Texas Rangers’ Nelson Cruz watches the grand slam home run off of the Detroit Tigers’ Ryan Perry that won Game 2 of baseball’s American League championship series 7-3, Monday, Oct. 10, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. The Tigers’ Alex Avila and Rangers’ David Murphy look on. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) / AP

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Texas Rangers Mike Napoli (25) hits a go-ahead two-run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays Monday night. The Rangers won 4-3. / AP

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There is the quick update of the day.

ARLINGTON (AP) - Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington stood up from his office chair and started wildly shaking his knees back and forth.

While exaggerating how nervous he might be about the AL West race with the Los Angeles Angels, the division-leading manager and his team know things will be much tighter down the stretch this season.

They already are.

“Think about it. If you’ve got a seven-game lead, of course you’re more comfortable,” Washington said after settling back into his chair. “But that doesn’t mean that panic sets in.”

Texas (76-59) took a three-game lead into its off day Monday, after playing 17 consecutive days with only one other break since Aug. 1. There are 27 regular-season games left, the last three at Los Angeles in four weeks.

“They’re not going away. They’re a good team. Everybody knows that,” second baseman Ian Kinsler said. “We didn’t expect them to do that last year, it was just kind of luck of the draw.”

At the same point last season before the Rangers won their first AL pennant, they had an eight-game division lead. That never got smaller than seven and they clinched the division title with eight games left.

The Rangers found out Monday they will be without slugging right fielder Nelson Cruz for about three weeks because of another hamstring injury. An MRI revealed a grade 1 strain for Cruz, who got hurt running out a double in Sunday night’s 9-5 victory over Los Angeles.

Cruz missed 51 games last season because of three different stints on the disabled list with issues with both hamstrings. He was on the DL for 17 games earlier this year because of a right quadriceps strain.

Texas went through most of the final month of the regular season last year without AL MVP Josh Hamilton and Michael Young, though both got back for the playoffs.

Before rallying Sunday night against Angels ace Jered Weaver, Texas had lost seven of 10 games. The division gap would have been trimmed to a single game without that comeback.

Their losing stretch began with a 2-1 loss at Los Angeles on Aug. 18, when Texas was three outs away from a four-game sweep and a season-high division lead of eight games. But Mark Trumbo hit a game-ending two-run homer.

“We had a hiccup, had some bumps in our starting rotation, had some things out the bullpen that didn’t work. We had some days where we didn’t put the runs on the board,” Washington said. “It happens. Every team in the game is going through it. We just hit it right now.”

At the same time, the Angeles had a season-best six-game winning streak. They won seven of eight before their last scheduled game at Rangers Ballpark this season.

The Rangers have been alone atop the AL West since July 6, when they were early in a 12-game winning streak.

Boston took three of four at Texas in a potential playoff preview last week. The Red Sox lost the opener 4-0, but then won 11-5, 13-2 and 6-0. The Rangers rebounded to win two of three against Los Angeles.

The Rangers go to Fenway Park this weekend after wrapping up their 10-game homestand with three against Tampa Bay. Texas plays 15 of its last 27 games on the road.

“We’ve been grinding, battling lately,” Young said. “We’ll gladly take this off day and get ready for the last stretch. We like where we’re at. We’ve been down this road before so we know what it takes to win.”

Young, the longest-tenured Ranger in his 11th season, asked to be traded last winter when the team acquired All-Star third baseman Adrian Beltre and said the plan was to use Young primarily as a designated hitter. Young stayed and has responded with one of his best seasons.

As of Monday, Young was second in the majors with a .336 batting average and 11th with his team-best 87 RBIs.

With Beltre missing the last 35 games because of a left hamstring injury, Young has been mostly at third base.

Beltre was scheduled to begin a rehab assignment for Triple-A Round Rock on Monday, and could be back before the Rangers go to Boston this weekend.

Hamilton and Elvis Andrus snapped out of extended slumps with three hits each Sunday night. A pitch after Andrus had an RBI triple, Hamilton hit a tying two-run homer. Hamilton later drove home the go-ahead run with a single in the seventh.

“Our team, we like our position for sure,” Andrus said. “We have way more experience. Everybody, including myself and our pitching, is much different. We see a lot of good things, a lot of positive things. We just have to continue to play hard.”

After that much-needed break before the stretch.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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

ARLINGTON — Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington stood up from his office chair and started wildly shak-ing his knees back and forth.

While exaggerating how nervous he might be about the AL West race with the Los Angeles Angels, the division-leading manager and his team know things will be much tighter down the stretch this season.

They already are.

“Think about it. If you’ve got a seven-game lead, of course you’re more comfortable,” Washington said after set-tling back into his chair. “But that doesn’t mean that panic sets in.”

