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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Jeff Baker was back in the starting lineup Thursday after the Chicago White Sox scratched right-hander Jake Peavy and replaced him with left-hander Hector Santiago.

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For now, if a left-hander is starting against the Rangers, expect Baker to be in left field or at first base. He has played himself into a starting role against lefties, batting .444 (8-for-18) against southpaws with three home runs and five RBIs. Baker has homered in two straight games for the fifth time in his career.

"If he keeps swinging the bat the way he's swinging, then of course," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "You can expect it. That's what he's here for."

Baker has been the surprise for the Rangers' offense, helping to balance out a lineup stacked at the bottom with left-handed hitters. His emergence allowed Washington to use Baker for two starts at first base while Mitch Moreland was struggling against lefties.

Moreland is hitting everything how -- .batting .395 for his last 10 games -- while it's left fielder David Murphy that has slumped against righties and lefties, hitting .174 for the season. Murphy sat for a third straight game Thursday, unusual for a regular in Washington's lineup. Murphy was scheduled to start and Baker to sit if Peavy wasn't scratched before the game due to back spasms.

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Washington said he will find a spot for Baker against lefties, not just in place of Murphy.

"It's not a platoon," Washington said. "(Baker) is going to play. Right now we've hit a string of left-handers and he's swinging the bat. So is Moreland."

Baker, who isn't yet 100 percent after suffering a bruised knee last week on a sliding catch in Anaheim, was replaced for defense after the sixth inning of Wednesday's 5-2 loss. The game was tied 2-2 at the time and Washington subbed in Murphy for defensive purposes with Baker not slated to bat again until the eighth inning.

Baker said he felt fine to stay in the game. "I'm progressing well," he said. "I'm good. I'm going to be ready to play when I get the chance."

Other Rangers notes for Thursday:

Frasor aims for comfort: Reliever Jason Frasor has six consecutive shutout innings over eight appearances. More importantly, he hasn't been scored on in his last three outings at Rangers Ballpark.

Frasor, signed as a free agent in January, had a career 8.24 ERA in 21 games in Arlington, mostly with Toronto, before arriving in Texas. He retired all four batters he faced in Wednesday's 5-2 loss, getting two strikeouts.

"It's a good thing," Frasor said. "Honestly I don't know that I've ever felt comfortable pitching in this stadium, but I hope the more I get out there that I'll be comfortable. I felt good."

Olt needs more tests: Triple-A infielder Mike Olt will see an eye specialist next after an eye doctor he saw didn't see anything out of the ordinary. The Rangers are in the process of setting up an appointment with the a specialist. Olt, who is batting .139, informed the club he was having vision issues earlier this week.

Pierzynski was ready: Washington wanted to get catcher A.J. Pierzynski (sore oblique) an at-bat Wednesday night as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning to get some swings heading into Thursday's start. He especially wanted Pierzynski to hit as the tying run down 5-2 with a chance to tie the game with a three-run home run.

That didn't happen, but it explains why Pierzynski was at the plate when he was hit on the elbow by a pitch by White Sox closer Addison Reed.

"He was ready to go so even if we had tied the game up he could have caught," Washington said.

Rangers announce 2013 grant program: The Rangers Baseball Foundation announced details of its 2013 grant program designed to assist youth baseball and softball programs in the club's five-state broadcasting region.

It's the second consecutive year for the project. Starting Thursday, the Rangers Foundation began accepting proposals for grant from non-profit organizations that specifically support youth baseball or softball in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Arkansas.

The Foundation awarded seven grants in 2012: Paris Breakfast Optimist Club, Boys and Girls Clubs of Denison, East Wilco Challenger Sports, Battiest Baseball Team sponsored by Battiest Public School, RBI Austin, Arlington Girls Softball Association and Azle Little League.

The Rangers are assisted by the team’s broadcasting partners, Fox Sports Southwest, TXA21, and ESPN 103.3 FM and the Rangers ESPN Radio Network in promoting the grant program.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Lance Berkman will eventually play first base in a game this season. The question of whether he'll play there next week under National League rules in Chicago and Milwaukee is still a mystery.

Rangers manager Ron Washington said Wednesday that Berkman needs repetition at first base -- taking ground balls -- to prepare. But Washington also has said he's comfortable putting Berkman in the lineup at first base without him getting work there.

"He needs some repetition. We have to start getting him out there," said Washington, who added he hopes to get Berkman out for infield work soon. "You could put Berkman out there whether he's had repetition or not. I'm going to find out if he wants to play out there, and if he says he wants to play out there, I'm going to put him out there. You'd like to get some repetition before you put somebody into a position."

Berkman said Wednesday while it would help to take ground balls, it wouldn't be the same as being at first base in a real game. "The speed of the game is the real deal," Berkman said.

