Rangers Notes: Texas Keeps Rolling After All-Star Break

Derek Holland began the second half strong with his second consecutive complete-game shutout, part of a 5-0 win Thursday in Seattle.

The Rangers extended their season-best win streak to 11 games over the weekend with a four-game sweep over the Mariners at Safeco Field.

Left-hander Derek Holland – who failed to get out of the first inning in a start against Florida earlier this month – bounced back with his second consecutive complete-game shutout on Thursday, part of the Rangers’ 5-0 win over Seattle.

Holland carried a perfect game into the bottom of the sixth before walking Franklin Gutierrez and allowing a single to Chone Figgins, and he faced just six batters over the minimum on the evening.

Outfielder Josh Hamilton provided Texas with an early lead when he hit a solo homer off Mariners starter Jason Vargas in the top of the first. Nelson Cruz followed with his 21^st home run of the season in the second inning, and Michael Young stretched the lead to 3-0 with an RBI single in the third.

Mike Napoli then connected for a leadoff homer against Vargas in the top of the fifth inning, and Craig Gentry produced the game’s final run when he singled, stole second base, and came in to score on an RBI single from Elvis Andrus.

Meanwhile, Holland scattered five hits over the last four frames and walked only one batter while recording a total of eight strikeouts, becoming the first Texas pitcher to throw back-to-back shutouts since knuckleballer Charlie Hough did so in 1983.

The Rangers received another scoreless outing from their starter on Friday as Colby Lewis tossed eight-plus shutout frames before Neftali Feliz recorded the final out in the ninth.

Adrian Beltre, Endy Chavez and Josh Hamilton each contributed a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the 4-0 Texas win while Michael Young connected for an RBI single in the top of the eighth.

As for Lewis, he allowed just two hits over his first eight frames of work and finished with a total of eight strikeouts, helping to extend the scoreless-innings streak of the Texas pitching staff to 29 dating back to July 9.

Ian Kinsler helped push the Rangers’ win streak to 10 games with a pair of solo home runs Saturday, and Texas received seven quality innings from left-hander C.J. Wilson en route to a 5-1 victory in Seattle.

Kinsler gave the Rangers an early advantage when he homered leading off the ballgame against Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez, who then settled down to retire 15 of the next 16 batters he faced.

Wilson kept Seattle off the scoreboard until the bottom of the fifth inning, when Franklin Gutierrez reached on a leadoff single, moved to second on a stolen base, and scored on Ichiro Suzuki’s game-tying single into center field.

The Rangers took the lead back for good, however, on an Elvis Andrus RBI single in the top of the sixth, then added three insurance runs off Hernandez and reliever Jamey Wright in the eighth inning. With one out, Kinsler clubbed his second solo homer of the game to extend the Texas lead to 3-1, and both Andrus and Adrian Beltre singled and eventually came around to score in the frame.

Sunday afternoon saw the Rangers wrap up the four-game sweep with a 3-1 win over the Mariners, powered by a three-run homer from Mitch Moreland and seven-plus quality innings from left-hander Matt Harrison. The victory also helped Texas extend its overall winning streak to 11 games, tied for the second-longest in club history.

Seattle starter Blake Beavan – traded by the Rangers last summer as part of the deal for Cliff Lee – had to work around Dustin Ackley’s two-out error in the first inning, although he was able to strike out Nelson Cruz with the bases loaded to end the threat.

Beavan wasn’t as fortunate in the top of the second, however, as David Murphy singled and Mike Napoli walked against him before Moreland hammered a three-run home run to deep right field, giving Texas a 3-0 lead.

Harrison, on the other hand, took a no-hitter into the fifth inning and lasted into the top of the eighth, allowing just one run on five hits while seeing his ERA (2.91) drop into the top 10 in the American League.

Rangers Notes: Texas Loses Five of Seven on West Coast Swing

Right fielder Mitch Moreland fails to make the play Sunday on a drive by Daric Barton in Oakland, part of a 7-2 loss for the Rangers against the A’s.

After losing three out of four games at home to the Blue Jays last week – with poor starting pitching and sloppy defense being the main culprits in the losses – the Rangers lost three out of four games in Oakland over the weekend to the division rival Athletics, then dropped two of three against the last-place Mariners in Seattle.

Oakland right-hander Trevor Cahill shut out the Rangers for seven innings Friday while Kurt Suzuki, Conor Jackson and Josh Willingham each drove in a run to lead the A’s to a 3-1 win over Texas.

Rangers starter C.J. Wilson went seven innings in a losing cause, giving up just two earned runs on eight hits with three strikeouts, but an unearned run came home as a result of an Ian Kinsler error in the seventh. As for Cahill, he lowered his season earned run average to 1.88 with seven scoreless innings of work, issuing four walks but benefitting from 10 ground ball outs as Texas left a total of 12 runners on base in the game.

On Saturday, the Rangers pounded Oakland starter Brett Anderson for seven runs on nine hits across the first five innings of an 11-2 drubbing of the Athletics. Texas took a first-inning lead when Adrian Beltre lined a double into left field to bring home Elvis Andrus, who had walked and gone to third base on a groundout and his eighth stolen base of the season.

