He's trying to make sure he listens to his body and doesn't push it when he doesn't have to do so.

"I'm just trying not to go crazy running," Beltre said. "I'm going to be limping, for sure. I'm going to protect it. I have to be smart and not try to stretch a single into a double or try to score on a close play or anything like that. For now, I'll go station to station and hopefully get better."

Beltre said it took a while last year when he returned to feel like he could go all out. But he also didn't want to test it too much, either.

Other notes:

* If the Rangers ever get into a situation where a position player has to pitch, like the Orioles did Sunday, Washington said he'd go with Mitch Moreland. The Rangers first baseman admits he was a bit jealous of Chris Davis, the former Ranger who threw two scoreless innings and got the win in Baltimore's 17-inning victory over the Red Sox.

"That was pretty cool," Moreland said. "I've pitched a lot in college, and it's something I think would be fun. But I hope it doesn't come to that for us. If I ever needed to, I'd love to."

Moreland said he was a late-inning reliever in college and that his longest outing was four innings.

"I'll be ready to go if they need me," Moreland said.

* Washington said his gut told him to put Nelson Cruz in the lineup tonight, no matter who was pitching. Cruz is just 3-for-26 on this road trip and hitting .216 overall this season. In his last 15 at-bats with runners in scoring position, Cruz has just two hits.

"One swing could be the difference," Washington said, knowing Cruz is a streaky hitter and sometimes one big hit can spark him into a long streak of success.

The skipper said he'd like to get Cruz a day off but hasn't had the opportunity yet.

* Brandon Snyder was in the lineup Monday because Washington wanted to let him hit against a left-handed starter. He said it didn't have to do with the fact that Snyder was once an Oriole.

* Koji Uehara, a former Oriole, is back in Baltimore this week. His family lives here and his son, Kaz, was in the clubhouse prior to the game. Kaz, who is probably around five years old, is a lefty.

The Rangers fell, 11-5, in Toronto with Josh Hamilton and Adrian Beltre sitting out. Matt Harrison struggled and was unable to get through the fourth inning. Some thoughts:

What it means: Texas drops to 17-8 and is now 9-3 on the road. They will fly to Cleveland and get an off day there tomorrow.

Two straight losses: The Rangers lost for the second straight game for the first time all season. The last time they lost at least two in a row in the regular season was Aug. 23-25, when they lost the final three games of a four-game series in Arlington against Boston (last time they lost two straight overall was World Series Game 6 and 7, of course). Pretty impressive run.

Harrison struggles (again): Matt Harrison didn't last four innings, giving up eight runs on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings. His ERA is now 5.40. After just three starts, it was one of the best ERAs in the league. Harrison wasn't able to fool the Blue Jay hitters and did something he avoided for much of last season: gave up a big inning. Toronto scored six runs in the fourth inning. That's the second rough outing in a row for Harrison, who gave up seven runs (six earned) to Tampa Bay on 14 hits in five innings in his last start. So he's allowed 22 hits in his last 8 1/3 innings to go along with 14 earned runs. Not good.

Big inning rare for Harrison: The last time Harrison allowed five or more runs in the same inning was April 27, 2011, to these same Toronto Blue Jays. That time it was in Arlington. He lasted just three innings that night. After that, he allowed five or more earned runs in an entire start just twice.

PODCAST
Ron Washington discusses Matt Harrison's location struggles and the Rangers' health following an 11-5 loss in Toronto. Listen

First major league homer: Brandon Snyder hit the first big league homer of his career in the second. He was in the lineup while some of the other Rangers had the day off. It was the first time manager Ron Washington went with an all-righty lineup.

Nice picks: Mike Napoli played first base (and said his eye was fine after having an ocular migraine). He made two great picks on bouncing throws off the turf. Napoli seems to get better and better at first.

Andrus aggressive: Elvis Andrus went from first to third in the first inning to put runners at second and third with one out. But Andrus tried to score on a ground ball to short and was thrown out. He stayed in a rundown long enough to get Michael Young to third, but the Rangers didn't score in the inning.

Andrus still hot: Andrus continues to swing the bat well. He had a two-run double in the fifth inning and had his ninth multi-hit game of the season. That includes three straight against the Blue Jays. Andrus was 7-for-14 with four RBIs in this series.

Feldman gives up three: Scott Feldman came in and had a couple of scoreless innings before running into trouble in the sixth. He gave up a single, a walk and then a three-run homer to Edwin Encarnacion to turn an 8-5 game into an 11-5 affair.

