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Yu Darvish struggled with his control and had his shortest outing of the season as the Rangers fell to the Seattle Mariners 6-1 on Monday night.

How it happened: Walks have been an issue for Darvish in his rookie campaign. He had 26 coming into his ninth start -- his second against the Mariners. He issued a career-high six free passes in his four innings of work Monday, and three of those walked batters scored. Darvish left with a 5-0 deficit and took his second loss of the season. ... Felix Hernandez had the Rangers headed toward their first shutout until Mitch Moreland led off the eighth inning with his seventh home run, only the fourth allowed by Hernandez this season. Hernandez lasted eight innings for his fourth win.

PODCAST
Rangers manager Ron Washington visits with Bryan Dolgin to talk about Yu Darvish and the Rangers' 6-1 loss to the Mariners. Listen

Ichiro owns Yu: Ichiro Suzuki was 3-for-4 when he faced Darvish in Arlington. On Monday night, Ichiro went 2-for-4 with an RBI triple in the first inning and an RBI single in the third. It all adds up to a 5-for-8 line against Darvish, with a double, triple, two RBIs and three runs scored.

Neftali Feliz shelved: Rangers general manager Jon Daniels joined the radio broadcast in the third inning on the Texas Rangers ESPN Radio Network and talked about Feliz being placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained UCL (ulner collateral ligament) in his right elbow.

“The prognosis is actually pretty good given it’s the type of sprain [the medical staff] think can heal with time and medicine,” Daniels told Eric Nadel during the radio broadcast. “There’s a chance he could start throwing after four weeks, but more likely it will be another two. Potentially six weeks down and then start a throwing program.”

Tateyama recalled: RHP Yoshinori Tateyama took the Feliz's spot on the 25-man roster. He was 1-0 with a 0.54 ERA in 12 relief appearances at Triple-A Round Rock. Tateyama went two innings against the Mariners on Monday and gave up one run and struck out two.

Feldman filling in: RHP Scott Feldman takes Feliz’s spot in the starting rotation for now. He will start Wednesday afternoon's tilt.

First move: The Feliz roster move is the first on the 25-man roster for the Rangers this season. May 21 is now the latest date the Rangers have ever gone in a season before making their first roster move. The previous latest move was May 9, 1976, when John Ellis was placed on the DL with a fractured ankle and Ken Pape was recalled from the minors.

Sick talk: Dave Barnett was ill and unable to join Tom Grieve for the television broadcast. Steve Busby moved to the TV booth. Eric Nadel handled the radio broadcast solo until Jon Daniels joined him during the third, fourth and fifth innings. Former MLB pitcher Bill Krueger joined Nadel for the sixth and seventh innings.

SEATTLE, Wash. -- We're all set here in Seattle for the first of a three-game set between the Rangers and Mariners. Michael Young shifts back to the designated hitter spot and Mitch Moreland gets the start at first base. Here are the lineups:

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

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.

There was plenty of talk late Thursday afternoon in the in-game Rangers chat and even this morning on Twitter and email about manager Ron Washington's decision to pinch hit Brandon Snyder for Mitch Moreland in the seventh inning of Thursday's eventual 5-4, 10-inning loss to the A's.

My colleague, Tim MacMahon, certainly questioned the decision, as he wrote here. And that's the great thing about baseball: We can debate strategy all the time.

But I had no issues with Washington's decision Thursday. Yes, Mitch Moreland had hit two homers, but both came against right-handed starter Brandon McCarthy. Moreland's numbers against lefties are, in a word, terrible. He's 3-for-16 vs. lefties this season. Want a longer track record? He's got a .224 career average vs. southpaws.

Snyder, on the other hand, has been crushing left-handed pitching so far this season. He was 8-for-22 (.363) with three homers and seven RBIs before that at-bat. The percentage is way in Snyder's favor over Moreland there. Homers or not, Moreland hasn't hit left-handed pitching. Essentially, Washington wanted to try to win that game in the seventh inning. And when the A's brought in lefty Jordan Norberto, who is holding lefties to a .217 average with one RBI this season, Washington played the percentages.

What if Moreland walks up there and does what he's done throughout his career against lefties in that seventh inning? Are we all talking about how Washington didn't utilize his bench? Of course we are. Washington had a hot hitter against lefties ready to go and went with him. It didn't work out. But to then say the decision was flawed because Snyder came up again two innings later in a completely different situation isn't fair. Washington is trying to win the game right there in the seventh. He felt Snyder was his best option and the numbers say he's right -- two homers by Moreland or not.

