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: 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.

Rangers Notes: Starters, Home Runs Lead to Sweep over Royals

Mike Napoli (right) is congratulated by David Murphy after hitting a solo home run in the second inning of Sunday’s 8-7 win over Kansas City.

After losing three series in a row and briefly dropping behind the Angels in the American League West, the Rangers responded with a weekend sweep of the Kansas City Royals and improved their overall record to 14-7 this year.

Texas snapped its two-game losing skid Friday with an 11-6 win over the Royals in Arlington, hitting a season-high five home runs as left-hander Derek Holland went seven innings to earn the victory. Holland was charged with five runs on seven hits, although all five runs came in the fourth inning and he held Kansas City scoreless for the other six frames while recording a total of nine strikeouts.

Mike Napoli hit a two-run homer off Royals starter Jeff Francis in the third inning to extend what had been a 3-0 Rangers’ lead to 5-0, but Kansas City responded with five runs of their own against Holland in the top of the fourth to tie the game.

Second baseman Ian Kinsler put Texas back ahead with a solo home run in the fourth, and the Rangers homered in each of the next three innings – one apiece by David Murphy, Adrian Beltre and Mitch Moreland – to wrap up the scoring as every starter finished with at least one hit.

On Saturday, right-hander Alexi Ogando worked out of jams in each of the first three innings and pitched into the seventh as Texas held on to beat the Royals, 3-2. Making his fourth big-league start, Ogando limited Kansas City batters to just one run on five hits while lowering his season ERA to 2.13.

Murphy scored the first run of the game in the second inning when he reached on a fielding error by Chris Getz and came home on Moreland’s two-out double. Texas pushed its lead to 3-0 with a pair of runs in the third against Royals starter Kyle Davies, one scoring on an Adrian Beltre sacrifice fly and another on a two-out single by Nelson Cruz.

Ogando was pulled in the seventh inning after yielding a leadoff home run to Kila Ka’aihue in to lose his shutout, but right-hander Cody Eppley threw two scoreless frames in his major league debut to preserve the lead for Texas.

The Rangers were powered by three home runs and a six-run fifth inning Sunday as they held off a late charge by Kansas City, completing their three-game sweep with an 8-7 win over the Royals.

Mike Napoli clubbed his fifth home run of the year in the second inning to give Texas a 1-0 lead, but former Ranger Jeff Francoeur hit a solo homer of his own to tie the game in the fourth against left-hander C.J. Wilson. Despite allowing his first two round-trippers of the year, Wilson rebounded to throw seven innings and strike out a season-high 10 batters to pick up the victory.

After Beltre led off the bottom of the fourth with a home run, shortstop Andres Blanco did the same in the fifth, hitting his first long ball since 2009. Texas went on to add five more runs in the inning, capped off by David Murphy’s bases-clearing double with two outs.

The Rangers’ sweep of Kansas City, coupled with a four-game sweep of the Angels by Boston, moved Texas back into first place in the A.L. West division by 2.5 games over Los Angeles. Next up for the Rangers is a four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays beginning Monday in Arlington.

Feliz Lands on Disabled List

All-Star closer Neftali Feliz was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with inflammation in his throwing shoulder, and right-hander Cody Eppley was called up from Triple-A Round Rock to replace him on the active roster.

Feliz, who recorded 40 saves last season on his way to winning the A.L. Rookie of the Year award, was stretched out as a starter during spring training but eventually moved back into his more familiar bullpen role. Across eight relief appearances so far this year, Feliz has put together a 1.08 earned run average and converted all five of his save opportunities, though he’s also issued six walks (one intentional) along with his six strikeouts.

Eppley, 25, pitched at each of the Rangers’ top three minor league levels last season, posting a record of 5-2 with 16 saves and a composite 2.08 ERA for Bakersfield, Frisco and Oklahoma City.

To make room for Eppley on the 40-man roster, the Rangers transferred right-hander Eric Hurley from the 15- to the 60-day disabled list. Hurley suffered a mild skull fracture and concussion this week when he was hit in the head by a line drive during a Triple-A game in New Orleans.

Rangers Notes: L.A. Takes Series, First Place from Texas

Reliever Michael Kirkman reacts after giving up a two-run homer to the Angels’ Peter Bourjos on Tuesday.

Since jumping out of the gate with nine wins in their first 10 games this season, the Texas Rangers have slipped back to the pack – and into second place in the American League West – with a 2-6 record, and they’ve lost three series in a row after dropping the final two games of this week’s set against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Texas won the series opener Monday behind a solid outing from left-hander C.J. Wilson, who allowed just one run and recorded nine strikeouts across seven innings of work as the Rangers slugged their way to a 7-1 victory.

Mitch Moreland hit a bases-loaded single off the Angels’ Ervin Santana to break a scoreless tie in the fourth inning, then added a solo home run against reliever Jason Bulger in the ninth. Third baseman Adrian Beltre connected for his third home run in the last week, a three-run shot in the fifth inning to give Texas a commanding 6-0 lead.

On Tuesday, however, Los Angeles scored early and often against right-hander Colby Lewis before pummeling the Rangers’ bullpen for 11 runs over the final four innings en route to a lopsided 15-4 win.

Lewis allowed four earned runs on five hits across five innings pitched, including a two-run homer by Mark Trumbo and a solo shot by Maicer Izturis. The bottom four hitters in the L.A. lineup – Alberto Callaspo, Trumbo, Hank Conger and Peter Bourjos – combined to go 11-for-16 in the game and scored 11 of the Angels’ 15 runs.

Once Lewis had been pulled, Los Angeles pounded relievers Mason Tobin and Michael Kirkman for nine runs on just eight hits in the sixth and seventh innings. Tobin faced only four batters before he was removed with pain in his right elbow, and he was placed on the disabled list the following day.

Angels right-hander Jered Weaver continued his stellar start to the season with a complete-game victory Wednesday against the Rangers, moving Los Angeles past Texas for sole possession of first place in the American League West.

Weaver recorded nine strikeouts and didn’t walk a batter while scattering six hits over nine innings, becoming the first pitcher in baseball to reach five victories this year and helping the Angels pick up a 4-1 win in the rubber game of the series.

Michael Young extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a two-out RBI double in the sixth inning to bring home Texas’ only run of the game.

Next up for the Rangers is a three-game set against the Kansas City Royals beginning on Friday.

Lineup Struggles in Hamilton’s Absence

Outfielder Josh Hamilton, who suffered a broken shoulder while attempting a head-first slide into home plate on Apr. 12 in Detroit, remains sidelined and won’t be anywhere close to returning well over a month. As if on cue, many of the hitters who contributed to the club’s hot start have cooled off at the plate since Hamilton’s injury.

Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz made big-league history when they became the first set of teammates to both hit home runs in each of the club’s first three games, but they’ve combined to bat just .184 with nine runs scored in the 15 games since then.

Shortstop Elvis Andrus hit a paltry .097 on Texas’ recent road trip before going 6-for-14 against the Angels this week in Arlington, and outfielder Julio Borbon has a season batting average of .179 with just two extra-base – both triples that came on the first homestand.

Tomko Up, Kirkman Down in Bullpen Shuffle

One day after enduring the 15-4 rout at the hands of Los Angeles, the Rangers added reinforcement to a beleaguered bullpen Wednesday by purchasing the contract of veteran right-hander Brett Tomko from Triple-A Round Rock.

The club also recalled catcher Taylor Teagarden from Round Rock and, in a pair or corresponding roster moves, placed right-hander Mason Tobin on the 60-day DL and sent left-hander Michael Kirkman down to Triple-A.

Tobin and Kirkman suffered the brunt of Los Angeles’ offensive outburst Tuesday, combining to record just six outs while giving up a total of nine runs, and the duo has a composite earned run average of 11.57 this season. Kirkman had just been called up on Monday when right-hander Mark Lowe was optioned to Round Rock.

The 38-year-old Tomko, who signed a minor league deal with Texas in February, has a career record of 100-102 across parts of 13 seasons but hasn’t pitched in the majors since September 2009. The Rangers will be Tomko’s 10^th different big-league team if he appears in a game with them.

Rangers Notes: Road Trip Ends on Losing Skid

Elvis Andrus (right) turns one of Texas’ six double plays Friday, tying both an American League and club record.

After winning the opener of their three-game series against the Yankees, the Rangers fell short in the final two games to complete their first road trip of the season with a 4-5 record.

Thanks to yet another stellar pitching performance from left-hander Matt Harrison on Friday and some timely infield defense behind him, Texas snapped a two-game losing streak with a 5-3 win at Yankee Stadium. Harrison (3-0) allowed just one earned run over eight innings and benefitted from a club-record-tying six double plays – including two started by the pitcher himself.

Already ahead by a 2-0 score, the Rangers broke through for three runs in the top of the fifth inning on just one hit, taking advantage of two walks, a hit batter and three wild pitches thrown by the Yankees.

Right-hander Neftali Feliz gave up a run on two hits in bottom of the ninth before getting the final out to end the ballgame and earn his fifth save of the season.

On Saturday, left-hander Derek Holland allowed a pair of run-scoring hits to former Ranger Mark Teixeira early in the game, then settled down to hold the Yankees scoreless through the middle innings.

But Yankees starter Freddy Garcia, who was undefeated in his last five starts against Texas dating back to 2004, limited the Rangers to just two hits over six innings pitched before handing the game over to the bullpen to close out New York’s 5-2 win.

Making his third career start for Texas on Sunday, right-hander Alexi Ogando gave up five runs on six hits and a walk over 6 and 1/3 innings pitched, but the Rangers couldn’t keep up with New York in what became a battle of bullpens, falling by a score of 6-5.

Third baseman Adrian Beltre hit a two-run homer in the first inning – his fourth of the year – and added an RBI single and a run-scoring double later in the game.

With the score tied at 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth, however, left-hander Arthur Rhodes allowed a walk and a base hit before giving up an RBI single to Yankees third baseman Eric Chavez that brought home the go-ahead run.

While the Rangers lost two of their three games this weekend, the L.A. Angels of Anaheim swept a three-game series against the White Sox to move into a first-place tie with Texas in the American League West. The division rivals will meet for the first time this season when the Angels visit Rangers Ballpark in Arlington for a three-game set beginning on Monday.

Young Eclipses Pudge on Franchise Doubles List

After publicly requesting to be traded this offseason, Michael Young appears to have settled into his new role as the team’s designated hitter and has seen his name keep rising up the record books in the process.

Young’s run-scoring double Friday was the 353^rd two-base hit of his Texas career, moving him past Ivan Rodriguez for first place on the club’s all-time leaderboard in that category.

“It’s very cool,” he told MLB.com. “They have had a lot of great offensive players in Texas and to have another record means a lot.”

Last June, Young passed Rodriguez as the franchise’s all-time hits leader with No. 1,748 of his career, a total he has since extended to 1,870. The six-time All-Star is already the Rangers’ career leader in at-bats (6,217) and triples (46), and he ranks second to Rafael Palmeiro with 926 runs scored and 1,523 games played in a Texas uniform.

Levine Awarded Contract Extension

Assistant general manager Thad Levine, a key part of the leadership group put together by GM Jon Daniels and club president Nolan Ryan, agreed to a contract extension Tuesday which will keep him with the Rangers through 2015.

Levine was named assistant GM shortly after Daniels became the eighth general manager in club history in October 2005. He had spent the previous six seasons in the Colorado Rockies’ organization before coming to Texas.