Texas Rangers: Michael Young
Matchup: Derek Holland vs. Brandon Morrow
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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
Rangers not concerned with offense
"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.
Lineup: Mitch Moreland starts at 1B
Rangers
2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
CF Josh Hamilton (L)
3B Adrian Beltre
LF David Murphy (L)
RF Nelson Cruz
C Mike Napoli
1B Mitch Moreland (L)
Mariners
2B Dustin Ackley (L)
CF Michael Saunders (L)
RF Ichiro Suzuki (L)
3B Kyle Seager (L)
DH Jesus Montero
1B Justin Smoak (S)
C John Jaso (C)
LF Mike Carp (L)
SS Brendan Ryan
Matchup: Yu Darvish vs. Felix Hernandez
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| 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 |
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.
Darvish gets another shot: Yu Darvish meets the Mariners for the second time this season Monday night. Like the team in general, it's Darvish's first chance to see an opponent a second time. In the first meeting, Texas won 11-5 but Darvish walked four and gave up five earned runs on eight hits. He lasted 5 2/3 innings. He hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in a game since and is 6-1 with a 2.60 ERA this year.
Young's hot streak: Michael Young hit in all three games against the Astros, going 5-for-12 with two doubles and improving his season average from .269 to .280. In the previous seven-game stretch, Young had gone just 4-for-32 with one extra-base hit.
How will Feliz do? Neftali Feliz (3-1, 3.16) will take on Kevin Millwood (2-4, 4.17) in the finale of series Wednesday afternoon, and it will be interesting to see how he responds. Feliz lost a four-run lead Saturday at Houston and was chewed out by manager Ron Washington on the mound and in the dugout. Washington's message to Feliz was simple: The team depends on him to win games and to command the strike zone. Washington said his talk with Feliz should resonate the rest of the season. Here's Feliz's chance to make that happen.
Cruz's bat: Nelson Cruz has taken off the batting gloves and his quad feels much better. This means is hitting the ball better. He had three hits Sunday and said his approach is the same, to drive it and swing at good pitches. But Cruz struggled for a bit and took off his batting gloves Saturday night so he could get a better feel for the bat when he swings. Sunday he swung the bat and ran the bases well. Cruz went through a 2-for-13 spell before getting his three hits Sunday.
Base hits: Mike Napoli should catch Darvish on Monday, and at some point during the Seattle series third baseman Adrian Beltre will get moved to DH. ... The Rangers are tied with Baltimore with the most road wins in the AL (15). Atlanta leads the majors with 16. ... Relief pitcher Mike Adams should be available for this series after missing the entire three-game set with Houston due to a respiratory infection. Adams said it zapped his energy but he's feeling good now. ... The Rangers won three out of four games between the teams earlier this season.
Nelson Cruz gets a hit on a crazy play
With Michael Young at first and one out, Cruz hit a ball that was caught, then dropped by center fielder Justin Maxwell. The third base umpire, Tim McClelland ruled Maxwell dropped the ball.
It appeared Cruz and Young didn't know the ball was dropped in center field. The relay throw to the infield got a little crazy. Cruz passed Young between first and second base. So first baseman Carlos Lee tagged Cruz. Young was also tagged, but he stood on first base when it happened.
The ruling on the field was Cruz was out but Young was safe because he got back to the bag at first and didn't touch second base. The thinking is Young was OK because he was standing on a bag and Cruz wasn't.
Houston Astros officials called Elias Sports Bureau to determine if should Cruz get a hit. He was credited with one, his third of the day, but he was tagged out 3 unassisted.
It was Cruz's seventh three-hit game of the season.
Lineups: Nelson Cruz starts in right
Here we go.
Rangers
2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
CF Josh Hamilton
3B Adrian Beltre
1B Michael Young
LF David Murphy
RF Nelson Cruz
C Yorvit Torrealba
P Colby Lewis
Astros
2B Jose Altuve
SS Jed Lowrie
RF Brian Bogusevic
1B Carlos Lee
LF Travis Buck
3B Chris Johnson
CF Justin Maxwell
C Jason Castro
P Jordan Lyles
Rapid Reaction: Astros 6, Rangers 5
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.
Lineups: David Murphy in left field
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
Michael Young breaks out of slump
His manager, Ron Washington, said he wasn't pulling his utility man out of the lineup.
Young snapped an 0-for-11 slide Friday night with a single in his first at bat during Friday night's 4-1 victory over the Astros.
Young was dealing with some troubles at the plate. In the just completed seven-game homestand, Young hit .148 with just one extra-base hit. Young also had one RBI in the last nine games.
But Friday night, Young had two hits, a walk and one RBI and has picked up a hit in all but 10 of 38 games this season.
"I don't get down on myself and I just concern myself with results," Young said. "I try and make sure I'm focusing on the right things. Obviously when you're not hitting the ball consistently hard, it's time to focus on some fundamentals and try to lock yourself back in. You definitely want to continue to build and keep improving."