Right-hander Colby Lewis started for the Rangers and gave up his league-leading ninth home run of the year in the second inning, a solo shot by Kurt Suzuki to tie the game at 1-1. After Michael Young clubbed a two-run homer in the third (his first long ball this season), the Athletics’ Josh Willingham added another solo home run against Lewis in the fourth, bringing Oakland to within 3-2.

But Texas teed off against Anderson with a four-run fifth inning, which included a three-run homer by Nelson Cruz and was capped off with a solo blast from Mike Napoli. In the eighth, Ian Kinsler hit a two-out RBI double before an error by A’s shortstop Cliff Pennington led to three unearned runs in the top of the ninth.

It was Oakland’s turn to pound the opposing starter on Sunday afternoon, as the Athletics hammered Rangers left-hander Matt Harrison for four earned runs in less than two innings on the way to a 7-2 win over Texas. After beginning the season with a 3-0 record and a 1.23 earned run average, Harrison has now lost three straight games and watched his ERA jump to 4.59 on the year.

Oakland outfielder Conor Jackson, the third batter of the game, worked the count full against Harrison before hitting a two-run double to give the Athletics a 2-0 lead. After moving to third on a fly ball, Jackson scored when Kurt Suzuki singled into left field to stake left-hander Gio Gonzalez to a three-run advantage.

Oakland scored another run off Harrison in the second inning and added two more in the third against reliever Dave Bush, with RBI hits from Coco Crisp, Hideki Matsui and Cliff Pennington. Young and Kinsler each contributed run-scoring hits in a losing effort for the Rangers.

Behind the strength of three solo home runs – including a game-winning shot by Matsui – the A’s wrapped up the series Monday with a 5-4 victory over Texas in 10 innings.

After Oakland scored a run in the bottom of the second, Michael Young hit a two-out, two-run double in the third inning to give Texas a 2-1 lead. Suzuki tied the score with a leadoff home run against Rangers starter Derek Holland in the fourth, but Texas loaded the bases in the fifth inning before Young and Adrian Beltre hit back-to-back RBI sacrifice flies to right field.

The Athletics scored one more run against Holland in the fifth inning, and Josh Willingham tied the game with a solo homer off Arthur Rhodes in the eighth.

With the score tied at 4-4, Texas loaded the bases in the top of the tenth on three walks issued by reliever Grant Balfour but failed to get a run across. The missed opportunity proved costly when Hideki Matsui homered on the first pitch he saw from left-hander Darren Oliver in the A’s half of the inning, giving Oakland a walk-off victory and a 3-1 win in the series.

The Rangers committed a total of six errors in the four games against the Athletics, moving them into a tie with Oakland for the worst team fielding percentage (.976) in the American League.

Texas then moved on to Seattle, where the club was greeted with a 4-3, come-from-behind loss at the hands of the Mariners in the series opener on Tuesday.

The Rangers took three separate leads in the game, only to see Seattle come back and tie it each time. After Texas scored in the top of the eighth to go ahead 3-2, the Mariners responded with two runs in their half of the inning to take their first lead of the game – and they made it hold up through a shutout ninth to secure the 4-3 win.

C.J. Wilson restored some order to the rotation Wednesday with a 12-strikeout, complete-game performance as the Rangers topped Seattle, 5-2, to end their three-game losing skid. Wilson allowed just one earned run on one walk and six hits over nine innings, recording multiple strikeouts in only the first and the fifth – when he struck out the side around a Chone Figgins single and stolen base.

Mitch Moreland and Chris Davis each homered for Texas, while Adrian Beltre and David Murphy also drove in runs in the win.

The lackluster road trip ended with a 3-1 loss the Mariners on Thursday, as former Ranger Justin Smoak went 3-for-4 with a home run and a double for Seattle.

Next up is a 10-game, 11-day homestand against New York, Oakland, and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Outfielder Martin Signs with Texas

It was announced Wednesday that the Rangers and Cuban outfielder Leonys Martin have agreed to a five-year contract worth $15.5 million, and the 23-year-old left-handed batter will also receive a $5 million signing bonus.

Only Cincinnati left-hander Aroldis Chapman signed a larger contract as a Cuban defector when he agreed to a six-year deal with the Reds worth $30.25 in January 2010.

Martin took a physical for Texas several weeks ago, but the deal was held up as he and the club dealt with visa and State Department issues. He’ll continue to work out at the team’s spring training facility in Surprise, Ariz., before being assigned to one of the Rangers’ minor-league affiliates later this month.

In 82 games for Villa Clara in the Cuban League last season, Martin batted .326 with 10 home runs, 23 doubles and RBIs.

Right-hander Ramon Aguero was designated for assignment in order to make room for Martin on the 40-man roster. After being acquired on a waiver claim from the Pirates on Apr. 8, Aguero has 10 days for the Rangers to trade, release or send him outright to the minors.