The Rangers will have to give up the designated hitter for Monday's makeup game at the Cubs and Tuesday and Wednesday at Milwaukee. Cold weather could also be an issue, though Milwaukee's Miller Park does have a roof to provide climate control.

Another issue could be taking Mitch Moreland's bat out of the lineup to make room for Berkman at first. Moreland is currently the Rangers' hottest hitter, batting .429 with six RBIs in his last nine games.

Other notes:

Pierzynski out again: Catcher A.J. Pierzynski, out Tuesday and Wednesday with a sore oblique, is an extra scout when it comes to his former team, the White Sox, after spending eight years with them. While Pierzynski sat by Washington for much of the game on the bench, the catcher wasn't offering up nuggets of information about his former team.

"He's was talking about anything and everything," Washington said. "Half of the stuff I couldn't understand."

Pierzynski said before Wednesday's game that the bruising in the area around his right oblique has improved and that he expects to play Thursday. Pierznyski took batting practice in the cages before the game.

Andrus is OK: Elvis Andrus is back in the lineup Wednesday after fouling a ball off his calf in the fifth inning of Tuesday's game. His calf stiffened up enough to where he couldn't move well to his left, which explains why Ian Kinsler was able to go all the way behind second base for a ground ball and get on out that brought on a full salute from Washington.

Kinsler said after the game that Andrus would usually be able to get to the ball.

"I don't usually foul the ball off my leg," Andrus said. "I've never had one like that."

Moreland in, Murphy out: Moreland was back in the lineup while David Murphy sat Wednesday. Jeff Baker was in left field to get his right-handed bat in the lineup against White Sox left-hander Chris Sale.

It's the first time either Murphy or Moreland have been out of the lineup for consecutive days. Moreland had three hits against White Sox lefty Jose Quintana and reached base all four plate appearances, giving Washington further reason to keep him in Wednesday's lineup.

"Logic would suggest that," Washington said. Murphy will play in left field Thursday against White Sox right-hander Jake Peavy, the manager said.

Washington will reach quicker: Murphy will be a defensive replacement for Baker in the eighth inning if the Rangers have a lead in a close game Wednesday night.

Washington said he should have put Murphy in the game in eighth inning of Tuesday's 10-6 victory. Baker, still nursing a knee injury, had a ball fall into front of him in the eighth inning. Baker bruised his right knee making a sliding catch in the left-corner in Anaheim last Tuesday. He's still not 100 percent, he said after Tuesday's game.

"It took a toll on him," Washington said. "He's fine. I have to make my defensive replacement earlier."

No update on Olt: Daniels said the Rangers didn't have an update on Triple-A infielder Mike Olt, who reported vision issues to club earlier this week. Olt, batting .139 for 72 at-bats, saw doctors Tuesday.

The Rangers have this April thing down.

The Rangers won for the 17th time Tuesday night, beating the Chicago White Sox 10-6, and have gone three consecutive Aprils with at least 16 wins. It's the third time in club history they've won 17 games in April. The 1989 Rangers -- with new acquisitions Nolan Ryan, Rafael Palmeiro and Julio Franco -- faded and finished 83-79. Last year's Rangers were 17-6 in April and reached the American League wild-card game.

The 1998 Rangers are the only team in club history to top that, going 18-7 in April. They went on to win the club's second AL West title before losing to the New York Yankees in the AL Division Series.

Pitching carried the Rangers this April. They have a 3.14 ERA, best in baseball. Yu Darvish was 5-0, with all the wins coming after Rangers losses. The offense was inconsistent but might be re-energized after Tuesday's 10-run outburst, which was sparked by the continued surge of Mitch Moreland and a two-run home run by Adrian Beltre.

"We're a good team. We're a very good team," Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler said. "We have a lot of guys on this team that love to win and love to play baseball. We work hard, and when you have that and you win, it snowballs. We're a good team, and we're going to continue to play good baseball and see what happens."

Other notes:

1. Opening wins: The Rangers won their eighth straight series opener going back to their loss to Houston on opening night. The Rangers have been able to grind through the schedule because of it. They are 17-0-3 in their past 20 series when winning the opener.

2. Cruising in April: Nelson Cruz carried the Rangers in the last two weeks of the month. He hit safely in nine of 12 games, and batted .364 with five home runs and 15 RBIs. He sparked the Rangers again Tuesday night with a two-out home run to left field to cut Chicago's lead to 2-1. White Sox starter Jose Quintana, who had allowed two hits before Cruz's homer, gave up five hits to the next nine Rangers batters.

3. Beltre breaks out: Beltre snapped an 0-for-11 stretch with runners in scoring position with a two-run home run to cap a six-run sixth inning. Manager Ron Washington proved prophetic, having said on "Fitzsimmons and Durrett" on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM on Tuesday that Beltre would do something big in his fourth at-bat. The manager knows.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- About Rangers' first baseman Mitch Moreland. And an offense not hitting with runners in scoring position.