Texas (76-59) took a three-game lead into its off day Monday, after playing 17 consecutive days with only one other break since Aug. 1. There are 27 regular-season games left, the last three at Los Angeles in four weeks.

“They’re not going away. They’re a good team. Everybody knows that,” second baseman Ian Kinsler said. “We didn’t expect them to do that last year, it was just kind of luck of the draw.”

At the same point last season before the Rangers won their first AL pennant, they had an eight-game division lead. That never got smaller than seven and they clinched the division title with eight games left.

The Rangers found out Monday they will be without slugging right fielder Nelson Cruz for about three weeks be-cause of another hamstring injury. An MRI revealed a grade 1 strain for Cruz, who got hurt running out a double in Sunday night’s 9-5 victory over Los Angeles.

Cruz missed 51 games last season because of three different stints on the disabled list with issues with both ham-strings. He was on the DL for 17 games earlier this year because of a right quadriceps strain.

Texas went through most of the final month of the regular season last year without AL MVP Josh Hamilton and Michael Young, though both got back for the playoffs.

Before rallying Sunday night against Angels ace Jered Weaver, Texas had lost seven of 10 games. The division gap would have been trimmed to a single game without that comeback.

Their losing stretch began with a 2-1 loss at Los Angeles on Aug. 18, when Texas was three outs away from a four-game sweep and a season-high division lead of eight games. But Mark Trumbo hit a game-ending two-run homer.

“We had a hiccup, had some bumps in our starting rotation, had some things out the bullpen that didn’t work. We had some days where we didn’t put the runs on the board,” Washington said. “It happens. Every team in the game is going through it. We just hit it right now.”

At the same time, the Angeles had a season-best six-game winning streak. They won seven of eight before their last scheduled game at Rangers Ballpark this season.

The Rangers have been alone atop the AL West since July 6, when they were early in a 12-game winning streak.

Boston took three of four at Texas in a potential playoff preview last week. The Red Sox lost the opener 4-0, but then won 11-5, 13-2 and 6-0. The Rangers rebounded to win two of three against Los Angeles.

The Rangers go to Fenway Park this weekend after wrapping up their 10-game homestand with three against Tampa Bay. Texas plays 15 of its last 27 games on the road.

“We’ve been grinding, battling lately,” Young said. “We’ll gladly take this off day and get ready for the last stretch. We like where we’re at. We’ve been down this road before so we know what it takes to win.”

Young, the longest-tenured Ranger in his 11th season, asked to be traded last winter when the team acquired All-Star third baseman Adrian Beltre and said the plan was to use Young primarily as a designated hitter. Young stayed and has responded with one of his best seasons.

As of Monday, Young was second in the majors with a .336 batting average and 11th with his team-best 87 RBIs.

With Beltre missing the last 35 games because of a left hamstring injury, Young has been mostly at third base.

Beltre was scheduled to begin a rehab assignment for Triple-A Round Rock on Monday, and could be back before the Rangers go to Boston this weekend.

Hamilton and Elvis Andrus snapped out of extended slumps with three hits each Sunday night. A pitch after An-drus had an RBI triple, Hamilton hit a tying two-run homer. Hamilton later drove home the go-ahead run with a single in the seventh.

“Our team, we like our position for sure,” Andrus said. “We have way more experience. Everybody, including myself and our pitching, is much different. We see a lot of good things, a lot of positive things. We just have to con-tinue to play hard.”

After that much-needed break before the stretch.

– Stephen Hawkins

Rangers’ Cruz expected out 3 weeks with hamstring

ARLINGTON — Texas slugger Nelson Cruz is expected to miss about three weeks with another hamstring injury.

The AL West-leading Rangers said an MRI on Monday revealed a grade 1 strain of Cruz’s left hamstring. The right fielder will get an injection from team physician Dr. Keith Meister that is intended to stimulate the healing process.

Cruz got hurt when running out a double in Sunday night’s 9-5 victory over the chasing Los Angeles Angles.

Cruz missed 51 games last season because of three stints on the disabled list with issues with both hamstrings. He was on the DL for 17 games earlier this year because of a strained right quadriceps muscle.

In 113 games this season, Cruz is hitting .270 with a team-leading 28 home runs and 84 RBIs.

The Rangers were off Monday, but were expected to add another outfielder before Tuesday’s game against Tampa Bay. The addition could be Cuban outfielder Leonys Martin from Triple-A Round Rock.

There is the quick update of the day.

AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

Texas Rangers’ Josh Hamilton follows through on a single to right off of Los Angeles Angels reliever Fernando Rodney in the eighth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. Hamilton broke out of a slump with a long two-run homer and the tie-breaking RBI single for the AL West-leading Rangers, who rallied for a 9-5 victory over the chasing Angels.