But that's just me (and Mike Peasley, I might add). What about you? Are you still fired up about this decision?

ARLINGTON, Texas – Rangers manager Ron Washington didn’t hesitate for a second before pinch-hitting for Mitch Moreland. Didn’t second-guess it after the fact, either.

“Not at all,” Washington said after the Rangers wrapped up their disappointing homestand with a 5-4 loss to the Oakland A’s in 10 innings. “Not at all.”

The decision to pull Moreland for Brandon Snyder with the go-ahead run on second base in the bottom of the seventh inning was purely a by-the-numbers call. Oakland brought in southpaw Jordan Norberto from the bullpen, so Washington went with the right-handed bat off the bench.

Never mind that Moreland had homered off righty starter Brandon McCarty in his previous two at-bats. That wasn’t a factor in Washington’s mind.

Why not?

“Have you been watching many ballgames? Well, there’s your answer,” Washington said tersely. “With Moreland facing lefties, what does it look like?”

Moreland’s precious few opportunities against lefties usually haven’t been pretty. He’s 3-for-16 with a solo homer against southpaws this season. In his career, Moreland has a .224 average and two homers in 147 at-bats against lefties.

“That’s that,” Washington said.

Snyder was 8-for-22 with three homers and seven RBIs against lefties this season when Washington told him to grab a bat. He’s 8-for-23 after hitting a routine fly ball to center field to end the inning.

Under normal circumstances, this was a no-brainer decision. But these weren’t normal circumstances, as Moreland had powered balls over the fences in left and right field in his previous two trips to the plate, recording the fourth two-homer game of his career.

That continued a stellar stretch for Moreland, whose early-season slump is a distant memory now. He is 21-for-56 (.375) with four doubles and five homers in his last 18 games. But Moreland can’t earn the manager’s trust to face lefties in critical situations by hitting righties hard.

Washington isn’t ready to publicly declare the 26-year-old Moreland purely a platoon player, but his decision during the seventh inning Thursday sent a pretty strong message.

“I want to get as many at-bats as I can,” Moreland said. “I always want to play. That’s just the way it goes.

“He’s the manager. He makes the decisions.”

This decision came back to bite the Rangers, whether Washington wants to admit it or not.

Snyder batted again with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, weakly grounding out to first base off of right-hander Ryan Cook. Would Moreland have fared better? We’ll never know, but the numbers would have favored him.

In the top of the 10th, a diving Snyder couldn’t stop Daric Barton’s ground ball from rolling into right field for a single that moved the winning run to third base. Would Moreland have fielded the ball? We’ll never know, but he’s a superior fielder and the ball was to his glove side, while Snyder had to try to backhand it.

But Washington’s decision was based on trying to win the game in the seventh inning. He trusted Snyder in that situation, not Moreland.

And, as far as the manager is concerned, it doesn't matter what kind of day Moreland was having up until that point.

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 -- It's just too risky to miss one of Josh Hamilton's at-bats right now. The Texas Rangers slugger is capable of doing things rarely done in this game every time he steps to home plate. Why wouldn't you watch every swing?

"It's a show getting to come watch him every day," first baseman Mitch Moreland said.

For the first time since his historic four-homer game in Baltimore on Tuesday, the hometown fans got a chance to see the show for themselves. And Hamilton gave them a taste of what his week has been like in the Rangers' 10-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels.

Hamilton belted two more home runs -- one of the high-arching variety and the other a line-drive shot -- to give him 17 on the season. He's just the third player since 1918 (according to baseball-reference.com) to hit 17 homers in his club's first 33 games of the season. And remember: Hamilton missed three games in Toronto with a stiff back. He has hit the 17 homers in just 30 games.

But he has hit eight of those homers in his last 18 at-bats (five games) in a remarkable display of power. The only thing that has slowed him this week is Mother Nature, though the rain hasn't dampened his hot bat. Of course, opposing managers may try to slow him by walking him more. But that comes with a big risk too, as you face the power of Adrian Beltre, not to mention the rest of a deep lineup after that.

"He's the most gifted player in the game," teammate Michael Young said. "He's capable of doing things like this. So obviously, we want it to last as long as possible."