Maybe it was the perfect time for Young to leave Arlington and come here. Lifetime at Minute Maid Park, Young is 45-for-127 with 17 RBIs. His numbers are among the highest lifetime for hitters with at least 100 at-bats.
Coming into the game Friday, Young was hitting .333 against Houston since 2009.
"I've been through (tough) stretches before," he said. "I know how to battle through them. The way I see it, anytime there's a cold streak, there's a hot streak right around the corner. Anytime you get out of this, you're better for it. That's the way I look at it."
Rapid Reaction: Rangers 4, Astros 1
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.
Buzz: Joe Nathan will close and Michael Young won't sit
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.
Here are the lineups:
Rangers
2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
LF Josh Hamilton
3B Adrian Beltre
1B Michael Young
RF Nelson Cruz
C Mike Napoli
CF Craig Gentry
P Neftali Feliz
Astros
CF Jordan Schafer
2B Jose Altuve
LF J.D. Martinez
1B Carlos Lee
SS Jed Lowrie
RF Brian Bogusevic
3B Chris Johnson
C Jason Castro
P Wandy Rodriguez
Stocks: Joe Nathan up; Michael Young down

STOCK UP
Joe Nathan: The closer has pitched two perfect innings the past two games with his velocity in the mid-90s. Nathan has settled in to his role after a rocky first week and said he hasn't thrown that hard since 2007.
Yu Darvish: The 25-year-old Japanese pitcher continues to impress. He gave up a first-inning run against Oakland on Wednesday and then didn't allow another one in the next 6 2/3 innings. He ended up with that one run allowed on four hits in 7 2/3 innings for his fifth quality start of the season. Bottom line: Darvish is pitching like an ace.

STOCK DOWN
Michael Young: One of the top hitters in the league has struggled for a few weeks now. Young is 18-for-98 (.184) in his last 23 games, including an 0-for-6 outing against the A's on Thursday. Young's career numbers tell us that he'll snap out of this soon. But it's rare to see Young struggle like this for this long.
Mike Napoli: The Rangers' catcher still isn't comfortable at the plate. He has a strikeout in 28 of 35 games and 42 on the season, which is fifth in the AL. He is 12-for-54 with no homers and four RBIs in his last 16 games. He has just one homer in his last 23 games.
Wash on Michael Young: Obvious he's not himself
ARLINGTON, Texas -- The day off didn’t do Michael Young any good.
His slump -- a word he hates but that accurately describes the funk he’s been in for the past month -- kept going strong. Young is 18-for-98 (.184) over the past 23 games after an 0-for-6 outing that ended with Young flying out for the final out of Thursday’s extra-inning loss to the A’s.
“It’s obvious he’s not Michael,” manager Ron Washington said. “But, I think as he told you guys, he’s been there before. He’ll continue to fight. You go through parts of the year where you have to struggle to find comfort, and it looks like he’s struggling to find comfort. But I know he will. He knows he will. It’s just a matter of continuing to get at-bats.
“Right now, he’s just not comfortable up there. He’ll find it.”
Young’s track record certainly suggests that the slump won’t last much longer. The Rangers’ all-time hits leader has had a .300-plus average in seven of the past nine seasons, recording at least 200 hits in six of those campaigns. He hit a career-best .338 last season.
Young was hitting .414 this season before his struggles started. He’s down to .269 now.
“I’m not hitting the ball as hard as I’d like, but I’ve been through these before,” Young said. “It’s not something I sit there and lose sleep over. I come to the park every day, I work hard, stay the course and expect things to go my way.”
103.3 FM ESPN PODCASTS
Play Podcast Rangers GM Jon Daniels discusses the team's recent struggles, the interest level in Roy Oswalt and more.
Play Podcast Rangers play-by-play voice Eric Nadel says he's not worried about the Rangers lack of offensive production.
Play Podcast Ron Washington breaks down Matt Harrison's consistency, has no regrets about resting his players and says he isn't concerned over Yu Darvish's rough start.
Play Podcast Rangers outfielder David Murphy talks about his inside-the-park home run, Yu Darvish's last start and more.
Play Podcast Rangers president Nolan Ryan comments on Neftali Feliz's injury, the club's interest in Roy Oswalt, re-signing Josh Hamilton and more.
Play 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?
TEAM LEADERS
| WINS LEADER | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Yu Darvish
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| OTHER LEADERS | ||||||||||||
| BA | J. Hamilton | .379 | ||||||||||
| HR | J. Hamilton | 18 | ||||||||||
| RBI | J. Hamilton | 49 | ||||||||||
| R | I. Kinsler | 36 | ||||||||||
| OPS | J. Hamilton | 1.187 | ||||||||||
| ERA | Y. Darvish | 3.05 | ||||||||||
| SO | Y. Darvish | 63 | ||||||||||




