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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Third baseman Adrian Beltre produced the Texas Rangers' only run in a 3-1 loss Thursday night to the Chicago White Sox.

In his eyes, and for the team, that's not enough. Beltre, who had a home run in his first at-bat, stranded four runners in his final two at-bats, both crucial misses as the Rangers lost a series for the the first time this season.

For the second time this week, Beltre hit a home run -- this one to start the second inning for a 1-0 lead -- that seemingly was the moment to get him rolling. But it's not that time yet.

Beltre batted with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the sixth. The White Sox had just taken the lead on a two-out, three-run home run homer by catcher Tyler Flowers off Justin Grimm. The Rangers' rookie pitcher had been steaming along before three hits in the inning, the last one on a hanging curve ball out of the strike zone.

Beltre had a chance to immediately get the runs back. But White Sox reliever Matt Lindstrom was able to get ahead of him on two sliders. Lindstrom threw him another one and jammed Beltre. He hit a roller out to third baseman Conor Gillaspie that he turned for a rally-killing double play.

"It was a backdoor slider," Beltre said. "Instead of breaking away it broke in. I was hoping it was going to kind of hang but instead of hanging it backed up on me. I was a little late and I hit a ground ball."

Fate dealt Beltre another chance to turn the game in the bottom of the eighth. Pinch hitter Leonys Martin led off with a single, and after two fly balls outs, Lance Berkman walked to put the tying runs on base. Beltre again came up with a chance to tie the game or give the Rangers the lead, but he struck out on a 72-mph curve ball by Jesse Crain.

That left Beltre at 4-for-34 with runners in scoring position this season. He batted .287 with runners in scoring position last season.

"He's just missing pitches," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "That's it."

For his part, Beltre refuses to get down on himself. But he wants to do better for his teammates.

"I'm not frustrated, but I'm the kind of guy, I like to produce," Beltre said. "I'm here to produce. Obviously it's not happening. I'm not frustrated, but of course I want to do better. The team is relying on me right now. I'm getting in a lot of situations where I should be producing and doing a lot better, and I'm not doing that."

His night started splendidly when he hammered a cutter from White Sox starter Hector Santiago into the left-field seats. Beltre said he hates cold weather but wasn't bothered by the 43-degree game time temperature.

It was another moment -- just like his two-run homer on Tuesday -- when it looked like he was ready to break out. Beltre still believes he is.

"I hope," Beltre said. "That's what I want to think. I felt better today, though I missed two clutch at-bats in key situations that I didn't come through. I saw the ball better today. I feel a little better. Hopefully tomorrow I'll improve."

Washington, not surprisingly, is standing by one of his best players.

"He's going to be a run producer," Washington said. "I know he is. We scored one run tonight, and he got it for us. I can tell you this, what you see right now you won't see as we go through the season. That's a guarantee."

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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Randy Galloway, Matt Mosley and Mark Friedman discuss the latest with the Rangers, including their loss last night and Ron Washington's decision to leave Nick Tepesch in the game. Listen

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 -- Ian Kinsler is streaking at the plate, with hits in seven straight games. He also made the Rangers Web Gem of the Week on Tuesday night.

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Randy Galloway, Matt Mosley and Glenn "Stretch" Smith discuss the first month of the 2013 season for the Rangers. Listen

Kinsler went behind second base on a ground ball in the seventh inning of Tuesday's 10-6 victory and made a long throw to narrowly beat White Sox outfielder Alex Rios as he touched first base.

Kinsler's web gem drew a salute from Rangers manager Ron Washington from the dugout.

"It was a very sharp play," Washington said. "He made it as perfectly as you can make it. That's when I saluted him, because it was perfect. That was the only way he could do it, catch it and get rid of it and whatever happens, happens."

Typically, Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus, with his tremendous range, would have made the play, Kinsler said. But Andrus had fouled a ball off his calf earlier in the game. Andrus said that he was having trouble moving to his left as the game went on Tuesday night.