Tidbits: The Rangers are off Thursday in Cleveland before playing three games against the Tribe. It's their only off day until May 24, following a six-game road trip to Houston and Seattle. ... This is the second series loss for the Rangers this season and the second straight after falling to Tampa Bay in two out of three.

Up next: Texas faces Cleveland on Friday with Colby Lewis on the mound. They'll play two night games Friday and Saturday and a day game Sunday before heading to Baltimore for four games.

The Texas Rangers started their 10-game, 11-day road trip the way they wanted, with another great performance from Yu Darvish and a 4-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Some quick thoughts:

What it means: Texas is now a big league best 17-6 and Darvish is 4-0 and looking more and more like the guy the Rangers scouted in Japan. The Rangers are 9-1 on the road in 2012. Darvish and Robbie Ross are the first pair of rookie teammates to go 4-0 in April.

Darvish dominates: Darvish looked a lot like the guy who dominated the New York Yankees last week. He went seven innings and struck out nine Blue Jays on 97 pitches, meaning he still managed to have a solid pitch count despite all the Ks. He threw his wide assortment of pitches and followed a similar plan to last week: get ahead in the count early and then rely on great movement from his breaking stuff, especially a nasty slider and a nice curve. Darvish's cutter was a good pitch for him, too. His only blemish was a solo home run to Edwin Encarnacion, the Jays' top hitter this season, in the fourth. It was his eighth homer of the year and 21st RBI, which leads Toronto in both categories.

Four wins: Darvish has four wins on the season and his ERA dropped to 2.18. Since allowing five runs in his first two big league innings April 9 vs. Seattle, Darvish has given up just three earned runs in 31 innings (0.87 ERA). He's also got 19 strikeouts in his last 15 1/3 innings and just four walks.

Out of early trouble: Darvish walked Adam Lind, who seems to play well against Texas, on four pitches to start the second and then hit Encarnacion. But with two on and no outs, Darvish pitched his way out of the jam. He got Eric Thames to fly out to left field, which didn't advance the runners, and struck out Brett Lawrie on a nasty slider and Colby Rasmus on a 79 mph curveball.

Defense solid, too: Darvish is athletic and it shows in his ability to quickly get off the mound (his mechanics that have him going straight toward the plate and not falling off to one side or the other help, too). He covered the bag well on a ground ball to Mitch Moreland in the third.

Hamilton sits: Josh Hamilton, who has back stiffness, was not in the lineup Monday. He's listed as day-to-day but got another day to give the back time to loosen up.

Back-to-back jacks include Gentry HR: Craig Gentry had one career big league homer before Monday -- an inside-the-park home run Sept. 23 last season against Seattle. He's now driven a ball out of the park for a conventional homer. Gentry did it off lefty Evan Crawford, who replaced starter Kyle Drabek. Moreland blasted a homer right before Gentry and it was his second off a left-handed pitcher. Maybe that will give Moreland some confidence.

Drabek solid, too: It's worth nothing that Drabek pitched well against a tough Rangers lineup. He gave up two runs on five hits in six innings with eight strikeouts. But some long innings drove his pitch count up, ending his night earlier than Darvish's.

Cruz'n up the middle: Manager Ron Washington talked on the club's last homestand about how he wanted to see Nelson Cruz stay in the middle of the field and quit trying to pull balls. He did a nice job of that on a hanging curveball in the second. Cruz belted one to right-center and scored Adrian Beltre, who led off the inning with a double. Cruz struggled over the homestand and said he hadn't really felt comfortable. Maybe this will get him going.

Andrus stays hot: SS Elvis Andrus came into Monday's game off a nice homestand (7-for-21). He kept things going in the third with a double to center to score Ian Kinsler. As he usually does, Kinsler found a way to get on base with a walk and then scored from first on the double. That gave Texas a 2-0 lead.

Tidbits: Michael Young played third base while Beltre got a game off from his feet as the DH. Young started a 5-4-3 double play in the fifth. ... Andrus made a nice throw in the hole at short in the eighth and then Kinsler dove to his right and got an out right after that. Two nice defensive plays helped keep Toronto off the bases. ... Mike Adams got his sixth hold (ties him with Alexi Ogando for team lead) with a scoreless eighth. ... Joe Nathan pitched a 1-2-3 ninth and his fastball touched 95 mph. Solid stuff from the bullpen.