The Rangers took a while to heat up Tuesday night, staring at a 2-0 deficit until the bottom of the fourth inning. Back-to-back home runs by Nelson Cruz and Jeff Baker served as the spark. Moreland's third hit of the night was the dagger in the Rangers' 10-6 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

Moreland has quietly turned his season around in the last nine games, hitting .429 to raise his batting average to a season-high .267. He's hit in five straight games. On Tuesday, Moreland reached based all four times, getting three more hits, all against left-handers.

Moreland's big blow started the Rangers' six-run sixth inning. With one out and Geovany Soto on first base, Moreland smoked a scorching line drive up the left-center field alley off left-handed reliever Donnie Veal. The ball was hit so hard, with some tailing action, that White Sox left fielder Alejandro De Aza never had a chance. Soto scored from first for a 5-4 lead. The Rangers scored five more runs on an Ian Kinsler RBI, two wild pitches and a two-run home run by Adrian Beltre.

"He [Moreland] hasn't been keeping the bat on his shoulders," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He's confident that he has a dangerous bat and he let it fly."

Moreland's early season struggles against lefties are behind him. He is 7-for-17 with five doubles against left-handers in the last seven games. He's handled Jason Vargas, Scott Diamond and now Jose Quintana. Moreland and right-handed hitting Jeff Baker, who is crushing lefties, were the only two Rangers with a pair of hits off Quintana.

Moreland has never wavered in his approach, whether it's a lefty or righty. He didn't look at the numbers while he started 1-for-18 against southpaws.

"I really didn't," Moreland said. "I tried to separate the numbers from what's going on at the plate. I've been putting myself in a position where I've been hitting the ball hard."

Moreland and the Rangers were 4-for-9 with runners in scoring position. That after the club batted .194 in those situations for the seven games in Anaheim and Minnesota. Kinsler had two hits Tuesday night, upping his average to .394 with runners in scoring position.

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Texas Rangers were shut out for just the second time and lost back-to-back games for the first time this season as the Minnesota Twins won 5-0 on Sunday.

Walks will haunt: Rangers starter Alexi Ogando walked Josh Willingham twice Sunday, and Willingham scored both times. He was walked with one out in the fourth inning and came home on a Chris Parmelee sacrifice fly two batters later. Ogando walked Willingham with two outs in the sixth inning, but Justin Morneau hit his next offering into the right-field seats for a two-run homer.

Ogando still managed a quality start, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks in six innings with three strikeouts. After giving up just two earned runs in his first three starts this season, Ogando has allowed 10 in his past three. The right-hander is 0-2 with a 5.87 ERA in that stretch.

Still undefeated: The Rangers appeared poised to win their sixth series of the season by taking the first two against Minnesota but settled for a series split after losses Saturday and Sunday. Texas is still undefeated in series play this season with a 5-0-3 mark.

Runs at a premium: The Rangers scored two runs or less in three of their four games against Minnesota and just eight total in the four-game series. Their only lower series mark was six runs, but that was in a two-game set against the Chicago Cubs.

Texas went 0-for-5 Sunday and just 4-for-31 in the series with runners in scoring position.

Basepath blunders: Mitch Moreland continued a disturbing trend of Texas making outs on the basepaths. Moreland singled with one out in the third inning when Aaron Hicks misplayed his fly ball. But Moreland ran halfway to second base before turning around as Hicks recovered and threw to Brian Dozier. Dozier quickly relayed to Morneau, who tagged Moreland for the second out. Leonys Martin followed with a single, so instead of two on with one out, there was one on with two out. Ian Kinsler ended the inning with a groundout to second.

The Rangers made seven outs on the bases in the first three games against the Twins.

Solving Mauer: Twins catcher Joe Mauer entered the series with Texas hitting .366, but Rangers pitching held him to 0-for-15 in the four games to drop his average to .302.

Ortiz struggles: Joe Ortiz entered the series with a 1.42 ERA but saw that number jump to 4.05 after allowing four runs in two appearances (2/3 IP). The left-hander had allowed just two earned runs in his first eight outings.

Daydreaming: Sunday’s loss dropped the Rangers to 3-6 in day games this season. Texas is 13-3 at night.

Up next: The Rangers start a three-game set against the Chicago White Sox in Arlington as right-hander Yu Darvish (4-1, 1.65 ERA) takes the hill against Chicago left-hander Jose Quintana (2-0, 2.78 ERA) at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday night on Fox Sports Southwest and ESPN 103.3 FM and 1540 AM.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Nelson Cruz’s work with the bat has been impressive. But perhaps even more important has been his ability to stay on the field.

Cruz revamped his offseason routine prior to the 2012 season and it paid off as he played in a career-best 159 games. On Sunday, Cruz is in the lineup for the 25th time in 25 games this season -- one of only three Texas Rangers who can make the claim.