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ARLINGTON — The first question Josh Hamilton was asked Monday afternoon in the clubhouse concerned whether or not the 2010 American League MVP had discussed his role as designated hitter with manager Ron Washington.

They had talked, but not about details.

“[Washington] said ‘It’s good to have you back,’” Hamilton said. “I said, ‘It’s good to be back.’”

Washington said both Hamilton and outfielder Nelson Cruz needed no alterations of strategy.

“I don’t want them to approach [the game] any differently,” Washington said. “I just want them to play baseball. They have to be smart in what they do [on the field.]“

The outfielder has been on the disabled list since April 12, when he fractured the humerus bone in his right arm sliding into home at Detroit.

But Hamilton said he wouldn’t be playing any less aggressively or tentatively upon rejoining the Rangers. He cited his Christianity as the primary reason.

“[I can play] however long God has planned for me,” Hamilton said. “He gave me the ability to play the game a certain way and it wouldn’t be giving Him glory and doing Him justice if I didn’t do it the way I need to do it.”

He however acknowledged it is hard to decide in a game situation whether to risk his body on a play or play it safe.

“When you’re in the middle of doing something you need to do to help the team win, [everything else] goes out the window, and you just think about [making the play,]” Hamilton said. “The season is getting later and I’d like to stay in there for the rest of the year, but I can’t say I will be. A play might come up where I go after it hard and something might happen, but I can’t not play hard.”

The subject of Hamilton’s injury history came up and he was asked if he was bothered by the suggestion his admitted history of drug use may play a role in his fragility. Hamilton missed 29 games due to injury last year and had DL stints in 2009 as well for bruised ribs and an abdominal tear.

Hamilton said you have to consider how his major injuries have occurred.

“Most of the time, it’s breaking bones, hitting the wall – which I guarantee you, yours would break just as easy, and y’know, diving into bases and playing the game the way it should be played,” Hamilton said. “Maybe I should kind of slack off and just hang out and let balls hit the fence and just play it nice and easy. But I don’t get paid to do that, and the fans don’t pay admission to watch me do that.”

Rangers make moves to accommodate returning stars:

In order to clear room for Hamilton and Cruz to return, the Rangers made a few roster moves Monday afternoon. First baseman Chris Davis, reliever Cody Eppley and third catcher Taylor Teagarden have all been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock.

In addition to reinstating Nelson and Cruz, the club recalled right-handed pitcher Yoshinori Tateyama from Round Rock.

Washington said Tateyama had been playing well for Round Rock and wanted to see if he could give the Rangers “a shot in the arm.”

“[Tateyama] throws strikes and keeps the ball down in the strikezone, I think he learned something about expansion of the strikezone and if he can do that, he can be effective,” Washington said.

The 35-year-old reliever made 14 appearances for Round Rock this season, allowing 17 hits and five earned runs in 21 innings. Additionally, he had 26 strikeouts to four walks and held opponents to a .215 average. Tateyama, who is from Japan, told reporters through a translator Monday it was a “big opportunity.”

“Every hitter hasn’t seen me pitch before, so [my pitches will be harder to hit,]” Tateyama said. “So I’m going to try to be as rested as I can, then the results will come after that.”

Davis was hitting .250 with three home runs and four RBIs for Texas, while Eppley pitched nine innings over 10 appearances with an 8.00 ERA. Teagarden didn’t see much time in the lineup for the Rangers.

Washington said Eppley and the other young players would be back for Texas and needed to use the time in Triple-A to work on their games.

“We feel like [Eppley] needs to get back down [to the minors] and get more consistent,” Washington said.

The Rangers had announced earlier Monday outfielder Endy Chavez would be on his way to the 15-day DL, but later said that had been a miscommunication. A team official said Chavez is not 100 percent, but he is game-ready to come off the bench and should be ready to start in a matter of days.

Cruz ready too:

Nelson Cruz hasn’t been missing from the Rangers lineup for as long as Hamilton, but he said it was hard watching his team struggle from his spot on the DL.

“It’s amazing how frustrated you can get to sit there and watch the game and know that maybe you can do something about it, but you can’t do anything,” Cruz said.

After hitting three home runs in the last three days with Round Rock, Cruz said he’s all set to get back to doing the same in the majors.

“I [had to get] my timing and approach right, and I feel like it’s there,” Cruz said.

He said he’s had no problems with the quad strain that put him on the 15-day DL and it got plenty of work yesterday as the Express scored 10 runs bolstered by Cruz and Hamilton. He hasn’t felt pain in the quad since his last action in the majors, May 3 at Seattle.

Michael Young said the Rangers were just as ready for the return of Cruz and Hamilton as the players themselves. Now they just need to stay in the lineup.

