The past few days have been interesting for the Texas Rangers. They were unable to sign Mark Buehrle who went to the Miami Marlins, Albert Pujols who is the biggest power hitter in baseball and terrorized them in the World Series will now play for the Los Angeles Angels and they lost their ace C.J. Wilson to the Angels as well. These are the type of issues that fans of Yankees and Red Sox are used to dealing with on a regular basis; however it is a new situation in Texas. It could be very easy to get mad at C.J. Wilson and the Angels, but truthfully it is a business and Wilson managed to work the situation where he got more money and the ability to pitch at home. The Rangers did not even submit a formal offer, because they knew they were not willing to five years on a contract.

During this entire process, I could not be happier with the way the Rangers handled the situation. They were never comfortable going five years on a contract with Wilson and they did not let any emotions get in the way of that. This is a business and if a team does not treat it like a business, they cannot remain competitive for an extended period of time. It is extremely interesting that Wilson was the ace of the Rangers’ staff, yet he will be the Angels #3 or #4 starter. There is no question that he will at least be behind Jered Weaver and Dan Haren. Ervin Santana might truthfully be the next best starter, but they will most likely separate the right-handers in that rotation.

Essentially the Angels thought Wilson was worth more than the Rangers, even though he would have held a more critical job in Texas. This is not an issue of team revenue or television contracts either. The Rangers simply did not think that a pitcher of Wilson’s caliber was worth a five year contract. They had the money, but they were not going to spend it that way. I have to respect teams like the Rangers and Cardinals who know the value of their players and make well thought out decisions that come from their baseball and business people.

It is always interesting to me when owners get involved in baseball contracts. Arte Moreno was front and center on the Albert Pujols contract and he should be considering the length and value, but I have heard more about the phone calls that Moreno made, rather than the work that Jerry Dipoto did. I can’t help it, but it reminds me of when Alex Rodriguez signed his deal with the Rangers and Tom Hicks was heavily involved or all of those big contracts the Yankees did years ago that were spear headed by George Steinbrenner. It is one thing for an owner to sign off on a deal, but the truth is they are not baseball people. It seems that some of the worst contracts in baseball history have come when owners were just as involved or more involved than the general manager.

The Angels will most likely be very successfully with these moves for a few years, but it will be interesting to see what they look like in five, seven and ten years. I honestly would still not be a bit surprised to see the Rangers sign Prince Fielder and Yu Darvish. Jon Daniels and Nolan Ryan have both made statements that the Rangers do not see that fitting in their plan, but teams never fully disclose their plans. It works against a team in negotiations to say what their true interest in a player or trade is. If they Rangers do make those decisions, I am fine with that, because I believe they will come from baseball people and not an owner who got a new television contract and felt some money burning a hole in his pocket. Yes, the Rangers do have a new television deal around the corner and it will greatly change things in Arlington, but that revenue will not drive the decision making process on ballplayers.

John Bowman is a lifelong baseball and Texas Rangers fan that loves to ponder the deeper aspects of the game. Some of his first baseball memories involve Arlington Stadium nachos, Charlie Hough’s knuckeball, dirt on Pete Incaviglia’s uniform and the voices of Mark Holtz and Eric Nadel as he fell asleep. Follow him on Twitter @TexasWinColumn.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

The Texas Rangers pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the 2011 offseason when they acquired Mike Napoli(notes) from the Toronto Blue Jays. Napoli had only been with the Jays for a few days, as he had just arrived in the Vernon Wells(notes) trade from the Los Angeles Angels. There was much discussion during the 2011 season as to why the Angels would trade a player like Napoli, especially knowing that the Jays were likely to flip him off to the Rangers. The truth is that the Angels had no clue that Napoli would have the season he had in 2011, but they also look like they might be interested in turning the tables on the Rangers this time around.

The first move the Angels made was by pulling Scott Servais away from the Rangers to become the assistant general manager to newly hired general manager Jerry Dipoto. Servais had served as the Rangers’ senior director of player development since 2005 and essentially was responsible for the development of players throughout the Rangers’ system. He was involved with scouting at times and generally at the international level, however ultimately he was responsible for player development once they were in his hands.

