Rangers Notes: Wild Walk-Off Seals Winning Homestand

The Rangers begin to celebrate around Mike Napoli after he slid under the tag of Royals catcher Brayan Pena (left) with the winning run on Sunday.

Texas took two of three games from both the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals over the last week in Arlington, beginning with the return of a pair of All-Star sluggers and capped off by a highlight-reel play at the plate to wrap up a 4-2 homestand.

Outfielders Nelson Cruz and Josh Hamilton each homered in their first game back from the disabled list on Monday, and right-hander Alexi Ogando tossed his first career shutout as Texas cruised to a 4-0 win over the Chicago White Sox at Rangers Ballpark. Hamilton, in his first big-league at-bat since Apr. 12, lined a solo home run over the right field wall in the bottom of the first to give the Rangers an early 1-0 lead.

From there, Ogando was in control, allowing only four singles and three walks over the final eight innings while striking out a total of six batters. In five starts at home this season, the 27-year-old has a record of 4-0 with a miniscule 1.08 earned run average over 33-plus innings.

Following Hamilton’s first-inning homer, left-hander John Danks kept Texas off the board until the bottom of the sixth, when Adrian Beltre drew a two-out walk and scored on Nelson Cruz’s towering home run into the left field stands. The Rangers added an insurance run in the eighth inning on a double by Hamilton, an infield single by Michael Young, and Beltre’s sacrifice fly to center.

On Tuesday, the White Sox waited through a rain delay of nearly three hours and rode Carlos Quentin’s first career three-home run game to an 8-6 victory over the Rangers.

Quentin homered on the first pitch he saw from Texas left-hander Derek Holland in the top of the first to give Chicago a 1-0 lead, though Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton tied the game with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning.

With two men on and one out in the third, Quentin connected for a three-run, opposite-field home run that put the White Sox back in front, 4-1. Texas scored again on Michael Young’s sacrifice fly in the third inning before a lengthy rain delay began with Chicago holding a 4-2 lead.

Prior to the Rangers’ at-bat in the bottom of the fourth, the game was halted as a cluster of severe thunderstorms made their way across the North Texas area, and play did not resume again for two hours and 58 minutes. Each team would score four more runs after the rain delay – including Quentin’s third homer of the game and a solo shot by Adam Dunn for the White Sox – and Chicago held on for an 8-6 win.

Less than 12 hours after the end of Tuesday’s contest, the Rangers and White Sox were back on the field Wednesday afternoon to play the rubber match of their three-game set in Arlington. Behind a solid outing by left-hander C.J. Wilson, Texas hung on to an early lead and held off a late Chicago rally to secure a 2-1 win in both the game and the series.

Leading off the third inning against White Sox starter Gavin Floyd, David Murphy reached on a fielding error by second baseman Gordon Beckham and advanced to third on Yorvit Torrealba’s ground-rule double. A Mitch Moreland sacrifice fly allowed Murphy to score, and Ian Kinsler singled to drive in Torrealba and give the Rangers a two-run lead.

Wilson faced the minimum 18 batters over the first six innings, giving up two singles but benefitting from double plays turned behind him each time. After retiring the leadoff hitter in the top of the seventh, he allowed three consecutive singles to Alexei Ramirez, Carlos Quentin and Paul Konerko as Chicago produced its lone run of the afternoon.

Despite walking two batters, closer Neftali Feliz tossed a scoreless ninth inning to earn his 10^th save of the year.

Following an off day Thursday, Texas and Kansas City began a weekend series on Friday with an extra-inning slugfest won by the Royals after they scored five runs in the top of the 14^th for a 12-7 final.

Although both starting pitchers were hit hard in the first couple of frames, Kansas City right-hander Nathan Adcock was pulled with two outs in the second while the Rangers’ Colby Lewis made it through the sixth, setting down 13 of the last 14 batters he faced.

