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: Home Runs Lead Texas to Series Win

Adrian Beltre batted .308 (4-for-13) with two home runs and four RBIs over the weekend as Texas took two of three games from the Baltimore Orioles.

Following a scheduled off day Thursday and an unplanned rainout in Baltimore on Friday, the Rangers got back to action by splitting a doubleheader Saturday at Camden Yards and shutting out the Orioles on Sunday to win the series.

In the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, right-hander Colby Lewis found himself in an early hole when Baltimore outfielder Nick Markakis and third baseman Mark Reynolds each homered in the first two innings to help the O’s take a 4-0 lead on their way to a 5-0 win.

But Texas rebounded in a big way with a 13-1 pounding of Baltimore pitching in the second game, with every Rangers starter except David Murphy contributing at least one hit – and even Murphy worked two walks.

Third baseman Adrian Beltre went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and three runs scored while Nelson Cruz hit his fifth homer of the year and drove in four runs. Mike Napoli, who played first base in the first game and caught the nightcap, went 2-for-4 with a solo home run.

On the mound, left-hander Matt Harrison posted his second consecutive strong outing this month, allowing just one run on two hits with three strikeouts over seven innings pitched. Harrison picked up the win to improve his record to 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA through two starts.

Left-hander Derek Holland followed Sunday with six strikeouts across six shutout innings as the Rangers beat the Orioles, 3-0, to win the three-game series and push their season record to a league-best 8-1.

Beltre homered for the second game in a row while Ian Kinsler clubbed his fourth home run of the year, a two-run shot in the seventh off Baltimore reliever Jim Johnson. Beltre went 4-for-13 and drove in four runs during the three-game series, though his season batting average is still just .189.

Holland was followed by left-hander Darren Oliver and right-handers Darren O’Day and Neftali Feliz, who combined to hold the Orioles scoreless over the final three innings and preserve the victory. Feliz came on with two outs in the eighth and finished the game to notch his third save of the year.

Texas will take its 8-1 record into a three-game series against the Tigers in Detroit, with midday starting times scheduled for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Aguero, Corpas Signed to Minor League Deals

Although the Rangers and Orioles had the opener of their series postponed due to rainy weather Friday in Baltimore, Texas kept busy by acquiring two right-handed pitchers who had spent their entire careers in the National League to this point.

Ramon Aguero, 26, was claimed off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates and assigned to Triple-A Round Rock. In order to clear a spot for him on the 40-man roster, the Rangers transferred right-hander Omar Beltre from the 15- to the 60-day disabled list.

Aguero, who was designated for assignment by the Pirates on Mar. 31, spent the last five years in the Pittsburgh organization, though never above Double-A. In 103 professional appearances (including 30 starts), Aguero has posted a record of 11-22 with a 4.14 earned run average.

Texas also signed former Rockies reliever Manny Corpas to a minor league contract Friday, though he is recovering from Tommy John surgery and is not expected to contribute this season.

Corpas, 28, appeared in 280 games for Colorado over the last five years, compiling a 12-16 record with a 3.93 ERA and 34 saves. As the Rockies’ primary closer during their World Series run in 2007, Corpas set career highs with 78 appearances, 58 strikeouts, 19 saves and four wins, then added five more saves in the postseason.