During Servais time with the Rangers he was significantly responsible for the development of players such as Nelson Cruz(notes), Elvis Andrus(notes), Neftali Feliz(notes) and Derek Holland(notes). Servais was a former big league catcher and was also responsible for the catchers within the Rangers’ system. Servais also worked with Napoli on a regular basis in spring training and early on in the 2011 season. It seems that most things Servais touched while with the Rangers turned out wonderful. Now, he will be doing the same type of work with the Angels, just now with the title of assistant general manager and with the Rangers current rival in the American League West.

The second move from the Angels and Dipoto came just recently when they reached out to C.J. Wilson(notes). That is no surprise as free agents are contacted by many teams this time of year and there had already been speculation that the Angels would be contacting Wilson who grew up in California and not too far from Anaheim in Fountain Valley. If Wilson were to join the Angels, he would be joining a rotation full of solid right-handers Jered Weaver(notes), Dan Haren(notes) and Ervin Santana(notes). Weaver, Haren and Santana are all pitchers who could be the ace on many staffs in the big leagues and Wilson was the Rangers’ ace in 2011.

It would be very interesting for Rangers’ fans to see Wilson facing off against the team he has went to the World Series with over the past two years, but he does not have the potential to effect the Angels’ organization to the degree that Servais can. Wilson most likely would not be a table turner like Napoli was in 2011, but over the next few years Servais will start having his hand in the development of the players in the Angels’ organization and that could impact things for years to come.

John Bowman is a lifelong baseball and Texas Rangers fan that loves to ponder the deeper aspects of the game. Some of his first baseball memories involve Arlington Stadium nachos, Charlie Hough’s knuckeball, dirt on Pete Incaviglia’s uniform and the voices of Mark Holtz and Eric Nadel as he fell asleep. Follow him on Twitter @TexasWinColumn.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Gotta run!.

ARLINGTON, Tex. — Give the Texas Rangers credit for creativity when it comes to celebrations.

Last year the Texas Rangers made ginger ale the way to do things when they won in the playoffs.

Friday night it was the home-run trot.

Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus put an emphatic stamp on the team’s second consecutive AL West championship when he circled the bases following Oakland’s David DeJesus hitting an insurance home run in the A’s 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

That Oakland victory, which followed the Rangers’ 5-3 victory over Seattle earlier, started the kind of celebration fans in Arlington are getting used to.

First the Rangers celebrated with ginger ale and their fans on the field. Thousands of fans stayed to watch the Angels lose and see their team celebrate at Rangers Ballpark. Then it was onto the clubhouse where beer, champagne, ketchup, mustard and baby powder were flowing freely in the clubhouse following the clincher.

So was a sense that the Rangers are once again on the verge of something special.

“The best feeling in the world is this right here when you get to celebrate in the clubhouse,” Michael Young said. “You get to celebrate with your teammates after so much hard work. We get an opportunity now to go the postseason and hopefully win a championship.”

The Rangers are a dangerous team right now.

Less than two weeks ago their lead was a game-and-a-half over the Angels with the season-ending series in Anaheim looming large. But like a team that’s been through this saga before is supposed to do, the Rangers responded by winning four consecutive games and eight of nine to take charge of the division.   

Friday’s victory gave them nine victories in the last 11 games and continued a trend of peaking at the right time.

The victory also proved what Texas manager Ron Washington had already known about his club — it is the best team in the West.

“These guys are some of the greatest guys in the game of baseball,” Washington said. “They set a tone for what they wanted to do in February and I’ll be damned if they didn’t reach it. Now we’ve got an opportunity to get back to the playoffs and possibly get back to the World Series.”

Washington said this regular season was different because the Rangers were targeted team in the West all season long. And while they were pushed by the Angels, the Rangers didn’t wilt and won the franchise’s fifth division title.

There is no secret about how the Rangers won the West. They are a complete team, as they showed Friday.

The Rangers hit three more homers and have hit 37 home runs in September. Texas, which is tied with Detroit for the second-best record in the AL, leads the majors in batting average in the month and trails only Detroit in runs scored.

The Rangers won the division with pitching, as Matt Harrison’s 14th victory on Friday pushed the rotation win total to 72, which trails only Philadelphia in the majors.