"It was funny, before that play he told me, 'Make sure that I get everything up the middle,'" Kinsler said. "So I went at it a little more aggressively than I normally do thinking that he normally has that ball. It turned out good."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- It's not necessarily a decision that cost the Rangers a game Wednesday night. But it's one that manager Ron Washington even second-guessed -- make that triple-guessed -- after a 5-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

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Randy Galloway, Matt Mosley and Mark Friedman discuss the latest with the Rangers, including their loss last night and Ron Washington's decision to leave Nick Tepesch in the game. Listen

Washington had reliever Joseph Ortiz ready in the bullpen for a lefty-lefty matchup with Alejandro De Aza with a runner on first and two outs and the Rangers trailing 3-2 in the top of the seventh. Starter Nick Tepesch had given up the lead on a leadoff home run by White Sox third baseman Conor Gillaspie and was at 103 pitches.

But Washington stuck with his rookie right-handed starter and Tepesch gave up a two-run home run to put the Rangers down 5-2 and make it more difficult for the offense to make a comeback.

"Bad decision by me," Washington said. "I stayed with Tepesch one batter too long. I should have brought in Ortiz and I didn't. I'll take the blame for that one."

Washington said he actually second-guessed himself. His intention was to go get Tepesch and bring in Ortiz to face De Aza. But Washington changed his mind and decided to give Tepesch a chance to get out of the inning.

"It didn't work," Washington said. "So it's a bad decision on my part."

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.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- A.J. Pierzynski could very well get another day off Wednesday as he rests a sore oblique muscle.

PODCAST
Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss Yu Darvish, the Rangers' recent losses and if the notion that the team looked fatigued is warranted this early in the season. Listen

On Saturday, No. 2 and 3 hitters Elvis Andrus and Lance Berkman had a scheduled day off. Berkman was given time off in the cold weather in Chicago a few weeks ago.

Rangers manager Ron Washington is serious about giving his regulars more time off during the season. Washington said in the days after the Rangers were eliminated by Baltimore in the AL wild-card game that he wished he had given his everyday players more rest. The Rangers lost 10 of 14 games and were swept by Oakland to end the 2012 season.

Third baseman Adrian Beltre was among five Rangers who played in at least 156 games. Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz and Andrus all played in the most games of their careers.

"My regulars were healthy and they were able to go out there, but if I can look back now maybe I could have done something in the middle of the season where I could have given them some time down," Washington said in post-mortemum news conference last October. "My everyday guys, I rode them, man."

Andrus, Beltre and Kinsler all had full days off in April. Veterans Pierzynski and Berkman have had a combined 10 games off. Washington has avoiding using regulars in pinch-hitting situations to make sure his players get a full day off.

The Rangers are off to another great start. Washington's approach could help bring a stronger finish.

Let's talk: Washington continues to get positive results when he makes a rare visit to the mound to talk to a pitcher. The skipper went to talk to reliever Robbie Ross after he hit Adam Dunn and fell behind Paul Konerko in the top of the ninth with two outs and a 10-6 lead. Ross responded by getting Konerko to ground out to end the game.

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.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rangers catcher A.J. Pierzynski will not play against his former team Tuesday night.

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Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss Yu Darvish, the Rangers' recent losses and if the notion that the team looked fatigued is warranted this early in the season. Listen

Pierzynski is being held out of Tuesday's series opener against the White Sox because of an issue with his right oblique muscle. He is missing his first chance to play against Chicago in a regular-season game after playing eight seasons with the White Sox, including leading them to the 2005 World Series title.

"Obviously I want to play," Pierzynski said. "It's killing me not to play, especially for this series."

Geovany Soto is slated to be behind the plate for Rangers ace Yu Darvish.

Pierzynski said he is sitting out for precautionary reasons and that the oblique issue, which he has had for two weeks, was actually worse on the Rangers' road trip to Anaheim and Minnesota. With the Rangers off Monday, Pierzynski will get at least two full days off. Soto might also get the start Wednesday with the Rangers facing tough White Sox left-hander Chris Sale.

Pierzysnki, who saw team physician Keith Meister on Monday, said he isn't having any issues when he's catching, but when he's swinging. An oblique issue he had in the same area last year with the White Sox forced him to miss a series against the Rangers.

"It's better; it just looks worse," Pierzynski said of the coloring caused by a bruise. "It was worse last year. It feels better than it has in two weeks. I just don't want to miss two weeks or a month because of this."

Pierzynski is off to a great start. He's batting .295 with four home runs and 11 RBIs. He also has handled a pitching staff that leads the majors with a 3.023 ERA.

The Rangers don't have much catching depth behind Pierzynski and Soto. Robinson Chirinos, who was acquired earlier this month in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, is batting .327 with nine RBIs since joining Triple-A Round Rock on April 11.