For Cruz, it’s simply a matter of understanding his body.

“You know what you need to do to prepare,” Cruz said. “Sometimes your body tells you you need to rest. You have to make sure you’re loose for the games, make sure you work out during the season, outside the season.”

Cruz said he’s extra diligent with his hamstring and quads, which conspired among other maladies to limit him to an average of 113 games from 2009 to 2011, with 128 games his career high until last season.

The resulting health has put Cruz in position to be among the league’s offensive leaders in several categories. His 19 RBI are tied for fifth in the American League, his five home runs are tied for 13th and his .322 batting average is good for 13th, as well.

And thanks to Cruz’s renewed focus on staying healthy, manager Ron Washington has been less tempted to pull him out of the lineup for maintenance days.

“He’s an animal, look at him,” Washington said. “At some point I’m going to give him a day off, but I got him a day DHing, and I’ll get him another day DHing. It’s just that he’s been productive, and sometimes it’s hard to pull that out of the lineup.”

Cruz is in the midst of a five-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in seven straight contests. Saturday’s game snapped a six-game RBI streak in which he drove in 13 runs.

Lineup staples: In addition to Cruz, Adrian Beltre and Mitch Moreland have been in the lineup every game this season. Moreland’s career high is 134 games played for the 2011 Rangers. Beltre has played in 152 or more games eight times in his career, including 156 for Texas last season. His career high of 159 games came for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2002.

Elvis Andrus, David Murphy and Ian Kinsler have played in every game but one this season. Washington considered sitting Kinsler on Sunday, but the Rangers’ second baseman resisted with an off day scheduled for Tuesday.

Strikeout guy: Tuesday’s starter, Yu Darvish, leads all of baseball with 49 strikeouts this season. But he’s also topped seven innings just once and pitched six or fewer innings in three of his five starts.

It comes with the territory for strikeout pitchers, and Washington certainly isn’t complaining. But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t mind seeing fewer pitches and longer outings from his right-hander.

“If you can strike out a guy out in a certain situation, I love a strikeout,” Washington said. “But you can be striking out 17 or 18 guys and you’re throwing a lot of pitches. All you have to do is throw one pitch and you can get a ground ball and get a guy out.”

But Darvish fans need not worry about Washington and the Rangers trying to tweak the 26-year-old’s approach.

“Yu’s a strikeout guy,” Washington said. “I’d like to see him get some quick outs, but I’m not going to try to change him. I’m saying that to me, saying that to the pitching coach. I’m not saying that to Yu Darvish.”

Right-handed hitting Jeff Baker is expected to return Saturday from a sore knee and may be the starter at first base against Minnesota left-hander Pedro Hernandez.

But if Mitch Moreland starts again Saturday against a lefty, he'll be confident against Hernandez.

Moreland had two doubles in three at-bats Friday against Twins lefty Scott Diamond, helping the Rangers to a 4-3 victory over Minnesota. The left-handed hitting Moreland had a double in the second inning and another one to lead off the seventh.

Moreland has five hits now in 30 at-bats against left-handers and is 4 for his last 12 at-bats. He fell behind 0-2 to Diamond in the second inning and ripped an 88 mph fastball for a double to the opposite field. Moreland, whose approach is to grind out at-bats, had a leadoff double against Diamond in the seventh inning as he grinded out an at-bat and hit another fastball down the right-field line for a double.

It's a small sample for Moreland -- just like the first 18 at-bats were -- and Baker's .364 batting average against lefties so far makes it difficult not to play him. But the panic about Moreland vs. lefties can be tempered.

Some other Rangers' note going into Saturday afternoon:

1. Grimm's first inning: Justin Grimm's ability to work his way out of the first inning keyed his entire outing Friday night. The rookie right-hander was able to work around an Ian Kinsler error that would have been the second out of the inning. Josh Willingham's double to left field put runners at second and third. Grimm was able to wiggle his way out of the inning, using a fastball to get Chris Parmelee to fly out to right field.

2. Staying aggressive: The Rangers are an aggressive baserunning team under Ron Washington. That's one of their trademarks. But they have to be smart too. The Rangers made two outs at home plate Friday night with no outs at the time. Elvis Andrus's risky move to go home on a throw that got away from Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe wasn't worth, not with Adrian Beltre coming up.

3. Little Joe: Washington must be careful in not pitching rookie reliever Joe Ortiz too much. Opponents have been hitting Ortiz this week. He allowed two hits to start the ninth inning Friday with the Rangers leading 4-0, forcing Washington to go to closer Joe Nathan in a save-situation. Ortiz has five straight outings where's he allowed a hit and two straight where he's given up runs.