With every at-bat, Hamilton's stock is soaring as he competes in the final year of his contract. It's a reminder of what he can do when he's healthy and feeling good at the plate.

Hamilton, who briefly answered a question or two before heading home to get some rest before an early game Saturday, said he felt good and was touched by the standing ovation he received. The Rangers played a video montage of Hamilton's four-homer game from Tuesday and showed him on the videoboard. The crowd of 48,201 stood and cheered and Hamilton tipped his glove.

"That was cool," Hamilton said. "You don't know what to do in that instance because it's in the middle of the game. But I appreciate the fans."

Hamilton's week has impressed his teammates, though many of them have repeatedly said he has the ability to do things that most people in the game can't.

"He's as locked in as I've ever seen him," Moreland said. "He's done some pretty unbelievable stuff on the field and it just continues. Hopefully, he can keep it going. It's good to have that guy in the middle of your lineup."

Moreland hit a home run to right field as well. So was he trying to match Hamilton?

"I've got about 10 more to hit in the next two games to match him," Moreland said, laughing.

Hamilton is the first player to hit seven home runs over a four-game stretch since the Dodgers' Hee Seop Choi (June 10-14, 2005). He has 40 RBIs through his club's first 33 games, second in club history to Juan Gonzalez's 42 in 1998. Just a reminder: Gonzalez had a crazy 157 RBIs in 154 games that season in winning his second AL MVP award.

Sound familiar? Hamilton would win the Triple Crown if the season ended today. He leads the American League in batting average (.407), homers (17) and RBIs (40). And, not surprisingly, he's tops in the intentional walk category at five.

He's putting up the kind of numbers needed to win his second AL MVP award. In the process, he's got everyone's attention when he steps to the plate. He's must-see TV. Don't miss it.

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.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba was taken out of Friday's game with a head contusion following a one-hour, 56-minute rain delay.

Torrealba was hit by Albert Pujols' bat as the slugger followed through on his swing in the first inning.

Pujols' bat broke, but the part of the bat he still had in his hands hit Torrealba in the head, knocking off his mask.

Torrealba was looked at by manager Ron Washington and head athletic trainer Jamie Reed and stayed in the game.

But after the rain delay, he was taken out.

Mike Napoli moved from first to catcher and Mitch Moreland, who pinch-hit for Torrealba in the bottom of the first when the game resumed, is at first base.

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).

Texas Rangers prospect Mike Olt is experiencing plenty of firsts since the conclusion of his second pro season. He played in the Arizona Fall League, was invited to major league spring training and was told he will see time at first base. Here’s another first for the third baseman: He is in his first season at the Double-A level.

PODCAST
Rangers corner infield prospect Mike Olt talks about his first season at the Double-A level and how he fits in the organization. Listen

“Double-A is definitely a big jump from High-A. I guess my first impression is there’s definitely a lot of work I have to do in order to continue to climb the latter,” Olt said. “You’ve got step up your game mentally and try to figure out what they like to throw in certain situations.”

Olt was a guest on Rangers Magazine (ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM). The third-year pro out of the University of Connecticut was the Rangers' first-round pick (49th overall) in the 2010 June draft. Through 29 games, he is batting .287 with seven home runs and 19 RBIs. His on-base percentage is .394, and he has a .959 OPS.

Ahead of Olt in the organization is Adrian Beltre, who is locked into a long-term contract and is a Gold Glove third baseman. Versatility is important, whether it is the majors or minors. We have seen it with Michael Young and his super-utility role as well as the Rangers outfielders playing multiple spots instead of being planted in one position. In the minors, we see it with shortstop Jurickson Profar seeing time at second base and with Olt occasionally moving across the diamond to first base.

“I was excited,” Olt recalled of when the Rangers told him he would see time at first base. “Obviously, we have Mitch Moreland up at first base right now who is also a very good first baseman. So, basically I kind of took it as they are trying to make me more versatile in case something were to happen. I’m up for the challenge, and certainly first base is coming along.”

Olt also talked about Steve Buechele, spring training fun, being a teammate with Profar, and the AFL experience. Listen to the podcast.

Bryan Dolgin is the host of Rangers Magazine and the radio pre and postgame shows of the Texas Rangers on the Texas Rangers ESPN Radio Network. Follow him on Twitter @RangersRadioBD.

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.