So the Rangers proceed cautiously with Pierzynski.

"I need him around here for the rest of the year," Rangers manager Ron Washington said.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Nick Tepesch’s location is better than his vocabulary, but in his vocabulary’s defense, his location is pretty good.

When asked if he was able to rest upon flying into Minneapolis on Wednesday night while his Texas Rangers teammates finished off the Los Angeles Angels before arriving early Thursday morning, he, in a roundabout way, called himself … large?

“I got pretty good rest, I’m not too much of a wiry guy,” Tepesch said. “It was a good night’s sleep.”

Thursday night likely wasn’t very restful for the Minnesota Twins, who faced him earlier in the evening, as Tepesch was efficient and effective in 6 2/3 innings, allowing just one run on five hits with one strikeout as the Rangers escaped with a 2-1 victory.

Tepesch didn’t walk a batter, and hasn’t since the second inning of his major league debut on April 9 against the Tampa Bay Rays -- a span of 19 1/3 innings and 78 batters faced.

“It’s my game plan to attack hitters, just go right after guys,” Tepesch said. “Walks are free passes and you don’t want to give those out.”

The 24-year-old is off to a brilliant start to his major league career, now sporting a 2.53 ERA and a 2-1 record with a 14:3 strikeout to walk ratio. On Thursday he retired the first 12 Twins hitters in order before Justin Morneau led off the fifth inning with a single. Tepesch gave up another hit in the sixth but erased the runner on a double-play. He was finally touched up in the seventh when Josh Willingham hit a home run that barely cleared the wall in the left field corner.

Tepesch was chased by back-to-back singles after recording the next out, but still wound up with just 90 pitches thrown -- 65 for strikes.

“That’s his style of pitching, he’s always been a strike thrower,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “If you can execute pitches you don’t have to be overpowering, and he can execute.”

His only mistake Thursday was the one slider to Willingham, who was looking for it. And of course the “ed” in “wired” that turned into a “y.” He probably won’t lose too much sleep over either.

MINNEAPOLIS -- His arms flexed at his sides, Tanner Scheppers let out a yell one part excitement, one part relief.

The Texas Rangers right-hander had just induced a sharp ground ball off the bat of Minnesota Twins cleanup hitter Josh Willingham -- already with a homer in the game -- that Elvis Andrus, Ian Kinsler and Mitch Moreland turned into a pair of outs to escape a bases-loaded jam and preserve Texas’ one-run, eighth-inning advantage in its eventual 2-1 victory over the Twins Thursday night.

Consider it another stage in the evolution of the 26-year-old from just another inconsistent arm to a vital cog in the back end of the Rangers’ bullpen.

“That’s just growth,” Texas manager Ron Washington said. “We always knew he could throw the ball; it was just a matter of how consistently he could throw strikes. And he’s showing he can throw strikes right now.”

Scheppers (2-0) hasn’t allowed a run in 10 appearances over 11⅔ innings this season, although his path to hold No. 4 this season could’ve been tidier.

After a foul popup for the first out, Scheppers allowed a flare to right field off the bat of pinch hitter Wilkin Ramirez, followed by a sharp double from leadoff man Brian Dozier. Scheppers intentionally walked Joe Mauer to load the bases and worked the count full to Willingham before locating a two-seam fastball on the outer half of the plate to induce the double play.

“Just really wanted in play on the ground, get it on the corner or up the middle,” Scheppers said. “Definitely nice to get out of it but definitely want cleaner innings than that.”

That said, the Rangers are learning a lot about their young setup man early in the season based on jams like he pitched into and out of on Thursday.

“Scheppers is a guy -- I don’t think it’s any secret -- his stuff is electric,” closer Joe Nathan said. “[He’s] pitched in tight situations and gotten out of those tight situations, which helps. It gives a little more confidence and lets you know you can do it. So each time out there you know you can do it.”

As Scheppers continues to trust himself, Texas will keep entrusting him with the baseball in late-inning pressure situations. And while both parties might ultimately prefer a nonchalant walk to the dugout after a 1-2-3 inning, they also both know that the yells that do come from him as the season progresses will be many more parts excitement than frustration.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Texas Rangers' best offensive inning of the young season centered around patience.

That is, until Nelson Cruz took the aggressive route.