STOCK UP

Nick Tepesch: What can you say about rookie right-hander Nick Tepesch. All he's done so far is throw strikes. He hasn't walked anyone since three free passes in the second inning of his debut April 9 against Tampa Bay. Since then he's gone 19 innings without a walk. He's reached double-digits in ground ball outs in his three starts other than the one last Saturday when Tepesch left in the second inning after getting hit on the wrist by a line drive.

Nelson Cruz: Cruz became the third player in Rangers history with three home runs in four days that were either 3-run homers or grand slams. Cruz had two 3-run homers against the Angels on Tuesday and Wednesday and a grand slam against Seattle on Sunday. Jeff Burroughs had three 3-run home runs April 29 and May 1-2, 1976. Larry Parrish had two grand slams and a 3-run homer in July 1982.

Big innings: The Rangers were the last team to score four or more runs in an inning. They're making up for it now. The latest outburst was Wednesday's 9-run fourth inning against the Angels. The Rangers went on to win 11-3. It was the most runs the Rangers have scored in a road inning since Aug. 22, 2007 in Baltimore when they scored 30 runs and won 30-3.

STOCK DOWN

The schedule maker: The Rangers were forced to travel two time zones to Minneapolis because of a night game Wednesday night in Anaheim, arriving at their hotel at 6:30 a.m. It would have been kind of the Angels to play a day game, but the Halos protected their home gate with a night game instead. The Rangers responded by winning 2-1 Thursday night. Coaches and players have long said it's the second game after a morning arrival that impacts their energy the most.

Mitch Moreland: Mitch Moreland has seven hits in his last 23 at-bats as he rebounds from a tough start. But he's still struggling against left-handed pitching. Moreland has three hits in 27 at-bats with one RBI against lefties. A healthy Jeff Baker could take away playing time, starting Friday night against Twins left-hander Scott Diamond.

Joakim Soria: Soria's return to the big leagues after Tommy John surgery won't happen until June because of a strained pectoral muscle. The Rangers' bullpen has been stellar so far, but Soria is expected to be an important addition when he makes it back.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Mike Trout kept the game tied with his glove in the ninth inning and Howie Kendrick delivered the walk-off home run in the 11th, as the Texas Rangers fell, 5-4, to the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night.

Bad luck: Adrian Beltre would have been the hero if not for Trout's leaping catch with two outs in the ninth. With Ian Kinsler representing the go-ahead run at third, Beltre hit the ball hard, but it stayed up long enough for Trout to chase it down at the warning track near the bullpen gate in left field. The Rangers were 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

Struggles through seven: Aside from Nelson Cruz's three-run shot in the sixth, the Rangers didn't muster much against Angels left-hander Jason Vargas, who was 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA coming into the game. Vargas went a season-high seven innings, as Texas struggled to come through in clutch situations.

More from less: Mitch Moreland, who had three hits in Monday's opener, had two more Tuesday batting in the No. 9 spot. The multi-hit performance was significant given the fact that he had been 1-for-19 (.053) against left-handers entering the night.

Staying up: Rangers starting pitcher Alexi Ogando and manager Ron Washington agreed that poor pitch location was the cause of his troubles in Chicago last week, and the same issue appeared to affect him early when Kendrick jumped on a high fastball for a homer to the deepest part of the park, increasing the Halos' lead to four. It was Ogando's biggest mistake of the night, as he rebounded from last week's poor outing.

Baker flashes leather: Jeff Baker was in the starting lineup Tuesday for his bat, but he never got to use it. The left fielder robbed Josh Hamilton of extras bases with a sliding catch near the foul line in the first inning, but crashed into the padded wall at full speed and exited with a bruised left knee. David Murphy, who had been 1-for-19 in his career against Vargas, replaced him.

Up next: Yu Darvish (3-1, 2.03 ERA) looks for his second victory against Los Angeles this season. Angels right-hander Jerome Williams (1-0, 3.18 ERA) is expected to make the spot start in place of Tommy Hanson, who is on the bereavement list. First pitch is 9:05 p.m. CT on ESPN 103.3-FM.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Justin Grimm isn't going anywhere.

That's the message he sent Sunday as he gets a big chance in the Rangers' starting rotation with Opening Day starter Matt Harrison out until at least the All-Star break.

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said in a news conference earlier this week that Grimm would start Sunday and the club would see from there what was next for the 24-year-old rookie. That came at the same time Daniels announced Harrison was having back surgery on Tuesday.

Grimm left no doubt about his status in an 11-3 win over Seattle. He set a career high with nine strikeouts. He pitched out of trouble when he had to, especially in the fifth inning when he had a chance to give up a lead he had been given in the bottom of the fourth.

"I was just going out there and being aggressive. I wasn't worried about the runners in scoring position," Grimm said. "I was just trying to pitch a close game and attack hitters. My whole mindset was to keep it close and just keep executing pitches."

Grimm went four innings in his first start last week at Seattle, taxing himself by throwing 92 pitches. He didn't mess around Sunday.

His best pitch Sunday was his curveball, which he used to get six of his strikeouts. The other three came on fastballs. He also threw four or five sliders for the first time in any game -- big leagues or minors -- a pitch that could be developing for him.

But it was the fifth inning in which Grimm responded after Mitch Moreland's two-run home run gave the Rangers their first lead at 3-1.

Mariners No. 9 hitter Brendan Ryan, who was batting .152 entering Sunday, singled to start the inning. Leadoff hitter Endy Chavez followed with a double that appeared to be a catchable ball for Rangers center fielder Leonys Martin. It carried over his head, allowing Ryan to score to cut the Rangers lead to 3-2.

Grimm needed to shut things down from there, and he did so against the heart of the Mariners' lineup. Kyle Seager, who had hits in his first two at-bats, struck out on a 1-2 curveball. Kendrys Morales was called out on strikes when Grimm snuck a fastball in after four curveballs and a changeup. Cleanup hitter Michael Morse ended the inning by striking out on a curveball in the dirt.

Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux and bullpen coach Andy Hawkins preach to their pitchers that they're always one pitch away from greatness. Grimm got the first of what he hopes are many messages.

"You're one pitch away from greatness," Washington said. "He executed pitches when he was in trouble, he showed that in [his first start in] Seattle. We're just trying to make him understand to do that all the time. Not when you're in trouble."

NOTE: The Rangers' other rookie starter, Nick Tepesch, who was hit by a line drive on his right wrist in Saturday's game, said things went well after he played catch before Sunday's game. He remains on target to start Thursday's series opener at Minnesota.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- This is the damage the Rangers' offense can do when it's in sync.

From Leonys Martin's first career home run to Nelson Cruz's fifth career grand slam. From Mitch Moreland's go-ahead two-run home run in the fourth inning to Adrian Beltre's two-run shot in the sixth.

The Rangers finally started hitting home runs with runners on base in Sunday's 11-3 throttling of the Seattle Mariners. Let the rest of the American League be put on notice: The Rangers can still slug it with the best of them.

"We're dangerous all the way one through nine," Cruz, who belted his grand slam in the fifth inning, said. "I'm glad it was there for the whole team. It was a good series."

The Rangers scored 23 runs in three wins against Seattle, earning their first sweep since last June. They reached a season high in runs with 11 on Sunday, a drastic improvement after scoring four runs or less in the seven games that preceded Friday's series opener against the Mariners. The Rangers were the only team in baseball that hadn't score eight runs in a game.

Have the bats finally awoken in Texas?

"We'll get consistent," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "Everyone will realize if we're consistent or not."

This weekend was a good start. Sunday was a great start as far as home runs go.

Martin's home run was a solo shot to tie the score at one in the third inning. That made it 15 of 19 home runs with no one on base for the Rangers. Moreland's fourth-inning homer changed that trend.

Fighting through a 1-for-20 slump, Moreland kept his approach -- grind out at-bats. Put a good swing on the ball. He got a sinker that didn't sink on a 2-1 pitch from Aaron Harang. Moreland crushed it 422 feet to center field. The two-run homer gave the Rangers a 3-1 lead.

"I got up there and missed a pitch early in the at-bat," Moreland said of a first-pitch sinker that he fouled off. "I got another one in the zone over the plate. I'm just trying to grind out at-bats."

Cruz said he's been trying to stay patient with his at-bats as his average has dropped from .458 to .277 in the past 11 games. He had two RBIs in 12 games before his grand slam.

Cruz took advantage of a 2-0 count against Harang and ripped a fastball seven or eight rows up in the center-field stands for the Rangers' first grand slam since last August (by Moreland). Another sign that the Rangers offense is starting to percolate.

"This game was an indication of that," Moreland said. "We definitely took a step forward. Nellie's swing today was a big blow."

Beltre added a two-run home run in the sixth inning, his third of the season. Beltre came into Sunday's game batting .222, but it appears he is starting to drive the ball. Three of his past four hits have gone for extra bases.

Martin had the most memorable home run of the day. He also had a triple in the fifth inning and scored on Ian Kinsler's single. Martin didn't have an extra-base hit before Sunday.

"I just made a connection," Martin said. "I didn't know it was a home run until it went in the stands. It was exciting. I'm not going to forget that for the rest of my life."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers finished off their first three-game sweep of the season with a 11-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners at Rangers Ballpark. The Rangers, who moved into first place in the American League West, have won five series and split two this season.

Grimm has career day: Rookie right-hander Justin Grimm could easily have had six shutout innings Sunday. He settled for one earned run allowed and a career-high nine strikeouts. Grimm used a curveball and 4-seam fastball to dice up the Mariners. He did his best work in the top of the fifth, after the offense had given him a 3-1 lead. The inning started poorly with a leadoff single by Mariners No. 9 hitter Brendan Ryan and a double by Endy Chavez that was misplayed in center field by Leonys Martin. But Grimm kept the tying run at second base with the Mariners' 2-3-4 hitters coming up, striking out the side.

Offense revs up: The Rangers scored a season-high 11 runs. They produced their season high in runs twice in the series, first matching their season-best total in their 7-0 victory on Friday and then with Friday's first double-digit total in 18 games this season.

Martin's first HR: Martin belted his first home run of the season, a 377-foot solo shot to right-center field to tie the game at 1-1 in the third inning. Martin also had a triple as he had his second two-hit game of the season. The Rangers now have three RBIs from their center fielders, all in this series against the Mariners.

Moreland breaks through: First baseman Mitch Moreland snapped out of a 1-for-20 stretch with a two-run home run to straight-away center field to give the Rangers a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Moreland's third homer of the season came with two outs and after Nelson Cruz had reached on a single.

Cruz slams door: Cruz swatted the fifth grand slam of his career to give the Rangers an 8-2 lead in the fifth and basically put the game out of reach. Cruz has hit all of his grand slams at Rangers Ballpark. It was the Ranger's first slam since Aug. 22, 2011 by Moreland.

Making most of HRs: The Rangers had hit 15 of their 19 home runs with no one on base after Martin's solo shot in the third inning. Their next three long balls came with runners on. Moreland had a two-run shot, Cruz had a grand slam and Adrian Beltre had a two-run homer.

Andrus ends drought: Shortstop Elvis Andrus was hitless in his previous 13 at-bats before he lined a solid single into right field in the first inning. Andrus was 1-for-4 with a run scored.

Up next: The Rangers begin a seven-game road trip in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels. Sizzling left-hander Derek Holland (1-1, 1.64 ERA) will start the opener against Angels right-hander Joe Blanton (0-3, 8.59). Game time is 9:05 p.m. CT on FSSW and on ESPN-FM 103.3 and 1540-AM.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers' offense finally broke out with a big inning, scoring six runs in the fifth inning to back Yu Darvish's pitching in a 7-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Six in fifth: The Rangers had gone 15 games without scoring four or more runs in an inning. But that changed in the bottom of the fifth with the Rangers leading 1-0. The Rangers scored six runs on five hits after Elvis Andrus started out the inning with a groundout. Catcher A.J. Pierzynski got the scoring started with a two-run single with the bases loaded for a 3-0 lead. David Murphy had an RBI groundout. Craig Gentry had a two-run triple on which he might have had a chance for an inside-the-park home run had third-base coach Gary Pettis not thrown up the stop sign. Ian Kinsler added an RBI double for a 7-0 lead.

Baker pays off Wash: Jeff Baker started at first base in place of Mitch Moreland to break up the left-handed bats at the bottom of the Rangers' lineup. Manager Ron Washington's decision paid off in the second inning in Baker's first at-bat. He crushed a 421-foot home run to right-center field for a 1-0 Rangers lead.

Yu dominates: Darvish has had his problems against Seattle, but not Friday night. Darvish had six strikeouts through two innings. He got three ground ball outs in the sixth. He allowed three hits in seven innings. He finished with 10 strikeouts for his third of victory of the season. He's 3-0 against Seattle at Rangers Ballpark.

10-K club: Darvish became the sixth pitcher in club history to strike out 10 or more in 10 games for his career. He tied Colby Lewis with 10 double-digit strikeout games. Nolan Ryan is the Rangers' leader with 34 games with 10 or more strikeouts. Bobby Witt is second with 24, followed by Gaylord Perry and Ferguson Jenkins with 11 each.

Murphy goes multi: Murphy had his first multi-hit game since April 10 against Tampa Bay. Murphy had a double in the second inning and single in the fourth. Both went to the opposite field.

Glove work: The left side of the Rangers infield went to work Friday night. Andrus made two beautiful plays up the middle. Adrian Beltre made a nice play to his left in the sixth inning.

Ross strong: Robbie Ross struck out the side in the eighth inning to get out of a bases-loaded jam. The Mariners struck out in order in three different innings in the game.

Up next: The Rangers will send rookie Nick Tepesch (1-1, 3.46 ERA) to the mound Saturday night against Mariners right-hander Brandon Maurer (1-2, 9.95 ERA). Game time is 7:05 p.m. on Fox Sports Southwest and ESPN-FM 103.3 and 1540-AM.

Monday’s tragedy in Boston hit close to home for Derek Lowe. Lowe spent the early part of his career with the Red Sox, living just 15 minutes outside of the city in nearby Quincy.

“It’s one of those sad things that you don’t understand, you don’t know what would make people do something like that,” Lowe said. “If you look at it, the casualties could have been so much more when you think about how many people are down there at one point and you have two bombs going off within 20 seconds of one another.”

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Lowe’s manager Ron Washington was similarly perplexed by the incident.

“I don’t know how people can take out innocent people,” Washington said. “What message are they sending?”

Washington’s Rangers teams spent Patriots Day in Boston in 2008, 2010 and 2012, playing a game only in 2008. Washington said he spent the off days during the marathon walking around the finish line, in close proximity to where both bombs were detonated.

During his nearly eight seasons with the Red Sox, Lowe experienced many Patriots Day festivities in Boston and said it was always a special day.

“No one that I knew was impacted by it, but a lot of my friends do go down to the marathon,” Lowe said. “It’s always a sad situation when something like this happens. It was always -- and it’s still gonna be -- a great day that so many people in the city look forward to.”

It’s always a unique day because you play at 11 in the morning. But it’s one of those things that you always look forward to -- which sounds crazy because it’s 11 o’clock -- but just because the city is abuzz and there are so many people in one area. There’s 27,000 people that run, on top of all the fans and the 35,000 at Fenway. You know it’s going to be hectic, you know there’s going to be traffic, but you look forward to it. Starting at 8 a.m., the bars are packed and it continues all day long.”

Murphy gets a day off: David Murhpy has struggled early this season, posting a .160 batting average. Washington decided to give him Tuesday off with lefty Travis Wood on the mound for the Cubs. With Monday a scheduled off day, Washington was able to shoehorn an extra day of rest in for Murphy.

“(I’m) trying to get them all a break early here,” Washington said, denying that Murphy needed a mental break. “We’ve played 13 games, he’s been in every single one of them. Having a day off sitting in the hotel and running around Chicago ain’t the same as having a mental day off at the ball park. I just chose the day. It’s a lefty (on the mound for Chicago) so it works out perfectly.”

Washington managed to do the same with fellow lefty Mitch Moreland early in the season when the Rangers faced southpaw Jason Vargas following an off day. Washington emphasized that he has no concerns about Murphy’s struggles.

“He’s a battler,” Washington said. “He’s not the only one (who has struggled). We have a few guys who need to come around. It’s early in the year and two things happen: you get off good or you get off bad. He has a record showing that he knows how to recover and he’ll be back in there tomorrow.”

Soto unlikely to start in Wrigley return: Washington didn’t seem too eager to give former Cubs catcher Geovany Soto a start at his old stomping ground over the next three days.

“If for some reason we end up playing a doubleheader, he will,” Washington said, referring to the expected rain coming through Chicago on Wednesday and Thursday. “I can’t say he definitely (will play) if we don’t play a doubleheader.”

Berkman limited to pinch hitting: Washington also confirmed that Lance Berkman would not be starting any of the three games in Chicago, but would be available to pinch hit, with a caveat.

“He is available, but if he can’t loosen up, I’m not sending him out there,” Washington said. “It all depends if he can stay warm in the clubhouse and get loose.”

Berkman spent the bulk of his career with the former Cubs' division-mates Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals. With his lengthy stay with Cubs' rivals combined with the fact that he recently made some disheartening comments about Wrigley Field to the media, Berkman can expect to be booed heartily if he does make a plate appearance.

Rangers manager Ron Washington had a few moments in the last week where he had an option to go to the bench in a pivotal run-scoring situation. He chose to stick with the player in the game.

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The first instance came in last Wednesday's 2-0 loss against the Tampa Bay Rays. With the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the sixth inning and Mitch Moreland coming up against left-handed reliever Cesar Ramos, Washington had switch hitter Lance Berkman available to pinch hit.

Berkman had been give the day off and Washington wanted it to be a full one. Washington stuck with Moreland, who grounded into a double play to end the rally.

Washington again had a chance to go to his bench in the eighth inning of Sunday's 4-3 loss at Seattle. This time he had backup catcher Geovany Soto coming up.

David Murphy had a two-out single, moving Adrian Beltre to third base. With left-handed reliever Oliver Perez in for Seattle and right-handed closer Tom Wilhelmsen warming up, Washington had the option of going to Ian Kinsler on his bench; or if Wilhelmsen came in, starting catching A.J. Pierzynski was available.

Washington stuck with Soto, who had a good at-bat, seeing eight pitches. And Soto had reached base in all of four of his chances against Perez. But his popup to right field was caught easily for the third out and the Rangers didn't score.

We'll never know what would have happened with Kinsler or Pierzynski at the plate.

Garcia shines: Washington decided to give utility man Leury Garcia back-to-back starts over the weekend at shortstop and second base. Garcia made Washington look good. He made one spectacular play and two other dazzlers at shortstop Saturday. Garcia also had a single and scored a run. Playing second base Sunday, Garcia had a triple and scored a run.

Leaning on Ortiz: Washington trusted 22-year-old rookie Joe Ortiz in two key spots last week against Seattle out of the bullpen, and the left-hander won the first two decisions of his career. He pitched two shutout innings in both outings. Ortiz has 1.04 ERA and six strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings.