ESPN.com presents Texas Rangers http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/texas-rangers 60 en-us Mon, 20 May 2013 07:49:14 webmaster@espn.go.com http://assets.espn.go.com/i/espn/teamlogos/lrg/trans/espn_dotcom_black.gif 110 110 Yes, it's only May. But now that the season is a quarter of the way finished, it's a great time to figure out how teams measure up to one another. The Texas Rangers have the best record in the majors at 29-15. And they just completed taking three of four from the Detroit Tigers, the team that I believe is their stiffest competition in the American League. So what did we learn -- positives and negatives -- about this Rangers team? Here are a few: * The "no-quit" attitude of this team the past few years extends to this year's bunch.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/texas-rangers/post/_/id/4899555/series-win-shows-rangers-measure-up-well Mon, 20 May 2013 09:00:06 EDT 4899555 ARLINGTON, Texas -- It's the Oakland A's turn to take their best shot at the Rangers. Ask the Detroit Tigers how difficult that is. Miguel Cabrera crushes three home runs and Detroit can't outlast the Rangers. They knocked out two Detroit starters in the third inning in the four-game series, including Justin Verlander, who took an eight-run pounding. The Rangers cruised past the quarter pole of the season with the best record in baseball, and upped that mark to 29-15 with Sunday's 11-8 victory.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/texas-rangers/post/_/id/4899558/extra-bases-rangers-depth-on-display Mon, 20 May 2013 08:30:39 EDT 4899558 ARLINGTON, Texas -- The best hitter in baseball, Miguel Cabrera, belted three home runs and wowed 39,638 fans and every player, coach and manager in the ballpark Sunday night. David Murphy, trying to hone his swing in mid-May, produced the home run that mattered, lifting the Texas Rangers to an 11-8 victory over the Detroit Tigers and their amazing Cabrera. That's what baseball does sometimes. And Murphy, whose three-run home run gave the Rangers an 8-7 lead in the bottom of the sixth -- after the Rangers had lost a one-run advantage in the top of the inning -- provided the game-changing moment the Rangers needed.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/texas-rangers/post/_/id/4899546/murphy-produces-home-run-that-matters Mon, 20 May 2013 00:08:12 EDT 4899546 ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers rallied twice, once from a three-run deficit and again from a two-run deficit to beat the Detroit Tigers 11-8 on Sunday night. In a battle of American League powerhouses, the Rangers won three out of four games in the series and have baseball's best record at 29-15. Murphy comes up clutch: Rangers manager Ron Washington put David Murphy in the No. 2 spot in the lineup to try to get his bat going with Ian Kinsler out and Elvis Andrus moving into the leadoff spot.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/texas-rangers/post/_/id/4899539/rapid-reaction-rangers-11-tigers-8 Sun, 19 May 2013 22:52:56 EDT 4899539 ARLINGTON, Texas -- So far any concern about the 130 pitches Yu Darvish threw in Thursday's start against the Detroit Tigers aren't shared by the pitcher himself. It has been business as usual for the seven-game winner, who said he hasn't changed anything about his between-starts routine. "I didn't have much fatigue after the 130 pitches," Darvish said. His next start against the Oakland A's and their right-hander Dan Straily will have a little less -- make that a lot less -- hype than Thursday's matchup against Detroit's Justin Verlander.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/texas-rangers/post/_/id/4899530/dose-of-darvish-all-well-after-130-pitches Sun, 19 May 2013 20:14:59 EDT 4899530 ARLINGTON, Texas -- Josh Lindblom will make what he labeled his second major league debut Monday night when the right-hander starts for the Texas Rangers against the Oakland Athletics. Lindblom, 25, has actually made his major league debut, pitching in 27 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2011. Only it was as a reliever, as were the case for all 101 of his major league appearances with the Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies during the past two seasons.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/texas-rangers/post/_/id/4899526/buzz-lindblom-ready-for-starting-debut Sun, 19 May 2013 19:45:38 EDT 4899526 Here is the Texas Rangers' lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Detroit Tigers: Second baseman Ian Kinsler has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right intercostal strain, and the Rangers have called up top prospect Jurickson Profar. Profar is not in the starting lineup tonight but Texas manager Ron Washington said he will split time with utility man Leury Garcia, who gets the start at second for the third straight game. RA ...]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/texas-rangers/post/_/id/4899522/lineups-kinsler-to-dl-garcia-gets-start Sun, 19 May 2013 18:00:59 EDT 4899522 ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers try to win a four-game series from Detroit when left-hander Derek Holland takes the mound against the always tough right-hander Doug Fister at 7:05 p.m. Sunday night on ESPN TV and ESPN-FM 103.3 and 1540-AM. Holland (3-2, 2.93): Holland tries to bounce back after a frustrating outing in Oakland in which the Rangers gave him an early 3-0 lead and couldn't hold it ... The Rangers' left-hander failed to go at least seven innings for only the second time in eight starts .]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/texas-rangers/post/_/id/4899519/matchup-derek-holland-vs-doug-fister Sun, 19 May 2013 13:00:10 EDT 4899519 ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers have a leadoff hitter. Ian Kinsler. They also have a pretty good backup. Elvis Andrus. Subbing in the leadoff spot with Kinsler nursing bruised ribs, Andrus had a breakout night Saturday, going 5-for-5 and coming within a home run of hitting for the cycle. Andrus scored three runs and stole two bases as the aggressive Rangers blitzed red-hot Detroit starter Anibal Sanchez and the Tigers 7-2 on Saturday night. Andrus used the entire ballpark to get his five hits, his career high.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/texas-rangers/post/_/id/4899512/andrus-leads-the-way-with-5-hits Sat, 18 May 2013 23:50:49 EDT 4899512 ARLINGTON, Texas -- Call it Justin Grimm's revenge on the Detroit Tigers. With a personal three-game losing streak entering a rematch with Detroit, Grimm joked with Texas Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux before Saturday's game that he was going to get back at the Tigers for what they did to him last June in his second major league start. Riding the high of a brilliant debut against the Houston Astros, the Tigers pounded Grimm for six runs in an inning.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/texas-rangers/post/_/id/4899508/grimm-gets-his-revenge-on-tigers Sat, 18 May 2013 23:20:31 EDT 4899508