“This has been the same club since the day Wash took over five years ago,” general manager Jon Daniels said. “The talent’s different, but the message has gotten through. His clubs never panic whether the lead is seven, eight or back down to one. These guys always knew they had a job to do the next day. I know it sounds cliché, but that’s really how he goes about it, how they go about it. They take on his personality and now they’re reaping the benefits of it.”

Texas pushed all the right buttons this season, signing Adrian Beltre and trading for Mike Napoli. Texas also made deadline moves for pitchers Mike Adams and Koji Uehara, each of whom pitched in Friday’s victory.

Beltre also hit a two-run homer Friday, and was able to celebrate with his teammates knowing his made the right move in signing with the Rangers in the offseason.

“I knew we had a good defense, good offense and good pitching,” Beltre said. “I knew this was the best chance for me to get a ring.”

It certainly was the right place to come and celebrate.

If you like reading our blog, remember to bookmark it.

ARLINGTON, Tex. — Give the Texas Rangers credit for creativity when it comes to celebrations.

Last year the Texas Rangers made ginger ale the way to do things when they won in the playoffs.

Friday night it was the home-run trot.

Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus put an emphatic stamp on the team’s second consecutive AL West championship when he circled the bases following Oakland’s David DeJesus hitting an insurance home run in the A’s 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

That Oakland victory, which followed the Rangers’ 5-3 victory over Seattle earlier, started the kind of celebration fans in Arlington are getting used to.

First the Rangers celebrated with ginger ale and their fans on the field. Thousands of fans stayed to watch the Angels lose and see their team celebrate at Rangers Ballpark. Then it was onto the clubhouse where beer, champagne, ketchup, mustard and baby powder were flowing freely in the clubhouse following the clincher.

So was a sense that the Rangers are once again on the verge of something special.

“The best feeling in the world is this right here when you get to celebrate in the clubhouse,” Michael Young said. “You get to celebrate with your teammates after so much hard work. We get an opportunity now to go the postseason and hopefully win a championship.”

The Rangers are a dangerous team right now.

Less than two weeks ago their lead was a game-and-a-half over the Angels with the season-ending series in Anaheim looming large. But like a team that’s been through this saga before is supposed to do, the Rangers responded by winning four consecutive games and eight of nine to take charge of the division.   

Friday’s victory gave them nine victories in the last 11 games and continued a trend of peaking at the right time.

The victory also proved what Texas manager Ron Washington had already known about his club — it is the best team in the West.

“These guys are some of the greatest guys in the game of baseball,” Washington said. “They set a tone for what they wanted to do in February and I’ll be damned if they didn’t reach it. Now we’ve got an opportunity to get back to the playoffs and possibly get back to the World Series.”

Washington said this regular season was different because the Rangers were targeted team in the West all season long. And while they were pushed by the Angels, the Rangers didn’t wilt and won the franchise’s fifth division title.

There is no secret about how the Rangers won the West. They are a complete team, as they showed Friday.

The Rangers hit three more homers and have hit 37 home runs in September. Texas, which is tied with Detroit for the second-best record in the AL, leads the majors in batting average in the month and trails only Detroit in runs scored.

The Rangers won the division with pitching, as Matt Harrison’s 14th victory on Friday pushed the rotation win total to 72, which trails only Philadelphia in the majors.

“This has been the same club since the day Wash took over five years ago,” general manager Jon Daniels said. “The talent’s different, but the message has gotten through. His clubs never panic whether the lead is seven, eight or back down to one. These guys always knew they had a job to do the next day. I know it sounds cliché, but that’s really how he goes about it, how they go about it. They take on his personality and now they’re reaping the benefits of it.”

Texas pushed all the right buttons this season, signing Adrian Beltre and trading for Mike Napoli. Texas also made deadline moves for pitchers Mike Adams and Koji Uehara, each of whom pitched in Friday’s victory.

Beltre also hit a two-run homer Friday, and was able to celebrate with his teammates knowing his made the right move in signing with the Rangers in the offseason.

“I knew we had a good defense, good offense and good pitching,” Beltre said. “I knew this was the best chance for me to get a ring.”

It certainly was the right place to come and celebrate.

Gotta run!.

That’s all for today.

CBSSports.com wire reports
Sep. 21, 2011

OAKLAND, Calif. — Adrian Beltre and Michael Young have one number in mind, and it has nothing to do with their own impressive hit or home run totals.

The Texas Rangers dropped their magic number to clinch the AL West to four.

“That’s the most important number of the day,” Young said.

Beltre hit a three-run homer in the first that held up for 15-game winner Derek Holland, and the division-leading Rangers beat the Oakland Athletics 7-2 on Tuesday night.

Texas maintained its five-game division lead on Los Angeles after the Angels won 10-6 at Toronto.

“That’s what we’re working for. We’re trying to win every day and give the Angels no chance to do something crazy,” Beltre said.

Young hit an RBI single in the third that gave him 200 hits in a season for the sixth time and drove in another run in the eighth for his career-best 104th RBI, Mike Napoli also singled in a run and Texas won for the seventh time in eight games and eighth in 10.

This Texas bunch is committed to making another deep October postseason run after losing the World Series to San Francisco in five games last fall.

Rookie Michael Taylor hit his first major-league home run in the fifth — his 18th career at-bat — for Oakland’s lone run against Holland (15-5), who won his fourth consecutive decision.

Elvis Andrus singled in the eighth to extend his hitting streak to 13 games for Texas, which moved to 24 games over .500 for its best mark since sitting 31 over in 1999. Reigning AL champion Texas is 12-5 in September.

Young topped his 2006 RBI total of 103. The 200 hits are always special, too.

“I want to find ways to be a run producer,” Young said. “It feels good. I know I’ve been healthy and I know I’ve been consistent. I’ve gotten to a point now where I know what it takes to get there. … I’m happy it’s over with now and I can focus on the last eight games of the regular season.”

Texas is 89-65 for its second-best record in franchise history through 154 games. The ’99 team was 91-63 at this stage.

“The fact that they got on us early and got us in a little bit of a defensive mode, it can get you on your heels a little bit,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “I think we’re all tired of getting beat by Texas.”

And the Rangers won this one by beating a familiar face.

Rich Harden (4-4) lost back-to-back starts for the first time this year, done after a season-low three innings in which he was tagged for six runs — five earned — on seven hits, struck out three and walked one.

Harden, who pitched for Texas last season, is winless in five consecutive outings since beating the Blue Jays on Aug. 19.

Beltre drove a 1-1 pitch over the center-field wall with two outs in the first as Texas immediately jumped ahead on an uncharacteristically warm night in the Bay Area. First-pitch temperature was 74 degrees.

The slugger had batted only 2 for 16 against Harden before connecting for his 28th home run of 2011. It was Beltre’s 20th career home run against Oakland and seventh in as many games. The past eight have come off seven different pitchers.

“Their approach up there, they don’t swing at a lot of bad pitches and they work the count a lot, too,” Harden said.

A wild pitch in the second allowed Nelson Cruz to score after he doubled leading off the inning.

Texas scored twice more in the third to make it 6-0 and chase Harden, whose start was his shortest since the Rangers knocked him out after only 2 1/3 innings on Aug. 7, 2010.

Holland allowed one run and two hits over seven innings. He struck out seven and walked three while earning his second win in three starts against Oakland this season.

Coco Crisp hit a home run in the ninth for the A’s against Michael Kirkman.

Texas came out swinging a night after Rangers manager Ron Washington attended the Moneyball premiere and reminisced about his special days as Oakland’s third-base coach.

Washington is eager for his team to wrap up the division.

“You talk about determination, we’ve been determined since February,” Washington said. “Each and every day we’ve got to go out and play until they say we’ve got a spot in the playoffs. … When we got defeated by San Francisco, we were determined to come back and try again.”

Cruz remained in the designated hitter role while he nurses a strained left hamstring.

Washington said Cruz would likely DH again Wednesday night and then the manager would decide whether to use him in the outfield as soon as Thursday’s series finale with the A’s or wait until back home in Texas.

Notes

• A’s LF Josh Willingham was named the 2011 Jim “Catfish” Hunter Award winner. The award, voted on by players, coaches and staff, honors the Oakland player whose play on the field and conduct in the clubhouse best exemplifies the courageous, competitive and inspirational spirit demonstrated by the late Hall of Fame pitcher.
• Harden is 5-4 lifetime against Texas.
• Texas is 12-5 vs. the A’s this year, winning 11 of the past 12 matchups since May 10. The Rangers have only won more than 11 against Oakland in a season twice before — going 13-2 in 1977 and 12-7 in 2008.
• LHP C.J. Wilson, who pitches for Texas on Wednesday night, has won his previous three starts against the A’s after dropping the first two this year. Wilson (16-7) leads the Rangers and is tied for fourth in the AL in victories.
• RHP Brandon McCarthy (9-8) goes for the A’s and is winless in four starts against Texas this season.
• The Moneyball premiere at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Oakland generated more than $370,000 in charitable donations to benefit the Children’s Hospital and Research Center Oakland and Stand Up To Cancer.

There is the quick update of the day.

That’s all the news for today.

(c)2011 The Dallas Morning News. Distributed by MCT Information Services

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By JP Starkey

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Sep 16, 2011 – The Texas Rangers quest for a second consecutive AL West crown heads to Seattle on Friday night, as the Rangers open up a three game series against the lowly Mariners. 

Headed into Friday’s games, the Rangers hold a three and a half game lead over the second-place Los Angeles Angels. The Angels, like the Rangers, are opening up a series against a weak opponent this weekend as the Orioles play host to the Angels. 

C.J. Wilson starts for Texas on Friday night, looking to add to his already career-high win total of 16. Wilson has been phenomenal as of late, allowing just two runs in his last three starts – and no runs in his last two starts. During that three-game span, Wilson has pitched 23 innings, allowing two runs on 12 hits while issuing just five walks and striking out 25. 

Wilson’s numbers on the year are fantastic as well. Wilson has eclipsed his career high in WAR, as he’s posted a 5.3 WAR through his first 31 starts. Wilson’s ERA sits comfortably at 3.01, with an xFIP of 3.31. Wilson is also likely to eclipse 200 strikeouts this year as well, as he’s struck out 190 in 209 innings so far on the season.

Texas’ offense will face off against former Ranger farmhand Blake Beaven. Beaven, who is a Texas native, has gone 4-5 in 12 starts for the Mariners, with a 4.32 ERA, .288 BAA and 1.31 WHIP. Beaven, though, does not miss bats, as he’s struck out just 31 in 77 innings. 

First pitch in Seattle is scheduled for 9:10 p.m. CDT, 7:10 p.m. locally at Safeco Field.

Read More: C.J. Wilson (P – TEX), Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners

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Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

Read More: Dan Haren (P – ANA), Colby Lewis (P – TEX), C.J. Wilson (P – TEX), Jered Weaver (P – ANA), Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels

The Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels are set to conclude a three game series on Sunday night after splitting the first two games. Texas pounded one of Los Angeles’ two aces, Dan Haren, on Friday night en route to an 11-7 victory. On Saturday, though, the Angels had their revenge, beating up on C.J. Wilson as the Angels won 8-4. Now on Sunday night, the Rangers will have to face another ace – this time in the form of Jered Weaver.

Weaver will be making the start on Sunday night on only three days rest – the first time in his career he’s pitched on short rest. To date, Weaver has been one of the very best pitchers in baseball, with a 15-6 record to go along with a microscopic 2.03 ERA and .97 WHIP. Weaver has held opposing hitters to an average of .206 while only issuing 44 walks in 195.1 innings on the season. 

Weaver has made four starts against Texas this year and has gone 2-1 with a 1.86 ERA in 29 innings, striking out 25 and walking just four.

Colby Lewis will start for Texas on Sunday night, looking to keep the ball in the park. In Saturday’s win over Texas, the Angels belted five home runs. Lewis’ downfall this year has been home runs, as he’s surrendered 30 in 165.2 innings on the season, including two in his most recent start against the Red Sox.

Still, Lewis’ numbers remain respectable on the season: his ERA sits at 4.07 and his WHIP is a cool 1.20. 

With a win, the Rangers would pull three games ahead of the Angels in the standings, two up in the loss column. If Texas loses, though, the teams will be even in the loss column with Texas holding an official one game edge in the standings.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CDT from Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. 

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Read More: Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels

This past week has not been kind to the Los Angeles Angels (67-59), who sit six games back of the Texas Rangers (73-53) in the AL West. The Rangers increased their lead in the division over the past seven days with six wins in seven contests, including three of four games against the Angels. The Angels, meanwhile, lost five of their seven games.

The Angels, however, have snapped a five-game losing streak and are currently riding a two-game winning streak. This weekend, they play two games against the Baltimore Orioles (47-75), who have lost six of their last eight and three straight overall. The Rangers take on the Chicago White Sox (61-63), who are riding a three-game losing streak of their own.

In tonight’s game against the Orioles, the Angels will put Joel Piniero (5-6) on the mound against Tommy Hunter (2-2). The series will conclude on Sunday when new pitcher Jerome Williams (0-0), who was recently called up from Triple-A Salt Lake, will start against Baltimore’s Brian Matusz (1-5).

The Angels will need to build on their two-game winning streak against the Orioles this weekend in order to keep up with the Rangers. The Angels, however, will get a shot to really make up some ground in the AL West when the two teams meet up again for a three-day series beginning next Friday. Let’s hope that the Angels are riding an even bigger winning streak by the time that the Angels-Rangers series rolls around. 

What are your opinions.

(Sports Network) – The Texas Rangers are doing their best to make the American
League West race an afterthought. Tonight, the Rangers hope to distance
themselves even further from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim when they try
to complete their first-ever four-game sweep of them at Angel Stadium.

The Rangers have won the first three games of this set and have stretched
their lead atop the AL West to seven games ahead of the Angels. On Wednesday,
Ian Kinsler blooped the tie-breaking two-run single in the eighth inning,
boosting the Rangers to a 4-3 win.

“It’s still early,” Texas outfielder Nelson Cruz said. “We’re not going to get
comfortable. We’ve got to keep playing. Hopefully we get a chance to sweep the
series.”

Mitch Moreland added a solo homer and Michael Young went 3-for-5 in Texas’
sixth straight triumph and ninth in 10 tries.

Koji Uehara surrendered a home run to Howie Kendrick with two outs in the
eighth, but Neftali Feliz escaped a jam in the ninth to record his 24th save.

C.J. Wilson (12-5) struck out six batters over seven innings, while Angels
starter Ervin Santana (9-9) gave up 10 hits over 7 2/3 frames and lost for the
first time in 10 starts.

“This game was all about C.J. … he did a great job,” Young said.

Santana had won five straight starts and was 6-0 over his previous nine.

“Tonight it was all about scratching and clawing,” Young said. “Facing a good
pitcher like that who is throwing the ball as well as anybody in the game, you
just have to be able to scratch and claw for runs and that’s what we were able
to do.”

The Rangers will take aim at another one of Anaheim’s impressive hurlers
tonight, as they go up against AL All-Star Game starter Jered Weaver, who is
coming off a horrific outing his last time out. Weaver absorbed the loss on
Saturday in Toronto, surrendering eight runs and eight hits in just 4 2/3
innings to fall to 14-6 on the year, while raising his ERA to 2.13.

“The command wasn’t there, everything was kind of flat, nothing was really
sharp,” Weaver said. “Usually I have a pitch I can go to to get me out of
situations and I really didn’t have that today. It’s going to happen two or
three times a year.”

Weaver tossed seven scoreless innings to beat the Rangers the last time he
faced them and is 9-5 lifetime against them with a 3.23 ERA in 23 starts.

Texas, meanwhile, will rely on the right arm of Colby Lewis, who is 11-8 with
a 4.01 ERA. Lewis beat Oakland on Saturday, holding the Athletics to a run and
three hits over 6 1/3 innings. He also struck out eight without walking a
batter.

Lewis lost to the Angels back in April and is 3-3 with a 4.94 ERA in 10 games
(eight starts) against them.

The Rangers have won seven of their 12 meetings with the Angels this season.

The Sports Network

Not much else going on in the MLB planet today.

What are your opinions.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP)—For 128 pitches, Ervin Santana(notes) scrapped, clawed and
somehow held off the relentless Texas Rangers. When Ian Kinsler(notes) put Santana’s
129th pitch softly into left field, the Rangers demonstrated why the Angels just
don’t appear capable of holding them down this season.

Kinsler hit a tiebreaking two-run single with two outs in the eighth inning,
and the Rangers rallied for their third straight victory over the Los Angeles
Angels, 4-3 on Wednesday night.

Kinsler came up with the Angel Stadium crowd on its feet to cheer Santana,
who had struck out two Rangers and had two strikes on Kinsler after Texas loaded
the bases with no outs. Kinsler broke his bat on Santana’s slider, but got the
ball over the infield.

“It was loud. The whole stadium knew what was going on,” Kinsler said.
“That’s the most fun part about the whole game. … I was battling against
(Santana) all night. He was battling me with sliders, battling me with the
heater. We were getting guys on base, but couldn’t beat him. That was our
opportunity, and we almost let it slip by. I was just trying to get it in there
somewhere.”

Whether they’re doing it with homers or broken-bat bloops, the defending AL
champions have been too much for the struggling Angels this week, taking a
commanding seven-game lead in the AL West before Thursday’s series finale.
Michael Young(notes) had his third straight three-hit game for the Rangers, who have 43
hits in the series after pounding out 12 more.

Mitch Moreland(notes) homered and Josh Hamilton(notes) hit a run-scoring single for the
Rangers, who have won six straight to open a 10-game road trip. C.J. Wilson(notes)
(12-5) yielded five hits over seven innings for the Rangers (72-52), who are a
season-best 20 games over .500 for the first time since 1999 by seizing control
of this key four-game series.

The Rangers again downplayed the significance of this head-to-head matchup
against their only remaining competition for the division title, but a little
excitement still leaked out.

“The whole game, I’m worked up tonight more than I’ve ever been worked up
so far,” Texas manager Ron Washington said. “The whole atmosphere was great.
It was just the game, with C.J. and Santana going at it.”

Mark Trumbo(notes) had an early RBI double and Howie Kendrick(notes) homered in the eighth
inning for the Angels, who have lost five straight and seven of eight. Los
Angeles trailed the Rangers by 1 1/2 games early last week before sliding to the
fringe of the playoff race during this disastrous stretch.

“There’s nothing deflating about it,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.
“Obviously, the longer it takes to start stringing together a streak and
stringing together wins, the tougher it is to accomplish this, but this is
doable.”

Kendrick hit a two-out homer off reliever Koji Uehara(notes), but Neftali Feliz(notes)
pitched the ninth for his 24th save, stranding Trumbo on third base.

After routing Los Angeles in the first two games of the series, Texas
trailed 2-0 in the first inning before coming back against Santana (9-9), who
had won five consecutive starts with a no-hitter during a nine-game unbeaten
streak.

Texas beat rookie starters for the Angels in the first two games of the
series, but was nearly as effective against Santana, who gave up 10 hits and
four walks. He had four strikeouts, including the 1,000th of his career in the
first inning, but lost for the first time in 10 starts since June 21

“We’ve still got a more than month to go, so we have to keep playing hard
and anything can happen,” Santana said. “We just have to play our game. … I
didn’t have my best stuff, but it’s a good battle.”

Wilson pitched six straight scoreless innings after a rocky start. After
Trumbo’s drive to right field in the first inning hit near the top of the
elevated fence and bounced back onto the field. Torii Hunter(notes) slid safely into
home, adeptly touching home plate with his hand to beat the tag.

The Rangers got a runner on base in every inning against Santana, but didn’t
score until Hamilton drove in Elvis Andrus(notes) in the fifth. Moreland then tied it
with his 14th homer leading off the sixth.

“There’s no doubt that Ervin was pitching with his back against the wall,
even though he had a two-run lead,” Scioscia said. “Those guys have power all
the way through their lineup, and they’re going to keep going. After we got
those two early runs, they kept putting up zeros and kept pressuring us and got
back into the game. We wanted to give Ervin a little bit of a comfort zone, but
we weren’t able to do that.”

NOTES: The Angels hope ace Jered Weaver(notes) can end their slide when he takes
the mound in the series finale on Thursday. Texas counters with 11-game winner
Colby Lewis(notes). … Hunter extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a
sixth-inning single. … The Angels recalled Jerome Williams(notes) from the minors
before the game, and the veteran right-hander made his first major league
appearance since May 15, 2007, in the ninth inning, giving up two hits.

Not much else going on in the MLB planet today.