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Jim Bowden discusses the state of the Rangers rotation, Mitch Moreland's struggles, the weaknesses of the team and if Jurickson Profar should have been shipped during the offseason. Listen

The Rangers sent 13 batters to the plate in the fourth inning of Wednesday night's 11-3, series-clinching victory against the Los Angeles Angels. It was the most plate appearances in a frame since last April. They managed nine runs, the most in a road-game inning since 2007.

And it began with restraint, as Adrian Beltre opened the frame by drawing his first of two walks.

"How weird is that?" Beltre asked reporters. "Two walks? Is that a record? Two walks in an inning? I think for me it is."

Cruz followed with a single, sparking a sequence that proved to be the turning point against rookie left-hander Michael Roth, the Angels' ninth-round selection in last year's amateur draft whose only other start this season came at Double-A Arkansas.

In all, there were five walks and five base hits in the fourth. Cruz sent fans to the exits with a broken-bat homer to left-center field that made it 9-0.

"When he gets through the baseball, it doesn't matter if the bat holds together or not," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He showed you what his strength is all about."

Cruz showed smarts, as well.

"When you see a guy struggling to find the strike zone, sometimes it's good to be aggressive," Beltre said. "Sometimes you get a good pitch to hit, and [Cruz] did. You assume he's going to throw a fastball, and he did."

The Rangers enjoyed very productive at-bats with runners in scoring position, going 5-for-9 in those situations one night after a weak 1-for-13 effort.

The lead grew to 11-0 by the time Yu Darvish, who tossed six scoreless innings, left the game. A light drizzle blanketed Angel Stadium in the seventh, but it had begun to pour long before then as the Rangers won yet another series.

"Adrian got on base, Nelson got him to third and it kind of snowballed from there," said A.J. Pierzynski, who singled and walked in the fourth. "Adrian had another good at-bat later, and it culminated with Nelson hitting a big home run. It was big."

Beltre smiled when asked if he had ever hit a broken-bat blast like Cruz did.

"I'm not that strong," he said.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Fortunately for the Texas Rangers, utility man Jeff Baker appears to have averted major injury.

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Jim Bowden discusses the state of the Rangers rotation, Mitch Moreland's struggles, the weaknesses of the team and if Jurickson Profar should have been shipped during the offseason. Listen

X-rays on Baker's swollen right knee came back negative on Wednesday and, though he wasn't in the lineup for the series finale against Los Angeles Angels rookie left-hander Michael Roth, Rangers manager Ron Washington said he expects Baker to be available for the upcoming series at the Minnesota Twins.

"He'll probably play the field somewhere and let one of those regular guys have a day in the DH spot to get them off their feet," Washington said. "He'll more likely be in the infield than outfield."

Baker crashed into the wall after making a sliding catch in the first inning of Tuesday's 5-4 loss and was removed from the game.

"When I hit the wall it kind of shocked me a little bit," Baker said. "I know there's padding down there, but when I looked at the replay, I was wondering why it hurt so bad and why it swelled up so quick. I got the little spot just beneath the padding where it's concrete.”

“I was a little concerned, to be honest, but it's just a bruise,” he said. “I have some swelling in there in the joint line that we're working hard to get out. I was fortunate."

Baker hoped to be ready for Friday's matchup against Twins left-hander Scott Diamond. The Rangers also are slated to face left-hander Pedro Hernandez on Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis. Baker is a lifetime .297 hitter against southpaws.

"I'm always going to play the game hard," Baker said. "Unfortunately, [injuries] come with the territory. Going out there and playing hard, sometimes stuff happens. As soon as I'm ready to go, I'll go back in there to grind it out."

When informed that his acrobatic catch had cracked the Top 10 Plays on "SportsCenter," Baker smirked.

"No wonder my phone was blowing up," he said. "That's cool, I guess, but I would have rather stayed in the game."

First start for Roth

--Roth, set to make his first career start, pitched in relief against Texas on Monday but faced only one batter, Lance Berkman, who singled.

"I got what our scouts that have seen him think of him, so it's all we have," Washington said. "He's the newcomer. We know nothing about him.

“Just try to go off the velocity they give us. Hopefully we can get him to make some mistakes and take advantage of it.”

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington doesn't expect Jeff Baker to miss much time following Tuesday's knee injury.

Baker left in the first inning of the 5-4, extra-inning loss to the Los Angeles Angels after crashing into the padded wall near the left-field foul line. He made a sliding catch on Josh Hamilton's line drive and braced his collision with his right knee.

Washington said the knee was swollen.

"Right now there is no major damage," Washington added. "It may be a day or so, but he's fine."

Baker, a .297 career hitter against left-handers, was in the starting lineup Tuesday with Jason Vargas on the mound for the Angels. Baker did not have a plate appearance, however.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Before Howie Kendrick put smiles on the faces of Los Angeles Angels fans with a walk-off blast Tuesday night, the Texas Rangers bullpen had done the same to manager Ron Washington.

Sure, left-hander Joe Ortiz gave up a home run in the 11th inning of a tough 5-4 loss here. But Washington was more than content with what he got from his relief corps.

"Somebody has to win and somebody has to lose," Washington said. "We certainly felt good with Ortiz out there."

Ortiz inherited the bases loaded in the 10th frame with one out and Albert Pujols due up.

"I still look at him, along with Miguel Cabrera, as the most dangerous man on earth with a bat in his hands," Washington said of Pujols before the game.

Someone forgot to inform the 22-year-old rookie.

Ortiz was cool under pressure, getting the veteran Pujols to ground into a force play. He wasn't out of harm's way by any means, but Josh Hamilton grounded out softly to second base. Ortiz bounced off the mound and pumped his left fist.

The relievers have gained trust rather quickly.

"They've been asked to do the job and they've done it," general manager Jon Daniels said prior to the game. "We've got talented guys with good makeup, but they lack experience. Wash has done a great job of managing the pen. He's put guys in spots to succeed."

Robbie Ross was equally impressive, tossing 2 1/3 shutout innings in relief of Alexi Ogando. Ross got Mike Trout to hit into a double play in the eighth and worked around a Hamilton leadoff single in the ninth.

"They've been unbelievable," Adrian Beltre said. "Everyone has pitched well."

Consider:

--Kendrick's home run was only the second earned run Ortiz has surrendered in eight games this year.

--Right-hander Tanner Scheppers, who wasn't available Tuesday after going two innings the night before, has yet to allow a run in nine appearances this season.

--Michael Kirkman also wasn't available after throwing three innings Sunday, but Washington has been pleasantly impressed by the quality of his arms.

"I've been very pleased, especially with the kids being thrown into the fire," Washington said. "They have responded."

Catcher A.J. Pierzynski has batted fifth in the Rangers' lineup for his last two starts, a minor tweak by manager Ron Washington that paid off in a big way in Monday's 7-6 comeback win over the Los Angeles Angels.

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Manager Ron Washington joins Ian Fitzsimmons to discuss the Rangers' comeback win over the Angels, A.J. Pierzynski's value to the team and much more. Listen

Pierzynski, one of the Rangers' hottest hitters to start the season, came up in two critical moments late in Monday's game. With the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the seventh and the Rangers trailing 6-3, Pierzynski ripped an opposite-field single to score a run. The Rangers scored two more runs in the inning to tie the score.

Pierzynski gave the Rangers the lead the next time he came up. Facing Angels closer Ernesto Frieri, Pierzynski broke a 6-6 tie with a two-out home run to right-center field. Rangers closer Joe Nathan saved the Rangers' fourth straight win in the bottom of the ninth.

Frieri had thrown 31 pitches in Sunday's 13-inning win over Detroit and wasn't sharp. Right before Pierzynski's homer, Frieri left a fastball over the middle of the plate to Adrian Beltre and the Rangers' third baseman just missed a home run to left field. Frieri made one too many mistakes, and Pierzynski made him pay.

Pierzynski did great work for the Chicago White Sox last season when he batted fifth, hitting .316 with eight of 27 home runs and 31 of his 77 RBIs.

Washington prefers not to tinker with his lineup. The batting order has stayed the same for most of the season, with David Murphy batting fifth 13 times before Pierzynski was shifted there.

On Monday night, Wash's wisdom paid off in a big way.

Washington said Sunday that he wanted to give veteran reliever Jason Frasor more opportunities out of the bullpen, a move that didn't go well Monday. With Derek Holland at 104 pitches and No. 9 hitter Luis Jimenez coming up for the Angels in the sixth inning, Washington went to Frasor. He allowed what at the time looked like a crushing two-run single to Jimenez to give the Angels a 6-3 lead. Frasor did respond with two runners in scoring position with AL Rookie of the Year Mike Trout up next, getting the Angels star to pop out to second base to end the inning.