With Texas leading 7-6 heading into the ninth, Neftali Feliz was called upon to get the final three outs of the game. But after retiring the first batter, he gave up a solo home run to Royals left fielder Alex Gordon to tie the score at 7-7. The blown save was Feliz’s third of the season, and all three have come against K.C. over the last two weeks.

Three relievers for each team combined to keep the game tied through the first four extra innings, though it was a different story for Rangers right-hander Dave Bush in the top of the fourteenth.

With one out, Melky Cabrera and Eric Hosmer connected for back-to-back solo home runs to give Kansas City a 9-7 lead. Following a single and an intentional walk, backup catcher Brayan Pena hit a three-run homer to put the Royals ahead by a final score of 12-7.

On Saturday, Texas pounded five home runs against Kansas City starter Sean O’Sullivan en route to a 10-1 victory in Arlington.

After allowing a two-run double to third baseman Adrian Beltre in the first inning, O’Sullivan gave up three consecutive home runs to Mitch Moreland, Mike Napoli and Endy Chavez in the bottom of the second. Beltre added a solo homer in the third inning before Nelson Cruz clubbed a two-run shot in the sixth, by which point the Rangers had built a 10-0 lead.

In the meantime, Texas left-hander Matt Harrison cruised through six scoreless innings of work despite recording just one strikeout, benefitting instead from seven ground ball outs – including two double plays – and four fly balls. Kansas City avoided a shutout when Billy Butler scored on an infield groundout by Matt Treanor in the top of the seventh.

Although the Rangers won by a nine-run margin of victory, right-hander Yoshinori Tateyama earned his first career save with three innings pitched in relief of Harrison.

In Sunday afternoon’s series finale, the Royals erased an early two-run deficit and took a 5-3 lead into the eighth inning, but Texas came back with multiple runs in both the eighth and ninth to tie and eventually win the game by a 7-6 final.

Against Royals left-hander Danny Duffy, the Rangers scored their first run on an RBI double by Mike Napoli in the bottom of the second, then added another on Ian Kinsler’s solo home run in the third.

Kansas City responded by putting five runs on the board against Texas starter Alexi Ogando in the top of the fourth. With one out, Wilson Betemit and Mitch Maier each connected for RBI doubles before catcher Brayan Pena hammered a three-run homer into the upper deck in right field.

Napoli cut into the Royals’ lead with a solo home run leading off the fifth inning, but Kansas City was still ahead 5-3 going into the bottom of the eighth. With two outs and a runner at third, Michael Young hit an Aaron Crow fastball just over the wall in right to tie the game heading into the ninth.

After the Royals had gone back ahead in the top of the inning, Cruz led off the Rangers’ half of the ninth with a game-tying home run to left field against closer Joakim Soria. Mike Napoli followed with a single into left before the next two batters struck out, setting the stage for Elvis Andrus.

With Napoli running on the pitch, Andrus lined a single into right that was fielded by Mitch Maier, who fired the ball into the catcher as Napoli was being waved home by third base coach Dave Anderson. Although the relay throw had him beat by at least 15 feet, Napoli slid under Brayan Pena’s glove and was ruled safe because the catcher did not apply the tag in time, giving the Rangers their first walk-off victory of the season.

Kirkman Up, Tomko Down as Texas Tweaks Bullpen

Prior to the start of their three-game weekend series against Kansas City, the Rangers recalled left-hander Michael Kirkman from Triple-A Round Rock on Friday and assigned veteran right-hander Brett Tomko outright to the minors.

This marks the second big-league stint of the season for Kirkman, who was roughed up for five earned runs in less than two innings pitched in his only appearance on Apr. 19 against the Angels. The 24-year-old began the season in Round Rock’s starting rotation, but four of his last five outings for the Express have come in relief.

Across 7 and 2/3 innings of work out of the bullpen at Triple-A, Kirkman has recorded nine strikeouts and held opponents to a .207 batting average while not allowing an earned run.

Tomko, 38, posted a record of 0-1 with a 4.58 earned run average in eight appearances for Texas since being called up on Apr. 20. He had signed a minor-league deal with the Rangers in mid-February after spending the most of last two seasons with Oakland.

Rangers Notes: Cruz, Hamilton Expected to Re-Join Lineup

Nelson Cruz went 5-for-11 with three home runs and four RBIs in three rehab games at Round Rock.

All-Star outfielders Nelson Cruz and Josh Hamilton each completed successful rehabilitation assignments with Triple-A Round Rock over the weekend, and both are expected to be activated in time for Monday’s series opener against the Chicago White Sox.

A strained right quadriceps muscle has kept Cruz on the disabled list since May 7 (retroactive to May 4), while Hamilton has been sidelined since he fractured his right humerus bone during a home-plate collision in Detroit on Apr. 12.

Both players began their rehab stints with Double-A Frisco last week, then joined the Express for three weekend games against Colorado Springs at Round Rock’s Dell Diamond.

Cruz homered in all three games with the Express, going 5-for-11 with two walks and four RBIs over the weekend, while Hamilton went 2-for-11 with a double, a home run and three runs batted in as the designated hitter.

The Rangers will have to make a pair of roster moves before Monday’s game to accommodate Cruz and Hamilton, with the likeliest candidates for demotion being catcher Taylor Teagarden, infielder Chris Davis, and outfielders Endy Chavez and Craig Gentry.

(UPDATE: Davis and Teagarden were optioned to Triple-A Round Rock along with reliever Cody Eppley, whose spot in the bullpen was taken by right-hander Yoshinori Tateyama.)

Texas will certainly welcome the presence of both Cruz and Hamilton back into the lineup, as the Rangers have gone 7-for-63 (.111) with runners in scoring position over the last week while stranding a total of 60 men on base.

Team Avoids Sweep in Philly

In an interleague matchup of Opening Day starters, it was the Phillies’ Roy Halladay who got the better of Rangers left-hander C.J. Wilson on Friday as Philadelphia came back for a 3-2 win over Texas at Citizens Bank Park.

The Rangers gave Wilson a 1-0 lead to work with after they manufactured a first-inning run against Halladay. Shortstop Elvis Andrus led off the game with a single, moved to third on a base hit by Mitch Moreland, then came home on the front end of a successful double steal.

Wilson tossed a perfect shutdown frame and had struck out four of the first five batters to face him when Raul Ibanez drew a four-pitch walk in the bottom of the second, and Ben Francisco followed with a home run into the left field seats to put the Phillies ahead, 2-1. In the fourth inning, it was Ibanez who hit a solo home run with two outs to give Philadelphia a two-run lead.

Halladay, meanwhile, settled down after a shaky first and hung on to record seven strikeouts over eight quality innings. He allowed another run on Moreland’s RBI single in the top of the eighth, but right-hander Ryan Madson retired the side in the ninth to notch the victory and earn his seventh consecutive save.

Less than a year removed from being traded to Texas and helping the Rangers reach their first World Series, Phillies left-hander Cliff Lee threw eight shutout innings against his former club Saturday as part of a 2-0 win for Philadelphia.

Lee, who hadn’t won a game since mid-April, struck out 10 batters while issuing just two walks and lowered his earned run average to 3.38 on the season.

The Phillies scored an early run against Texas right-hander Colby Lewis when Ryan Howard broke out of an 0-for-23 slump with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the second. After striking out the first two batters in the seventh, Lewis walked the next two before John Mayberry connected for an RBI single, which turned out to be the final run in a 2-0 ballgame.

On Sunday, left-hander Matt Harrison had his best start of the year and picked up his first win in over a month as Texas beat the Phillies, 2-0, in the finale of their three-game set at Citizens Bank Park. Harrison allowed just five scattered singles and three walks over eight-plus shutout innings, and while he only struck out three batters, he was pitching to contact as he recorded 10 fly ball outs and seven on the ground.

Despite receiving the loss, Phillies right-hander Roy Oswalt turned in a quality performance as well, and the game remained scoreless through the first five innings.

In the top of the sixth, Michael Young singled into right field on the first pitch he saw from Oswalt and moved to second on an Adrian Beltre groundout. Mitch Moreland followed with an RBI double to score Young and give Texas a 1-0 lead.

The Rangers added an insurance run in the eighth inning when, with one out and runners at the corners, Craig Gentry laid down a successful squeeze bunt to drive Beltre home from third base.

Harrison retired the side in Philadelphia’s half of the eighth and struck out Ryan Howard to lead off the ninth, but he was removed after issuing a walk to right fielder Ben Francisco, which brought his pitch count to 117 on the afternoon.

Closer Neftali Feliz came on to get the final two outs of the game and record his ninth save of the year.

Texas Shows Interest in Pirates’ Hanrahan

Although Feliz got the job done Sunday, reports indicate that the Rangers have expressed preliminary interest in trading for Pittsburgh right-hander Joel Hanrahan, who is a perfect 13-for-13 in save opportunities this season.

Hanrahan, 29, has spent his entire career in the National League, having come up with Washington in 2007 and being traded to the Pirates two years later. In five big-league seasons, he has a career record of 16-12 with 33 saves in over 290 innings pitched.

While Pittsburgh has indicated it is not looking to deal Hanrahan, many things can change in the 10 weeks between now and the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

Rangers Notes: Lewis Throws First Career Shutout in Chicago

Colby Lewis struck out seven batters across nine scoreless innings in his win over the White Sox.

After beginning the season with a 1-3 record and an earned run average of 6.95, Texas right-hander Colby Lewis has bounced back to produce four quality starts in a row and see his ERA drop to 3.81, and his most recent outing may have been one of the best performances of his life.

Lewis threw the first complete-game shutout of his MLB career on Monday to lead the Rangers to a 4-0 win over the White Sox in Chicago. The Sox managed just five hits off Lewis, who finished with seven strikeouts against one walk and needed just 110 pitches to get the job done.

While Lewis was shutting down Chicago’s lineup, his Texas teammates got to White Sox starter Edwin Jackson for two runs in the top of the third. Outfielder Endy Chavez led off the inning with a single and went to second on a stolen base, then scored the game’s first run when Michael Young doubled into left-center. Two pitches later, Young came home on Adrian Beltre’s RBI single into left field to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead.

Texas went on to score twice more in the top of the sixth against Jackson, who yielded a total of four runs on 11 hits over five-plus innings of work, issuing three walks and committing his first fielding error of the season.

On Tuesday, left-hander Matt Harrison was given an early lead by the Rangers when they scored individual runs in three of the first four innings against Chicago southpaw John Danks, with RBI hits coming from Ian Kinsler, Endy Chavez and Yorvit Torrealba.

After Torrealba’s run-scoring sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth put Texas in front by a score of 3-0, Harrison worked an efficient shutdown inning by retiring Alexei Ramirez, Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko in order. But the bottom of the fifth was a different story, as he issued walks to Carlos Quentin and Alex Rios before surrendering a game-tying home run to 24-year-old Brent Morel, his first long ball of the season.

Rangers right-hander Cody Eppley came on to replace Harrison in the bottom of the eighth, but he promptly issued a walk to the leadoff batter – Gordon Beckham – on just four pitches.

Dallas McPherson’s one-out single advanced Beckham to third base, and he scored the go-ahead run when Eppley uncorked a wild pitch beyond the reach of Torrealba. Sergio Santos tossed a perfect ninth inning to secure the 4-3 comeback win for Chicago and pick up his sixth save of the season.

After earning a two-game split against the White Sox, Texas moved on to Kansas City and did the same thing against the Royals on Wednesday and Thursday at Kauffman Stadium.

Despite going just 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position and stranding a total of 13 men on base Wednesday night, the Rangers were able to hang on for a 5-4 win in extra innings.

Starting pitcher Alexi Ogando gave up two runs on four hits across seven innings of work for Texas, though Kansas City did most of its damage against him during the first trip through the lineup.

After getting through a quick bottom of the first and retiring the first two batters in the second, Ogando allowed a single and a walk before Chris Getz and Alcides Escobar had back-to-back RBI hits to give the Royals a 2-0 lead. Beginning with the final out of the second inning, however, Ogando retired 14 batters in a row before Wilson Betemit’s one-out single in the seventh.

Making his major-league debut for Kansas City, left-hander Danny Duffy worked out of jams in each of the first two innings before allowing one run apiece in the third and fourth.

Veteran Endy Chavez scored the Rangers’ first run on a third-inning fielder’s choice, and Craig Gentry came home on a wild pitch in the top of the fourth to tie the game at 2-2. From there, both bullpens put zeroes on the board until the ninth, when each team scored one run to send the game into extra innings.

Leading off the top of the 11^th, Chavez drew a base on balls against Royals reliever Jeremy Jeffress, who also walked Ian Kinsler and Chris Davis to load the bases with one out for Adrian Beltre. On the second pitch he saw from Jeffress, Beltre lined a single into center field to drive in Chavez and Kinsler with the go-ahead runs.

Kansas City was able to score once against Rangers right-hander Mark Lowe in the bottom of the 11^th, but he recovered to get the final out and earn his first save of the year, while left-hander Arthur Rhodes picked up the win in relief for Texas.

On Thursday, the Royals again scored a ninth-inning run against Rangers closer Neftali Feliz to tie the game and send it into extra frames; but unlike the previous night, they were able to end their five-game losing streak with a 2-1 comeback win in 10 innings.

Chris Davis put the Rangers in front early with a home run against right-hander Luke Hochevar to lead off the second inning, and the 1-0 lead held up until the bottom of the ninth.

Texas starter Derek Holland turned in his best performance of the year, yielding nine scattered singles over eight-plus innings while recording five strikeouts against just one walk. He received his fifth straight no-decision, however, as he was pulled after giving up a leadoff single to Kansas City rookie Eric Hosmer in the bottom of the ninth.

Feliz, who blew his first save of the season Wednesday before the Rangers rallied to win, came on in relief of Holland and immediately allowed a single to Jeff Francoeur. Following two fly ball outs, Mike Aviles ended an 11-pitch at-bat with a single up the middle to score Hosmer with the tying run.

Royals right-hander Greg Holland retired the side in order in the top of the 10^th, which set the stage for a Kansas City comeback in the bottom of the inning.

With one out and left-hander Darren Oliver on the mound for Texas, Melky Cabrera and Eric Hosmer connected for back-to-back singles to put runners at first and third for Jeff Francoeur. Oliver was replaced by sidearmer Cody Eppley, who got two quick strikes before Francoeur delivered the game-winning hit against his former team.

Next up for the Rangers is their first interleague matchup of the year, a three-game weekend series at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, and the scheduled starters for Texas are LHP C.J. Wilson (4-2, 3.38 ERA), RHP Colby Lewis (4-4, 3.81) and LHP Matt Harrison (3-4, 4.27).

Cruz, Hamilton Shift Rehab to Triple-A

Injured outfielders Nelson Cruz and Josh Hamilton, both of whom returned to game action at Double-A Frisco this week, will continue their rehabilitation assignments with the Triple-A Round Rock Express starting on Friday.

Cruz has been on the disabled list since May 7 (retroactive to May 4) with a strained right quadriceps muscle, and he went 2-for-11 in three games at Frisco with a double and a run batted in. Across 30 games for the Rangers this season, Cruz is batting .219 with seven home runs and 18 RBIs.

As for Hamilton, he has been sidelined since Apr. 12 with a non-displaced hairline fracture in his right shoulder, an injury that was sustained when he attempted a headfirst slide into home plate against the Tigers in Detroit. The defending American League MVP, Hamilton hit a home run in his first rehab game for Frisco and ended up going 2-for-7 with three runs batted in.

Cruz is expected to play the outfield in Round Rock’s three games against Colorado Springs this weekend while Hamilton will get his starts as the designated hitter.

Texas Recalls Teagarden from Round Rock

With temperatures heating up and injuries beginning to take their toll, the Rangers on Wednesday optioned right-hander Ryan Tucker to Round Rock and recalled backup catcher Taylor Teagarden to provide depth on the active roster.

This marks Teagarden’s second stint with the big-league club already in 2011, as he went hitless over four at-bats between Apr. 20 and May 5. In his first game back with Triple-A after being sent down earlier this month, Teagarden hammered three home runs while producing half (seven) of his season RBI total (14) on May 8 against Nashville.

Tucker, who had been called up by the Rangers on Apr. 27, allowed four earned runs in five innings pitched across five appearances with Texas, though he had not seen any action since getting rocked for two runs on two walks and two hits – without retiring a single batter – against Oakland on May 9.

Rangers Notes: Texas Wins Three of Five against Division Foes

Michael Young is congratulated by manager Ron Washington (right) after scoring the first of his two runs during Tuesday’s 7-2 win over the A’s.

On the heels of a disappointing series loss to the Yankees, the Rangers were looking to start a winning trend with a week’s worth of home games against the division rival Oakland A’s and L.A. Angels of Anaheim.

Though many of the details seemed to be in place for a Texas victory on Monday – the Rangers collected more hits, made fewer errors and turned more double plays than the Athletics – it was Oakland that worked eight walks and got the clutch hits with men on base en route to a 7-2 win.

Texas, which charged out of the gate with a sizzling 9-1 record to begin the season, has cooled off considerably in a month’s worth of games since then, and Monday’s defeat dropped the Rangers behind the A’s and into sole possession of third place in the American League West division.

Left-hander C.J. Wilson, whose previous start had yielded a 12-strikeout, complete-game masterpiece in Seattle, was in a more charitable mood on Monday as he allowed five walks and five earned runs across seven mediocre innings of work.

Wilson’s counterpart for Oakland, right-hander Trevor Cahill, continued his recent trend of quality starts with a one-run, seven-strikeout performance in which he allowed five hits and one walk over seven innings.

On Tuesday, right-hander Colby Lewis – who struck out a career-high 11 batters but got charged with the loss in his most recent start at Seattle – failed to record a single strikeout against Oakland but was able to pick up the victory as Texas topped the Athletics by a score of 7-2.

Lewis and Oakland starter Brett Anderson each cruised through the early innings before the first two Rangers reached in the bottom of the fourth. After David Murphy worked a four-pitch walk to load the bases against Anderson, Mike Napoli was also issued a free pass to force one run home while Craig Gentry singled into left to drive in another.

Lewis retired the side on nine pitches in the top of the fifth, then watched as Texas rallied for three insurance runs against Anderson and reliever David Purcey. The Rangers’ Michael Young doubled with one out, moved to third on an outfield fly and scored on Adrian Beltre’s first home run since Apr. 24.

Cliff Pennington put the Athletics on the board in the sixth inning with his third home run of the year, only to see Texas respond with two runs in the bottom of the frame. For the Rangers, Young went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and fell a home run shy of hitting for the cycle, and he and Beltre moved into a four-way tie atop the American League leaderboard with 28 runs batted in this season.

Texas jumped to a 7-0 lead Wednesday afternoon only to see it washed away – literally. The Rangers pounded Oakland pitching for seven runs in the third inning before a torrential rain caused play to be delayed for over two hours.

Although both teams had an off day Thursday, the umpiring crew decided to call the game and have it re-played in its entirety at a later date, meaning that none of the statistics from Wednesday’s contest – including Mitch Moreland’s first career grand slam – will count.

Following Thursday’s off day, the Rangers took advantage of a weekend home series against the division-leading Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, winning two out of three and pulling to within one-half game of first place in the A.L. West.

After missing his last scheduled start due to a blister on his right index finger, Texas pitcher Alexi Ogando returned to the mound Friday and looked sharp in six-plus innings of work, giving up one run and five hits in the Rangers’ 4-1 win over the Angels.

Ogando was given an early lead to work with when shortstop Elvis Andrus homered off Los Angeles starter Jered Weaver in the bottom of the first. Andrus’s counterpart for the Angels, Erick Aybar, tied the game with a solo home run of his own in the top of the third inning.

From there, however, Ogando was on a roll, retiring 11 of the last 15 batters he faced while lowering his season earned run average to 2.06.

Texas went on to score three more runs off Weaver, one apiece in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Andrus and Michael Young had run-scoring hits before third baseman Adrian Beltre clubbed his ninth home run of the year with one out in the sixth.

Relievers Cody Eppley and Darren Oliver both contributed scoreless outings for the Rangers in relief of Ogando, and closer Neftali Feliz tossed a shutout ninth inning to earn his seventh save of the year.

On Saturday, both starting pitchers turned in quality performances before the Los Angeles bullpen outlasted that of Texas in a 3-2 comeback victory in Arlington.

Left-hander Derek Holland went six innings in his start for the Rangers, who gave him an early lead when Mitch Moreland led off the second with a double and was driven home by third baseman Adrian Beltre.

But Holland wasn’t able to hold the lead for long, as he issued consecutive walks to the first two batters in the fourth inning before giving up an RBI double to Alberto Callaspo. A walk to Howard Kendrick in the fifth was followed by another run-scoring double by Callaspo, giving the Angels a 2-1 lead.

Los Angeles right-hander Dan Haren settled down after allowing the early run, at one point retiring 15 of 16 batters over the middle innings and finishing with five strikeouts against no walks. He was replaced with two outs in the eighth, but was denied a chance for a victory when Michael Young hit a game-tying RBI single against reliever Fernando Rodney.

The game wasn’t tied for long, however, as Texas left-hander Darren Oliver surrendered the go-ahead run on a two-out single to Maicer Izturis in the top of the ninth. Angels left-hander Scott Downs picked up the win in relief, and closer Jordan Walden tossed a scoreless frame to earn his seventh save of the year.

Rangers starter C.J. Wilson allowed a first-inning run on Sunday afternoon, then settled down to watch his teammates score three times in the third and once in the fourth to give him a 4-1 lead. And while Wilson wasn’t able to hold the three-run advantage, Texas rallied to break the tie and score the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, wrapping up a 5-4 win and securing a victory in the three-game weekend series against the Angels.

Wilson walked the very first batter of the game – center fielder Peter Bourjos – before giving up a double to Erick Aybar and a run-scoring groundout to Torii Hunter.

Facing Los Angeles starter Ervin Santana, Rangers infielders Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler both singled in the bottom of the third inning and came around to score on Beltre’s three-run homer. After Wilson got through a shutdown top of the fourth, Chris Davis added a solo home run in the bottom of the frame.

The Angels got back on the board in the fifth inning on a solo homer by Aybar, who then tied the game with a two-out, two-run single off reliever Brett Tomko in the top of the sixth.

Santana was pulled after seven innings pitched, and Texas immediately went to work against the Los Angeles bullpen.

The first two batters to face Rich Thompson in the bottom of the eighth drew walks, and Mike Napoli loaded the bases with a bloop single into right. Hisanori Takahashi was brought in to replace Thompson, but he was greeted by Chris Davis’s RBI single to right field that gave the Rangers a 5-4 lead.

For Texas, Mark Lowe earned the win in relief while right-hander Neftali Feliz retired all three batters he faced in the ninth to pick up his eighth save of the season.

The Rangers will now begin a three-city, seven-game road trip that will take them into the interleague play portion of the schedule. First up is a two-game set against the White Sox in Chicago, with RHP Colby Lewis (3-4, 4.57 ERA) and LHP Matt Harrison (3-4, 4.35) scheduled to get the starts for Texas.

Borbon Becomes Latest Outfielder to Land on DL

Rangers outfielder Julio Borbon was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday with inflammation in his left hamstring, and veteran Endy Chavez was called up from Triple-A Round Rock to replace him on the active roster. In order to clear room on the 40-man roster for Chavez, Texas transferred right-handed pitcher Brandon Webb from the 15-day to the 60-day DL.

Borbon was removed from Friday night’s game against the Angels after making a catch of Hank Conger’s fly ball in the top of the seventh inning. He originally reported a strained left hamstring, but an MRI exam on Saturday morning revealed inflammation.

In 32 games for Texas this season, Borbon hit .270 with three triples, six stolen bases and 11 runs batted in. Before going 0-for-3 Friday, he was batting .387 (12-for-31) over a recent 10-game hitting streak.

The 33-year-old Chavez was batting .305 (39-for-128) in 30 games for Round Rock this season, and his start for the Rangers on Saturday marked Chavez’s first big-league action since June 2009.

Rangers Notes: Injury Bug Bites as Season Approaches

After breaking through with 13 wins and a 3.73 ERA last year, Tommy Hunter won’t be ready this season until at least mid-May.

As the Rangers’ final week of spring training winds down in Arizona, three key members of the pitching staff have had to be removed from exhibition games due to injury.

The first and, ultimately, most serious blow came on Thursday, when right-hander Tommy Hunter was hit hard for five earned runs against Cincinnati before being pulled in the third inning with a strained right groin muscle.

Hunter – who had just been assured of a spot in Ron Washington’s starting rotation – will begin the season on the disabled list for the third year in a row, and he is expected to miss at least six weeks.

As for who will take Hunter’s turn in the rotation next Monday against Seattle, the likeliest candidates seem to be right-handers Dave Bush and Alexi Ogando. Bush was told on Sunday that he had made the team’s 25-man Opening Day roster as a long reliever, and Ogando will be stretched out in an exhibition start Tuesday versus Coastal Carolina University.

Left-hander C.J. Wilson, meanwhile, lasted just two innings Saturday against the Cubs before he was taken out with tightness in his left hamstring, though he continued to throw in the bullpen and is still on track to start the season opener Friday in Arlington.

And veteran left-hander Arthur Rhodes, who had struggled over his last three outings, left Friday’s game against the Rockies with tendinitis in his left wrist. Rhodes received a cortisone injection later that night and is expected to pitch in a minor league game on Monday.

Along with the announcement of his starting rotation – which will also include lefties Matt Harrison and Derek Holland behind Wilson and Colby Lewis – Washington said that right-hander Neftali Feliz will return to the bullpen as the team’s closer, where he set a rookie record with 40 saves last season.

Treanor Traded to Royals

The ripple effect from Hunter’s injury reached the Rangers’ catching corps on Monday, as backstop Matt Treanor was traded to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for cash considerations.

With Hunter starting the season on the disabled list and Ogando a legitimate option to fill his spot in the rotation, Texas plans to carry an eight-man bullpen with just three bench players instead of four.

Treanor was slated to be the backup to starting catcher Yorvit Torrealba, but with designated hitter/first baseman Mike Napoli also able to fill in behind the plate, Treanor’s spot on the 25-man roster became expendable.

Acquired last March from the Milwaukee Brewers, Treanor set career highs in 2010 with 82 games, five home runs, 22 runs scored and 27 RBIs, getting the bulk of his playing time before Texas traded for Bengie Molina in July.

Kirkman, Others Sent to Round Rock

The Rangers continued to trim their active roster as the regular season approaches, sending six players to Triple-A Round Rock over the last week.

Left-handers Michael Kirkman and Zach Jackson were both assigned to Round Rock Thursday to start the season in the Express’ rotation, though Kirkman remains an outside candidate to fill in for Hunter on the big-league staff.

On Friday, the Rangers reassigned catcher Kevin Cash, infielder Esteban German and outfielders Doug Deeds and Endy Chavez to Triple-A.