Rangers Notes: Darvish, Perez Get Toppled by Oakland

In the shortest outing of his big-league career, Yu Darvish allowed four earned runs on six hits in less than four innings Monday.

Riding high after a three-game sweep last week in Oakland, the Rangers could not sustain that momentum as they lost two out of three in Seattle before dropping three straight against the Athletics this week at Globe Life Park.

The most troubling aspects of the losing skid were the performances of Yu Darvish and Martin Perez, who have helped keep the team afloat while waiting for key pieces to return from injury. Both pitchers endured their worst starts – and took their first losses – of the young season this week versus Oakland.

For Darvish, in fact, Monday’s outing was the shortest of his major-league career, as the right-hander lasted just three and one-third innings before getting lifted in the top of the fourth. He had made it through the first two frames unscathed, but Josh Donaldson broke through for an RBI single in the third.

Opposing Darvish was Athletics starter Sonny Gray, who looked every bit the ace in scattering three Texas hits while tossing a complete-game shutout, leading Oakland to a 4-0 victory in Arlington.

Perez was looking to extend his scoreless-innings streak beyond 26, but the A’s quickly put that possibility to rest with two runs in the top of the first. Coco Crisp doubled to lead off the game against Perez, and a two-out walk to Yoenis Cespedes opened the door for Derek Norris’ two-run double into the left-center field gap.

After he allowed single runs in both the second and third innings, the wheels came off for Perez in the top of the fifth, when Oakland tallied five more runs against he and Jason Frasor while cruising to a 9-3 win.

Given the task of salvaging the final game of the series on Wednesday, left-hander Robbie Ross was instead rocked for ten runs (six earned) in his three and one-third innings pitched, watching as Texas committed four errors and fell to the A’s by an ugly 12-1 final.

Prior to their sweep at the hands of Oakland, the Rangers had lost two out of three games versus the Mariners at Safeco Field, although Texas was in a position to win all three contests in the late frames.

Benefiting from a pair of run-scoring wild pitches uncorked by Seattle’s Roenis Elias and Dominic Leone, the Rangers carried a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the eighth on Friday, only to see the Mariners plate four runs off Neal Cotts and Alexi Ogando.

Texas was able to get two runs back against closer Fernando Rodney in the ninth, but Adrian Beltre lined out to Justin Smoak for a game-ending double play that gave Seattle a 6-5 win.

The Rangers proved to be the comeback team on Saturday, rallying from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game against Felix Hernandez in the fifth, then going ahead on Mitch Moreland’s RBI sacrifice fly in the eighth. Texas added two more in the top of the ninth for a 6-3 margin of victory.

It appeared the Rangers were well in control of Sunday’s rubber game, jumping to a 5-0 lead in support of left-handed starter Matt Harrison, who was making his first big-league start in more than a year following back and arm surgeries.

Harrison did his part, limiting the Mariners to two runs over six quality innings of work, but the Texas bullpen allowed four additional runs in the seventh and eighth, culminating when Kyle Seager slugged a three-run homer in the eighth to give Seattle another 6-5 comeback win.

Power Struggles Continue for Fielder, Lineup

First baseman Prince Fielder has struggled mightily in his first month-plus as a Texas Ranger, batting a mere .206 with two home runs, five doubles and nine runs batted in.

Part of the problem for Fielder has been a lack of lineup protection (he drew nine intentional walks while Adrian Beltre was on the DL and, thus, not hitting behind him), but he has also been held back by strikeouts and extreme defensive shifts employed by opposing teams.

“I’ve felt alright here and there,” Fielder said. “I feel good and all I can control is how I feel. I’d like to have 20 homers by now, but I don’t. It will definitely come around.”

The Texas lineup as a whole, meanwhile, hit only 14 home runs in the month of April, representing the club’s lowest first-month total since the Rangers managed just 12 homers in April of 1981.