Up next: Neftali Feliz, who had his last start skipped to watch his innings count, climbs on the mound against RHP Drew Hutchinson. The game is at 6:07 p.m. on FSSW and ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers scored four runs in the seventh inning to break open a close game and even the series with a 7-2 win. Colby Lewis allowed just one run in six innings and then turned things over to the bullpen. Some quick thoughts:

What it means: Texas moves to 16-5 on the season and moves 5 1/2 games up on both Seattle and Oakland, who lost Saturday. The Angels remain nine back. The Rangers have a chance to win their seventh consecutive series to start the season if they can beat Tampa Bay on Sunday.

Another quality start: Lewis had his fifth straight quality start to begin the season. It's the first time since Opening Day that he didn't pitch into the seventh inning. Lewis allowed one run -- a solo homer to Matt Joyce to lead off the second -- on three hits with five strikeouts. He did issue three walks.

Walk streak ends in first: Lewis' streak of not issuing a walk ended with one out in the first. That one-third of an inning doesn't count toward the streak, so it ends after 25 2/3 consecutive innings. That was sixth-longest in club history and four innings shy of the team record. Lewis faced 104 batters without walking one before Ben Zobrist walked with one out in the first.

Hamilton clutch again: Josh Hamilton didn't take long to add to his AL-leading RBI total. He hit a 2-2 cutter to left field to score Ian Kinsler (who led off with a walk) and Elvis Andrus (who doubled) to give the Rangers an early 2-0 lead. Hamilton also stole second base (his second SB of the season) and went to third on a wild pitch in the dirt but was stranded there.

Key insurance runs: Texas led 2-1 in the sixth and had Hamilton at third with two outs when Nelson Cruz hit a ball to deep short. Elliot Johnson tried to backhand it but didn't do it cleanly and by the time he picked up the ball, Cruz beat out the throw as Hamilton crossed the plate. It was scored an E6 and put the Rangers up 3-1. ... In the seventh, Mitch Moreland scored when Molina, clearly worried about a squeeze possibility, threw to third to try to chase Moreland back. The throw hit Moreland and rolled away, allowing him to score.

Beltre makes another team pay: First, the New York Yankees tried intentionally walking Hamilton and pitching to Beltre (it worked the first time, but not the second). On Saturday, Tampa Bay tried and failed. Hamilton was walked to put two on with two out in the seventh. Beltre hit a 361-foot home run to right to make it 7-1. It was Beltre bobblehead night.

Three outs?: Rays catcher Jose Molina thought a strikeout of David Murphy in the fourth was the third out of the inning, so he didn't even attempt a throw to second to get Michael Young, who stole the bag. Molina started to head to the dugout. Starter Jeff Niemann was able to get Yorvit Torrealba to end the inning, so no damage done.

Nice defense: Elvis Andrus continued his errorless streak to 53 games and made a nifty play to start a double play in the sixth. He went to his left (and was shaded toward the bag) on a ground ball by Evan Longoria and flipped it with his glove to second base where Michael Young made the relay throw to first. It was not an easy play, but Andrus handled it smoothly.

Murphy's magic: David Murphy had two nice defensive plays in the seventh inning. He sprinted to his left toward the left-field line and made a nice running catch to rob Elliot Johnson of a hit. Almost before he could catch his breath, Molina hit a long fly ball toward the wall. Murphy caught the ball against the wall where the videoboard with the MLB scores is shown. He got a huge hand from the sellout crowd.

Record fans: The Rangers had their fifth straight sellout, a franchise record. It breaks the previous mark of four straight from July 15-25, 1994.

Struggles: Nelson Cruz and Michael Young have had difficulties this homestand. Cruz is 3-for-17 and Young is 2-for-19 in the past five games.

Tidbits: Kinsler scored in the first inning, pushing his AL-leading total to 22 runs scored this season. Hamilton was second when the day started. ... The Rangers were patient at the plate and willing to take their walks. Kinsler took one to lead off the game and eventually scored and they had three walks off starter Jeff Niemann. All three started off innings and put pressure on the Rays. ... Mitch Moreland keeps swinging the bat better. He had two more hits and has five this homestand to get his average over .200 for the season. ... Koji Uehara finished off the game in the ninth after the Rangers got the big lead.

Up next: The Rangers finish this three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. LHP Derek Holland takes on LHP David Price at 7:05 p.m. The game can be heard on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM.