Rangers Notes: Beltre Earns Gold Glove, Silver Slugger Awards

Adrian Beltre committed just 11 errors while handling 312 total chances at third base for the Rangers this year.

Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre was recognized for his contributions in the field and in the lineup this season, picking up his third career Gold Glove award late Tuesday before receiving his second consecutive Silver Slugger award on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old Beltre hit .296 with 32 home runs, 33 doubles and 105 RBIs in 2011, when he also ranked third in the American League with a .561 slugging percentage.

A two-time All-Star, Beltre had previously won back-to-back Gold Glove awards with the Mariners in 2007-08, and he had earned Silver Slugger awards with both the Dodgers (’04) and the Red Sox (’10). The Dominican native joins Buddy Bell as the only Texas third basemen to win Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards in the same season. Bell accomplished the feat in 1984, when he – like Beltre – was 32 years old.

Texas Locks Up Lewis, Tateyama for 2012

The Rangers exercised the contract options for right-handed pitchers Colby Lewis and Yoshinori Tateyama on Monday, securing the rights to their services for the upcoming 2012 season.

Lewis, 32, has been one of Texas’s most consistent starters over the last two years, racking up a total of 26 wins and 365 strikeouts while averaging just over 200 innings per season.

A 1999 draft pick by the Rangers, Lewis spent two years with the Hiroshima Carp in Japan before returning to Texas for the 2010 campaign. Across eight postseason starts, he has an impressive 4-1 record with an earned run average of 2.34 in 50 innings pitched.

The 35-year-old Tateyama, meanwhile, went 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA over 39 appearances for the Rangers in 2011, posting the eighth-best strikeout-to-walk-ratio (3.91) in the American League.

Tateyama had also spent time pitching in his native Japan prior to signing with Texas last November. In 2010, he put together a career-best ERA of 1.80 in 58 games for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Japanese Pacific League.

Roster Trimmed with Minor Moves

The Rangers cleared a total of six spots on their 40-man roster Wednesday, losing right-hander Darren O’Day to Baltimore on a waiver claim and outrighting five others who successfully passed through waivers.

The 29-year-old O’Day made only 16 regular-season appearances because of a partial tear of his left hip labrum – which required surgery in late April – and he was not on the roster for any of Texas’s three playoff rounds. In 2010, O’Day led the Rangers in appearances (72) while posting a record of 6-3 and a solid 2.03 earned run average.

Also Wednesday, the club outrighted five players off its 40-man roster – right-handed pitchers Omar Beltre, Eric Hurley and Merkin Valdez and infielders Andres Blanco and Esteban German.

Wednesday’s moves leave Texas with 32 players on its current 40-man roster.

Rangers Notes: Beltre Lifts Texas Past Tampa Bay, into ALCS

Adrian Beltre connects for his third home run of the game Tuesday at Tropicana Field in Florida.

The Rangers became the first team to advance in this year’s MLB playoffs when they defeated the Rays on Tuesday, 4-3, to win the best-of-five American League Division Series and move on to the A.L. Championship Series, where they will play either the Detroit Tigers or New York Yankees.

Third baseman Adrian Beltre joined elite company when he hit three home runs in Tuesday’s clincher, becoming just the sixth different player to go deep three times in a single postseason game. Among the others are Hall of Famers Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson and George Brett.

After Tampa Bay took the opener handily last Friday in Arlington, pounding Texas starter C.J. Wilson for six earned runs en route to a 9-0 shutout victory, the Rangers were able to reel off three straight wins to get past the Rays for the second year in a row.

Derek Holland, Colby Lewis and Matt Harrison each earned victories for Texas in the three wins over Tampa Bay, with Harrison striking out a career-high nine batters as part of Tuesday’s clincher at Tropicana Field.

“It’s unbelievable,” second baseman Ian Kinsler said of advancing beyond the Division Series. “We’ve fought all year. To get back to the ALCS, get a chance to defend our title and go back to the World Series, that’s what we wanted all year.”

The Rangers will begin the ALCS on Saturday against either the Tigers or Yankees, who are tied at two games apiece in their best-of-five A.L. Division Series.

By virtue of the teams’ regular-season records, Texas would hold home-field advantage over Detroit for the A.L. Championship Series but would have to open at Yankee Stadium if facing New York.

Lowe Remains Unavailable, Roster Move Possible

Right-hander Mark Lowe continues to deal with a strained hamstring he suffered nearly a month ago, rendering him unavailable for the Rangers’ next playoff round and creating a potential opportunity for another reliever to be added to the ALCS roster.

Texas carried three catchers on its ALDS roster against the Rays, although veteran Matt Treanor failed to see any playing time behind Mike Napoli and Yorvit Torrealba.

“In a five-game series, it’s a little easier to go with the extra position player,” general manager Jon Daniels told ESPNDallas.com. “In a seven-game series, we might go with 12 [pitchers]. We haven’t made that call yet.”

Among those who could be considered for an extra relief role are right-handers Darren O’Day and Yoshinori Tateyama and left-hander Michael Kirkman.

Rangers Notes: Beltre Hits 300th Career Home Run

Adrian Beltre rounds the bases after hitting career home run No. 300 on Sunday off Oakland starter Josh Outman, part of an 8-1 Texas win over the A’s.

One week after passing the 2,000-hit mark for his career, third baseman Adrian Beltre hit his 300^th home run Sunday against Athletics left-hander Josh Outman at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Beltre moves into elite company as the 10^ththird baseman in history to collect 2,000 hits as well as 300 home runs, joining the likes of Hall of Famers George Brett, Eddie Mathews and Mike Schmidt. In addition, he is just the 12^th active player to accomplish the feat, a list that includes former Texas sluggers Vladimir Guerrero, Carlos Lee and Alex Rodriguez.

“It means I’ve been playing this game a long time,” Beltre told MLB.com. “I’m healthy enough to achieve something like that. It’s not a big deal for me, but I’m proud to get those numbers.”

Since his return from the disabled list in early September, Beltre is batting .389 (21-for-54) with five home runs and 15 RBIs, and he carries a career-best 19-game hitting streak into this weekend’s series against the Mariners in Seattle.

Rangers Win Five of Six on Homestand

With Beltre back in the lineup and the offense clicking on all cylinders, Texas took two of three games from the Athletics last weekend before completing a three-game sweep of the Indians this week at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Colby Lewis and C.J. Wilson each picked up wins against Oakland, and Wilson – who was coming off his first career shutout on Sept. 6 – garnered American League Player of the Week honors after tossing 17 scoreless innings with 17 strikeouts over his last two starts.

Facing Cleveland on Tuesday, Texas rode a pair of David Murphy homers to a 10-4 win before Josh Hamilton’s grand slam led the way to a 9-1 Rangers’ victory on Wednesday. Thursday saw right-hander Alexi Ogando return to form with six shutout innings while Texas turned a five-run fifth into a 7-4 win that clinched the series sweep over the Indians.

Riding a four-game winning streak, the Rangers have improved their season record to 86-64, marking the first time the club has been 22 games over .500 since the end of the 1996 campaign.

Texas, hanging onto a 3.5-game lead over the second-place Angels, faces only A.L. West division opponents for the remainder of the regular season, beginning with a six-game road trip to Seattle and Oakland.

Cruz, O’Day Activated, Kirkman Recalled

Outfielder Nelson Cruz and right-handed reliever Darren O’Day were both activated from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday, although Cruz was limited to pinch-hitting duties against Cleveland and struck out in his only at-bat.

O’Day tossed a perfect inning of relief Wednesday while striking out two of the three Indians batters he faced.

On Sunday, left-hander Michael Kirkman was recalled after Triple-A Round Rock had been eliminated in the first round of the Pacific Coast League playoffs.

Kirkman, who turns 25 this weekend, posted a 1-1 record with an earned run average of 7.33 across 11 big-league appearances earlier in the season.

Rangers Notes: Gonzalez, Treanor Added for Stretch Drive

In 82 games with the Rangers last season, Matt Treanor batted .211 with a career-high five home runs, 22 runs scored and 27 RBIs.

Texas bolstered its bullpen Wednesday by trading for Orioles left-hander Mike Gonzalez while also strengthening the backup catcher position with the re-acquisition of veteran Matt Treanor from Kansas City.

Right-handed pitcher Pedro Strop was sent to Baltimore to complete the deal for Gonzalez, and cash considerations were involved in the trade for Treanor.

Gonzalez, 33, spent most of his career in the N.L. before joining the Orioles’ bullpen prior to last season. Across 380 relief appearances covering parts of nine years with Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Baltimore, he has posted a 2.89 ERA with 56 saves.

As for Strop, he saw action in 11 games for the Rangers earlier this season, going 0-1 with an earned run average of 3.72 over nine-plus innings of work.

The 35-year-old Treanor set career highs in numerous offensive categories in 82 games with Texas last season, and he was with the Rangers through spring training before getting dealt to the Royals in late March.

In a concurrent roster move, right-hander Tim Wood was designated for assignment on Wednesday, giving Texas 10 days with which to trade, release or outright him to the minor leagues. Wood had been acquired on a waiver claim from Pittsburgh on Aug. 18 and made four appearances at Triple-A Round Rock.

Cruz, O’Day Sent to Disabled List

Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz (strained left hamstring) and sidearm reliever Darren O’Day (shoulder inflammation) were both placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday, with youngsters Leonys Martin and Mark Hamburger getting called up to take their spots on the active roster.

Cruz, an All-Star in 2009, strained his hamstring while running out a double Sunday against the Angels. This marks his second stint on the DL this season, as he missed the middle part of May with a strained quad muscle.

To replace Cruz, who is expected to be sidelines for roughly three weeks, Texas recalled Cuban outfielder Leonys Martin from Triple-A Round Rock. Martin, 23, was signed to a five-year deal earlier this season and will be making his major-league debut when he appears in a game for the Rangers.

Meanwhile, O’Day – who was just recalled from Round Rock last Wednesday – made one relief appearance against the Red Sox but hasn’t pitched since then, so his time on the disabled list will be retroactive to Aug. 25. O’Day was on the DL for more than two months this summer with a partially torn hip labrum.

Like Martin, twenty-four-year-old Mark Hamburger will make his big-league debut once he gets into a game, although his role in the Texas bullpen has yet to be defined. Hamburger combined for an 8-4 record and a 3.39 ERA in 42 appearances between Double-A and Triple-A this season.

Beltre, Blanco Re-Join Team as Rangers Expand Roster

With active rosters expanding to 40 players on Sept. 1, the Rangers made a series of in-house transactions Thursday that included the return of All-Star third baseman Adrian Beltre and utility infielder Andres Blanco from the disabled list.

In addition, Texas purchased the contracts of infielder Esteban German and right-hander Merkin Valdez from Triple-A Round Rock. With Blanco and German back with the big-league club, infielder Omar Quintanilla cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Round Rock.

Thursday’s transactions leave the Rangers with a full 40-man roster, including 30 players on the Texas active roster as the club heads to Boston and Tampa Bay for three games apiece against the Red Sox and Rays.

Rangers Notes: Harrison to be Skipped in Rotation

Matt Harrison will skip his scheduled start Tuesday against the Rays while Scott Feldman gets the nod in his place.

Left-hander Matt Harrison will not pitch Tuesday’s series opener against Tampa Bay as he had been scheduled to, with right-handed long reliever Scott Feldman getting the spot start instead.

Harrison, who allowed seven earned runs on 11 hits over five innings against the Red Sox last week, will be skipped for this turn through the Rangers’ rotation in an effort to give his fatigued throwing arm some time to rest.

In the interim, the 25-year-old southpaw will be available out of the Texas bullpen, but he’s not likely to be used for multiple innings or appearances in consecutive games. Harrison’s next scheduled start is Sunday, Sept. 4, at Fenway Park in Boston.

Feldman, who was a starter each of the past three seasons and led the club with 17 wins in 2009, has made seven relief outings this year since getting called up late last month, posting a 3.94 ERA across 16 innings of work.

O’Day Recalled, Teagarden Sent to Triple-A

The Rangers on Wednesday announced that right-handed pitcher Darren O’Day had been recalled from Triple-A Round Rock for his third different stint at the big-league level this season.

In order to clear a spot on the active roster for O’Day, catcher Taylor Teagarden was optioned back to Round Rock, although he will likely re-join the club once rosters expand to 40 players in September.

O’Day, 28, spent more than two months on the disabled list earlier this year after undergoing surgery to fix a partially torn labrum in his left hip. Across 13 total relief appearances for the Rangers this season, O’Day has an 0-1 record with an earned run average of 5.93 and 14 strikeouts against four walks.

As for Teagarden, the 27-year-old backstop has seen limited playing time for Texas while Mike Napoli and Yorvit Torrealba have handled most of the catching duties this season.

Beltre, Blanco to Begin Rehab Stints

Third baseman Adrian Beltre and utility infielder Andres Blanco are both set to begin rehabilitation assignments on Monday with the Round Rock Express, who are starting a four-game series against the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate in Omaha.

Beltre has been on the disabled list since July 23 with a strained left hamstring, which he suffered while running the bases in the previous night’s Rangers game against the Blue Jays.

Meanwhile, Blanco has been sidelined for nearly three weeks due to inflammation in his lower back, and while the switch hitter still cannot bat from the left side, he is able to hit right-handed and, more importantly, play defense at three different infield positions.