Kouzmanoff Likely to Need Back Surgery

In a roster move that corresponded with the return of Adrian Beltre from a strained quad muscle, corner infielder Kevin Kouzmanoff was placed on the 15-day DL last Friday with a herniated disc in his lower back.

The news for Kouzmanoff got even worse this week when it was revealed that an operation on his back will likely be required, a surgery that could keep him out of action for up to three months.

Kouzmanoff’s back injury came on the heels of a terrific performance in Beltre’s absence, going 17-for-47 (.362) with eight extra-base hits and 10 RBIs while getting named the American League Player of the Week for Apr. 14-20.

In other roster news, infielder Luis Sardinas was optioned to Double-A Frisco to make room for Matt Harrison, and right-hander Hector Noesi was claimed on waivers by the Chicago White Sox.

Rangers Notes: September Swoon Continues in Arlington

In the midst of his worst big-league season at the plate, outfielder David Murphy has just nine hits with 11 strikeouts in his last 52 at-bats.

As the regular season enters its final stretch drive, Texas finds itself a full 6.5 games out of first place in the American League West, thanks in part to a pair of home sweeps at the hands of Pittsburgh and Oakland over the past week.

Whereas the Rangers had their sights set on reclaiming the A.L. West division crown for much of this season, they are now tied with Tampa Bay for the lead in what has become a very tight American League Wild Card race, with a key four-game series against the Rays beginning tonight at Tropicana Field.

For the most part, the primary suspect in recent Texas losses has been an offense that has suddenly gone silent, which was most apparent when Yu Darvish lost two games by final scores of 1-0 on the homestand.

Darvish was done in by a lack of run support Monday versus the Pirates, keeping Pittsburgh off the board for six innings before allowing an RBI double to Pedro Alvarez in the seventh while the Rangers’ bats were shut down by rookie right-hander Gerrit Cole.

A late rally on Tuesday was not enough for Texas in a 5-4 loss to the Pirates (who are engaged in their own battle for a playoff spot in the National League) and Pittsburgh completed the sweep Wednesday afternoon by stifling another Rangers rally and leaving town with a 7-5 victory.

The first-place Athletics came to Rangers Ballpark on Friday and quickly jumped to a 3-0 lead when Yoenis Cespedes clubbed a three-run homer in the top of the first inning off Derek Holland, who lasted just two batters into the fourth before being replaced by Nick Tepesch.

Oakland continued to add insurance runs and took a 9-2 lead into the bottom of the eighth, and while Texas was able to score six times off the A’s relief corps, any comeback momentum was killed when Alex Rios was erroneously called out by third-base umpire Andy Fletcher on a play at the bag, making for a 9-8 final.

Saturday afternoon featured yet another solid performance from Yu Darvish, who struck out 10 batters and scattered four hits over seven innings, but he took the hard-luck 1-0 loss again as the Rangers failed to generate any offense against Oakland’s Bartolo Colon.

Although southpaw Martin Perez delivered his 10th quality start of the year on Sunday, the Texas lineup went a mere 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position while the Athletics cruised to a 5-1 win, taking a commanding lead in the A.L. West and all but ending the Rangers’ hopes for a division title.

Adduci Making Quick Impression with Bat

Logging his first big-league service time this month after spending the last 10 years in the minors, outfielder/first baseman Jim Adduci appears to have settled in comfortably with hits in four of his first five career starts.

Texas manager Ron Washington showed faith in the left-handed-hitting Adduci by keeping him in the lineup Sunday even when Oakland made a last-minute switch to a left-handed starting pitcher.

Adduci responded with three hits in the game, including singles in each his first two at-bats off A’s southpaw Tommy Milone, which brings his batting average to .412 (7-for-17) across 11 games in the majors.

“[Washington] decided to leave me in, and I was able to get a few to fall in,” the 28-year-old Adduci said.

Struggles Continue for Berkman

On the other end of the spectrum is veteran Lance Berkman, who is hitless in three games since returning from the disabled list when active rosters expanded to 40 players earlier this month.

Berkman, 37, signed a one-year deal in January to be the Rangers’ designated hitter, and although he was a productive part of the offense during the season’s first few weeks, a series of nagging ailments have hampered him since early summer.

The switch-hitting Berkman has been in a 5-for-41 slump while seeing only sporadic playing time over the last two months — he missed most of July and all of August due to injuries — and it seems doubtful he will re-join the Texas lineup on a regular basis.

Manager Ron Washington said “I just haven’t seen where, with all the time [Berkman’s] had off and where we are, that he’s a healthy guy right now.”

Rangers Notes: Oakland Takes Series amid Roster Shuffle

Craig Gentry comes up short Tuesday in his attempt to catch a home run by Oakland’s Yoenis Cespedes.

The Athletics came to Arlington this week and took each of the first two games in a three-game set from Texas, which made a handful of pitching- and catching-related roster moves as the series progressed.

Right-hander Josh Lindblom, one of two players acquired from the Phillies last December in exchange for Michael Young, made his Rangers debut Monday and was outpitched by 39-year-old Bartolo Colon in a 9-2 loss to Oakland.

Lindblom gave up a solo home run to Seth Smith in the top of the second but did not get into real trouble until the fifth inning, when doubles hit by the Athletics’ Coco Crisp, Yoenis Cespedes and Brandon Moss caused him to make an early exit.

Starting at second base Monday, Jurickson Profar saw his first big-league action of the year and drove in the only two runs for Texas without getting on base, grounding out to bring home Geovany Soto in the third before scoring Mitch Moreland with a sacrifice fly two innings later.

Tuesday was supposed to feature a pitching mismatch as Texas starter Yu Darvish, who entered the game with 7-1 record and a 2.98 ERA, took on Oakland right-hander Dan Straily, who was 1-2 with a 7.27 earned run average.

Unfortunately Straily struck out five batters and limited the Rangers to two just hits over seven innings pitched while the Athletics got all the offense they needed in the top of the third, when Yoenis Cespedes tagged a solo home run that went beyond the outstretched reach of center fielder Craig Gentry.

Darvish struggled with his command and had to work around trouble in nearly every inning en route to a 1-0 defeat, although Oakland did strand 11 base runners and go 0-for-8 with men in scoring position.

Texas rookie Nick Tepesch was scratched from his scheduled appearance Wednesday afternoon due to a blister on his right middle finger, paving the way for journeyman Ross Wolf make his first major-league start.

Wolf, 30, had been used primarily as a reliever in his minor-league career prior to this season, bouncing between four different organizations before making six starts at Triple-A Round Rock this year.

In his big-league starting debut Wednesday, Wolf allowed a run over five innings and received supported in the form of early home runs by David Murphy and Adrian Beltre, part of a 3-1 win to help the Rangers avoid a three-game sweep.

Chirinos Sent Down as Pierzynski Returns

Catcher Robinson Chirinos was optioned back to Round Rock on Tuesday when A.J. Pierzynski was activated from the 15-day disabled list, returning from an oblique strain that kept him sidelined for two weeks.

Chirinos saw action in three games with Texas playing behind Geovany Soto, who received most of the starts as Pierzynski was recovering from his injury.

Before going on the DL earlier this month, Pierzynski had been batting .263 with four home runs and 11 runs batted in while playing in all but nine of the Rangers’ first 33 games.

Lindblom, Burns Out to Make Room for Cotts, Wolf

Josh Lindblom was sent back to Triple-A Round Rock less than 24 hours after his rough start Monday, and veteran southpaw Neal Cotts was called up for his first major-league appearance in nearly four years.

Cotts had last pitched in the majors in late May 2009 with the Chicago Cubs, and then did not pitch at all in 2010 following reconstructive Tommy John surgery.

His first two games in a Rangers uniform yielded successful results, as Cotts threw a combined three perfect innings of relief Tuesday and Wednesday with four strikeouts versus Oakland.

In another bullpen-related transaction, reliever Cory Burns was optioned to Triple-A in order to clear an active roster spot for Thursday’s starter, Ross Wolf.

Rangers Release Lowe, Sign Teahen

Texas made a pair of roster moves Thursday, putting right-hander Derek Lowe on unconditional release waivers and signing utility player Mark Teahen to a minor-league deal.

Lowe, who earned a victory but posted an ERA of exactly 9.00 in his nine outings with the Rangers, had been designated for assignment earlier in the week so that Josh Lindblom could be added to the roster.

As for Teahen, the 31-year-old was released by the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday, three weeks after a proposed deal that would have sent him to Cincinnati fell through because of a strained left shoulder.

Rangers Notes: Club Keeps Rolling Despite New Injuries

Alexi Ogando beat the A’s Wednesday in Oakland but was placed on the disabled list the following day.

Texas took two out of three games in Northern California last week to complete a 10-day road trip before winning three of four against the defending American League champion Tigers in Arlington.

Oakland right-hander A.J. Griffin kept the Rangers’ lineup at bay in a 5-1 Athletics win on Monday, allowing just a Mitch Moreland home run over seven innings pitched while Yoenis Cespedes and Brandon Moss hit back-to-back shots against Texas starter Justin Grimm in the third.

Moreland kept his recent hot streak going Tuesday as he went deep twice to help Texas beat Oakland, 6-5, in 10 innings. His first was a two-run homer off Bartolo Colon in the top of the fourth, and he followed with a go-ahead shot in the tenth off reliever Chris Resop.

Lance Berkman got the Rangers on the board Wednesday with a bases-loaded single in the third inning, and Nelson Cruz contributed a three-run home run on the first pitch he saw from reliever Jesse Chavez to lead Texas to a 6-2 victory.

Thursday was supposed to spotlight a marquee matchup between starters Yu Darvish and Justin Verlander, although the game soon evolved into a slugfest that left Verlander with arguably the worst outing of his big-league career.

Darvish was not at his best either, allowing three Detroit runs in the third inning, but Texas supported him with a seven-run bottom of the frame and didn’t look back, cruising to a 10-4 win behind home runs from Cruz and Geovany Soto.

Friday featured better performances from both starting pitchers, but it was the Tigers’ Rick Porcello who fared better than Rangers right-hander Nick Tepesch as Detroit evened the series with a 2-1 win.

Elvis Andrus went 5-for-5 on Saturday and fell a homer shy of hitting for the cycle, helping to provide enough of a cushion for Justin Grimm and paving the way to a 7-2 victory for Texas.

Sunday’s nationally-televised finale saw reigning American League MVP Miguel Cabrera slug three home runs in a losing effort for the Tigers, as the Rangers hammered 18 hits on the way to an 11-8 win to take the series.

Kinsler, Ogando to DL; Lindblom to Start Monday

Second baseman Ian Kinsler was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday (retroactive to Saturday) with a right intercostal strain, an injury he suffered sometime during the beginning of the Detroit series.

Kinsler was hit by a Justin Verlander pitch during Thursday’s game, when he was also struck by a thrown ball and made an awkward head-first slide into third base. Infield prospect Jurickson Profar was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock to take Kinsler’s spot on the active roster.

Before Thursday’s opener, Texas put starting pitcher Alexi Ogando on the 15-day DL due to right biceps tendinitis and called up right-handed reliever Cory Burns from Triple-A. Ogando had worked six quality innings to earn the victory in Oakland the previous afternoon, giving no outward indication of any problems with his throwing arm.

Another roster move is expected Monday as right-hander Josh Lindblom will be called up from Round Rock to start against the Athletics at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

(UPDATE: Veteran right-hander Derek Lowe was designated for assignment Monday afternoon to clear a roster spot for Lindblom.)

Young Arms Solidify Back End of Bullpen

Although the Texas bullpen as a whole has endured a rough start to the season, relievers Robbie Ross and Tanner Scheppers have emerged as reliable late-inning options in front of closer Joe Nathan, who is a perfect 13-for-13 in save opportunities.

Through Sunday, Ross (0.44) and Scheppers (0.79) ranked first and fifth in the majors, respectively, in earned run average among relievers with at least 15 innings pitched this year.

The pair has combined for a 5-0 record across 39 appearances so far this season, allowing a total of just three earned runs while racking up 28 strikeouts for an otherwise shaky Rangers bullpen.

Rangers Notes: Season Ends in Stunning Fashion

Michael Young walks through the Texas dugout after Friday’s 5-1 Wild Card loss to the Orioles at Rangers Ballpark.

On the heels of back-to-back World Series trips and for a time holding the American League’s best record, the Rangers were unable to maintain their A.L. West division lead when they were swept in Oakland last week, then saw their season come to an abrupt halt by losing the Wild Card play-in game, 5-1, to Baltimore on Friday.

Texas had a four-game lead over the A’s with only six to play, but that lead had been trimmed to just two games by the time Oakland hosted the Rangers at O.co Coliseum in the final regular season series of the year.

On Monday, Rangers left-hander Martin Perez turned in his third consecutive poor start, allowing four earned runs across four-plus innings of work as the Athletics held on for a 4-3 win, pulling to within a game of Texas.

Oakland pulled even in the American League West race on Tuesday when rookie Travis Blackley outdueled Matt Harrison over six frames, leading the A’s to a 3-1 victory and setting up a winner-take-all scenario for the division crown in Wednesday’s finale.

Ryan Dempster allowed three consecutive hits as Oakland manufactured a run in the first inning Wednesday afternoon, but the Rangers scored five times in the top of the third to take a 5-1 lead and chase starter A.J. Griffin from the game.

Dempster was pulled when the Athletics began to rally in the bottom of the fourth, and Derek Holland recorded two quick outs before yielding a two-run, game-tying double to Coco Crisp.

Texas could have escaped the inning having allowed just four runs worth of damage, but Oakland’s Yoenis Cespedes hit a fly ball to center that was lost in the sun and dropped by Josh Hamilton, who was charged with a fielding error as both Crisp and Stephen Drew came around to score and put the A’s in front, 7-5.

The Rangers failed to score again versus a combination of five Oakland relievers while the Athletics tacked on an additional five runs to make for a 12-5 final, completing an improbable comeback and taking the A.L. West title by one game on the last day of the season.

With a record of 93-69, Texas finished tied with Baltimore for the two American League Wild Card spots in this year’s new playoff format, and the Rangers held home field advantage for Friday’s play-in game by taking five of seven regular-season contests from the Orioles.

Facing veteran southpaw Joe Saunders, Texas continued its recent lack of timely hitting as the team scattered nine singles but went a mere 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, stranding eight men on base and grounding into three double plays.

Meanwhile, Baltimore chipped away at Yu Darvish with an unearned run in the first inning – the result of a Michael Young fielding error – and one run apiece in the sixth and seventh. The Orioles then scored twice off Joe Nathan in the top of the ninth to seal a 5-1 win, meaning they will advance to face New York in the A.L. Division Series.

Beltre Named Player of the Month

Although the Rangers had a disappointing start to October, third baseman Adrian Beltre was named American League Player of the Month for September, when he hit .337 in nearly 100 at-bats with 11 home runs, 19 RBIs and an MLB-leading .724 slugging percentage.

It marked the third such honor for Beltre in his career, as he was also named Player of the Month in September 2011 and, while with the Dodgers, in September 2004.

The 33-year-old Gold Glover becomes the seventh different player to win the monthly award multiple times in a Texas uniform, joining teammate Josh Hamilton as well as Juan Gonzalez, Rafael Palmeiro, Alex Rodriguez, Ivan Rodriguez and Ruben Sierra.