Texas Rangers

GIF shows Rangers Yu Darvish throwing five pitches at once

Drew Sheppard, a poster on Lone Star Ball, put together a remarkable GIF that shows Yu Darvish throwing five pitches at once from his start Wednesday against Anaheim.

It shows Darvish throwing his two-seam and four-seam fastball, slow curve, hard curve and slider against Albert Pujols.

You can watch it here: http://i.minus.com/i3SXAH4AAxtWS.gif

-- Drew Davison

Rangers 11, Angels 3 (F)

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Yu Darvish was so masterful at times Wednesday night that it appeared one run would be enough for him to pitch the Texas Rangers to victory.

But they scored nine times for him in the fourth just to be safe.

The big inning and six dominant innings from Darvish were more than enough to send the Rangers to an 11-3 series-clinching victory over division-rival Anaheim.

Nelson Cruz hit a three-run homer in the fourth for the final three runs in the Rangers’ biggest single-inning output in a road game since Aug. 22, 2007, at Baltimore. They scored 30 runs in that game, and hit double digits Wednesday in the sixth on a two-run homer by Lance Berkman.

The Rangers were scheduled to board their charter flight for Minnesota after the game with a rush-hour arrival in the Twin Cities. An easy night and a winning night at Angel Stadium, though, would help make the trip a tad better.

Darvish and Angels spot starter Michael Roth matched zeroes through three scoreless innings, but five straight Rangers reached to start the fourth.

The sequence started with a leadoff walk to Adrian Beltre. Cruz and A.J. Pierzynski followed with singles for a 1-0 lead. After Craig Gentry walked, David Murphy grounded the first pitch he saw into right field for a 2-0 lead.

Roth was replaced after striking out Mitch Moreland, but David Carpenter offered no relief. He walked Ian Kinsler to push home another run, but rebounded to strike out Elvis Andrus and put the Angels on the verge of escaping down only 3-0.

Berkman, though, grounded a two-run single to center before Beltre walked for a second time in the inning. Cruz followed with a drive that landed at the base of the faux rocks in center field.

It might have cleared the rocks if he hadn’t broken his bat.

The Rangers had five hits and five walks in the inning, which lasted 34 minutes. That includes an injury delay for plate umpire John Hirshbeck, who no doubt is grateful that he was wearing a protective cup.

Darvish, who was already in control, sailed through three more innings. The right-hander allowed three hits, and improved to 4-1, lowered his ERA to 1.65 (6 in 26.2) and added 11 strikeouts for a league-leading 49.

The only rough patch he hit was in the fourth, when he took a fall while covering first base on a Josh Hamilton infield single. That nine-run cushion made for a soft landing.

Darvish struck out the side in the fifth and sixth for his 11th career game with at least 10 strikeouts. He has also logged 18 consecutive scoreless innings.

The Angels finally broke through in the eighth, scoring three times against long man Derek Lowe. But the game had long been decided thanks to a nine-run fourth inning and more dominant work by Darvish.

-- Jeff Wilson

Wednesday's Rangers-Angels lineups

The Rangers, with the exception of Lance Berkman, have never seen left-hander Michael Roth, a rookie who is starting tonight for the Angels because Tommy Hanson is on the bereavement list. Rothfaced only Berkman on Tuesday night, and surrendered a single to the Rangers' designated hitter. Manager Mike Scioscia chose Kohn over Jerome Williams because he can give the Angels more length.

Rangers lineup vs. LHP Michael Roth: Ian Kinsler, 2b; Elvis Andrus, ss; Lance Berkman, dh; Adrian Beltre, 3b; Nelson Cruz, rf; A.J. Pierzynski, c; Craig Gentry, cf; David Murphy, lf; Mitch Moreland, 1b.

Angels lineup vs. RHP Yu Darvish: Peter Bourjos, cf; Mike Trout, lf; Albert Pujols, dh; Josh Hamilton, rf; Mark Trumbo, 1b; Howie Kendrick, 2b; Brendan Harris, ss; Chris Iannetta, c; Luis Jimenez, 3b.

-- Jeff Wilson

Rangers reschedule game with Cubs; All-Star ballot unveiled

The Rangers will return to Wrigley Field on May 6 for a 7:05 p.m. game to make up the game that was rained out April 17.

Players on Tuesday were hoping for a day game, but the Rangers have their annual Triple Play fundraiser the evening of May 5 after a home game against Boston.

So, an eight-game three-city road trip is now a nine-game four-city trip. The Rangers will also play at Milwaukee on May 7-8, at Houston on May 10-12 and at Oakland on May 13-15.

Also announced Wednesday was the 2013 All-Star ballot, and nine Rangers are on it. They are: A.J. Pierzynski, c; Mitch Moreland, 1b; Ian Kinsler, 2b; Adrian Beltre, 3b; Elvis Andrus, ss; David Murphy, Leonys Martin and Nelson Cruz, of; Lance Berkman, dh.

Voting is under way at mlb.com. Ballots will also be available at Rangers Ballpark beginning April 30.

-- Jeff Wilson

Angels 5, Rangers 4 (F 11)

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Howie Kendrick hit a solo homer with one out in the 11th inning, his second home run of the game, as the Angels walked off with a 5-4 victory Tuesday night over the Rangers.

The game-winner, off Joe Ortiz, gave Kendrick four RBIs in a game that saw the Angels blow a 4-0 lead.

Mike Trout made a run-saving catch in the ninth inning, diving to take an RBI double away from Adrian Beltre, and the Angels benefited from two unearned runs in the first inning against Alexi Ogando.

Nelson Cruz hit a three-run homer in the sixth, and the Rangers scored an unearned run in the eighth inning to forge a 4-4 tie.

Ian Kinsler reached third with two outs in the ninth as the go-ahead run, but was stranded there after Trout’s catch in left field.

Ortiz had bailed the Rangers out of trouble in the 10th after the Angels loaded the bases with one out against Robbie Ross, who had pitched scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth. They had Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton coming, but Ortiz got Pujols to bounce into a fielder’s choice and Hamilton to ground to second to end the threat.

Ogando rebounded from a lousy outing last week to pitch into the eighth inning. He allowed four runs, two earned, and was at his best in his final three innings as the Rangers rallied from a 4-0 hole.

But Ogando wasn’t at his best early on, when the Angels scored two unearned runs in a first inning that saw him strike out Trout on a wild pitch only to have him reach when first baseman Mitch Moreland couldn’t handle a low throw from catcher A.J. Pierzynski.

Pujols walked before Hamilton lofted a flyball down the left-field line. Jeff Baker raced toward the stands and made a sliding catch for what should have been the second out. But he suffered a bruised left knee on the play and had to exit.

Mark Trumbo then deposited a single to center to score Trout, and Pujols would limp home on a Kendrick single that barely cleared the infield.

Ogando settled in over the next two innings, with the assistance of two double plays, before Trumbo doubled with one out in the fourth and came home on Kendrick’s second homer of the season.

Cruz delivered in the sixth against Jason Vargas, who then allowed singles to A.J. Pierzynski and David Murphy before escaping with a one-run lead.

Vargas pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning, retiring the top of the Rangers’ lineup for only his second perfect inning of the season, but two defensive miscues allow the Rangers to load the bases with no outs in the eighth.

Murphy bounced into a double play, but the tying run came home.

-- Jeff Wilson

Rangers notes: Matt Harrison already feeling better; May 6 for Cubs makeup game

Left-hander Matt Harrison had surgery Tuesday morning to fix a herniated disc, and felt better as soon as he woke up.

He was experiencing normal soreness from the operation, but the pain in his legs because of the irritated nerve was gone. The Rangers, though, are still anticipating that their Opening Day starter will be out until after the All-Star break.

"The surgery went as expected," general manager Jon Daniels said. "No surprises."

Daniels, though, seemed surprised that left-hander Charlie Leesman turned down an assignment to the Rangers after they claimed him Friday.

Leesman, recovering from ACL surgery, would have been optioned to Triple A and put on the disabled list there. He would have worked as a starter, but told the Rangers that he didn't like his chances at the big leagues because his return would have coincided with the returns of Colby Lewis and Martin Perez.

Right-hander Josh Lindblom, a reliever in spring training and over his first two big-league seasons, is an option for the rotation should another starter be injured. Lindblom worked five innings and threw 94 pitches in his last start for Round Rock.

The Rangers' union rep, Derek Holland, said that the Rangers are likely going to play the Chicago Cubs at 1:20 p.m. May 6 to make up last week's rainout at Wrigley Field. May 9 had been under consideration, and May 6 required a vote of approval by the Cubs.

The Rangers play at Milwaukee on May 7-8.

-- Jeff Wilson

 

Tuesday's Rangers-Angels lineups: Jeff Baker in, David Murphy out

Manager Ron Washington said on Monday that the right-handed-hitting Jeff Baker would play tonight for one of the Rangers' left-handed hitters. David Murphy drew the short straw, though a 1-for-19 showing in his career against Angels lefty starter Jason Vargas didn't help his cause.

Rangers lineup vs. LHP Jason Vargas: Ian Kinsler, 2b; Elvis Andrus, ss; Lance Berkman, dh; Adrian Beltre, 3b; Nelson Cruz, rf; A.J. Pierzynski, c; Jeff Baker, lf; Craig Gentry, cf; Mitch Moreland, 1b.

Angels lineup vs. RHP Alexi Ogando: Peter Bourjos, cf; Mike Trout, lf; Albert Pujols, dh; Josh Hamilton, rf; Mark Trumbo, 1b; Howie Kendrick, 2b; Brendan Harris, ss; Chris Iannetta, c; Luis Jimenez, 3b.

-- Jeff Wilson

Rangers 7, Angels 6 (F)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- A.J. Pierzynski hit a solo homer with two outs in the ninth inning, and Joe Nathan pitched around a leadoff single in the ninth inning as the Rangers rallied to beat the Angels 7-6 on Monday night at Angel Stadium.

The win was the Rangers' fourth straight, something they hadn't accomplished since August.

Derek Holland allowed six runs in 5 2/3 innings, but the left-hander didn’t factor in the decision thanks to a three-run seventh by the Rangers to erase a 6-3 deficit.

The Rangers had seven hits through the first three innings against Joe Blanton, but only a 2-0 lead. Holland couldn’t keep it, though initially he survived rocky innings in the second and third.

But the Angels got him for three runs the fourth, which started with a leadoff walk to Mark Trumbo and a single by Josh Hamilton that just snuck through the infield.

Howie Kendrick cleared the bases with a double and scored two batters later on a sacrifice fly by Chris Iannetta. He would deliver the hit that knocked out Holland in the sixth, a two-out RBI double to left for a 4-3 lead.

Luis Jimenez, the No. 9 hitter, followed with a two-run single.

But the Angels’ bullpen quickly gave up the lead, as the Rangers scored three times in the seventh. Elvis Andrus started with a single off Blanton, the Rangers’ 12 against him, and Lance Berkman followed with a bloop single off Michael Roth.

Dane De La Rosa entered, and issued a walk, a single and a fielder’s choice to make it 6-5. The third Angels reliever of the inning, Scott Downs, bobbled a chopper by pinch-hitter Jeff Baker as Adrian Beltre snuck home to tie the game.

-- Jeff Wilson

Strained chest muscle delays #Rangers' Joakim Soria

Right-hander Joakim Soria has suffered a strained right pectoral muscle while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, and his Rangers debut will likely be on hold July 1.

Soria was throwing live batting practice at extended spring training when he had to stop because of discomfort. An MRI showed a minor strain, and he won't throw for two or three weeks.

The Rangers had tentatively planned for him to return in late May or early June.

"It's completely unrelated to the arm," general manager Jon Daniels said. "It's one of those freak deals."

Left-hander Martin Perez, the victim of another freak injury when he suffered a broken forearm in spring training after being hit by a line drive, could start a rehab assignment next week. He will throw live batting practice today and pitch in an extended-spring game Saturday.

Colby Lewis is at least a week behind Perez. Lewis, coming back from a July operation to fix a torn flexor tendon, will throw live BP twice this week and work an extended-spring game next week. The Rangers continue to target late May for Lewis.

-- Jeff Wilson

Monday's Rangers-Angels lineups

The Rangers, having found some offense over the weekend, are scheduled to face a pitcher Monday night who is 0-3 with an 8.59 ERA. Right-hander Joe Blanton has also issued six homers in 14 2/3 innings, and opponents are batting .377 against him. Yikes.

Rangers lineup vs. RHP Joe Blanton: Ian Kinsler, 2b; Elvis Andrus, ss; Lance Berkman, dh; Adrian Beltre, 3b; A.J. Pierzynski, c; Nelson Cruz, rf; David Murphy, lf; Mitch Moreland, 1b; Leonys Martin, cf.

Angels lineup vs. LHP Derek Holland: Peter Bourjos, cf; Mike Trout, lf; Albert Pujols, dh; Mark Trumbo, 1b; Josh Hamilton, rf; Howie Kendrick, 2b; Brendan Harris, ss; Chris Iannetta, c; Luis Jimenez, 3b.

-- Jeff Wilson