“Obviously to get back to a point where we can get our team healthy is a good thing,” Young said. “But you know getting healthy and staying healthy are two different things… It’s towards the end of May now, and I think this is our first crack for our team to build some momentum offensively. It’s something we’ve been looking for for a long time, so hopefully we can get going now.”

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

Published Monday, May 23, 2011 1:42 AM

PHILADELPHIA — Matt Harrison joined the growing list of pitchers throwing like a Cy Young Award winner against the offensively inept Phillies.

Harrison took a five-hitter into the ninth inning and helped the Texas Rangers avoid a three-game sweep with a 2-0 win over Philadelphia on Sunday.

His stat line was hardly dazzling. Harrison (4-4) struck out three, walked three and threw 117 pitches in his longest outing of the season, finishing two outs shy of his first shutout since 2009.

Harrison was winless in his last five starts — a streak easily broken in Philadelphia.

“Everything was working for me and I was throwing strikes,” Harrison said.

Harrison fanned Ryan Howard to open the ninth, but was lifted after he walked Ben Francisco.

Neftali Feliz got two outs for his ninth save. Mitch Moreland had an RBI double off Phillies starter Roy Oswalt and Craig Gentry added a suicide squeeze.

“The plane ride will be a lot better,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “I hope this will be a momentum swing for us.”

Both teams are expected to get a lift on Monday: Chase Utley for the Phillies, and Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz for the Rangers.

Two teams with loaded offenses have been hit hard by injury and underachievement. The Rangers entered batting .196 in their last five games and they have gone 11 straight games scoring four of less runs. They have one home run in the last seven games.

Texas touched Oswalt (3-2) for eight hits and broke through for a run in the sixth.

“I knew with Oswalt pitching, it would be a close game, so I wanted to give the team a chance to win,” Harrison said. “It’s good to finally have a win. It seems like it’s been two months. This is a real confidence booster for me.”

Michael Young singled to right and advanced to second on a grounder. Moreland drove the ball the opposite way off the left-field wall for a run-scoring double.

He was left there when shortstop Jimmy Rollins made a nice grab in the hole to throw out Harrison and end the inning.

The Rangers made it 2-0 in the eighth when Gentry’s suicide squeeze scored Adrian Beltre, who had doubled.

Oswalt lost for the first time (10-1) at Citizens Bank Park. He was 6-0 in eight starts with the Phillies. He struck out three and walked two.

Oswalt said he couldn’t change his approach when the offense is slumping.

“You’ve just got to hit your spots a little bit better,” Oswalt said. “You’ve got to kind of dance of between raindrops out there. You can’t give up too many hits in one inning.”

Texas blew its chances to bust the game open.

The Rangers squandered runners on the corners in the fifth when Ian Kinsler grounded into a force out. They had two runners on in the seventh when Young hit into a double play.

Help is on the way.

Washington said Hamilton and Cruz should be activated off the disabled list in time for Monday’s home game against the Chicago White Sox.

Both are expected to play Sunday for Triple-A Round Rock in the final game of their minor league rehab assignments.

Hamilton, last year’s American League MVP, is recovering from a broken bone in his upper right arm. Cruz is rehabbing a strained right quadriceps muscle.

The Phillies are in a funk and they’ll need more than Utley’s return to jolt the offense.

The Phillies have not scored more than three runs in a game since May 13. They scored a combined five runs in the first two games of the series, just enough to win with Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee on the mound.

Oswalt wasn’t so lucky.

In the third, Placido Polanco left two runners stranded on a dribbler up the first base line.

The Phillies had eight hits on Saturday, snapping a streak of seven straight games with six or less. The NL East leaders had five on Sunday. It was so bad that Howard tried to bunt for a hit in the ninth.

“We’re going to hit, we’re going to hit better,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “We’re going to bottom out one of these days. Hopefully, it was today.”

NOTES: The Phillies dropped to 5-1 against the Rangers at Citizens Bank Park in interleague play. … Utley will be activated off the 15-day disabled list before Monday’s game against Cincinnati. The Phillies are set to put RHP Joe Blanton on the DL and recall righty Vance Worley before Monday’s game. The Phillies optioned INF Pete Orr to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. … Rangers SS Elvis Andrus has stolen 23 straight bases. … Kinsler was hit by pitches twice.

There is the quick update of the day.

CBSSports.com wire reports
May 22, 2011

PHILADELPHIA — Matt Harrison joined the growing list of pitchers throwing like a Cy Young Award winner against the offensively inept Phillies.

Harrison took a five-hitter into the ninth inning and helped the Texas Rangers avoid a three-game sweep with a 2-0 win over Philadelphia on Sunday.

His stat line was hardly dazzling. Harrison (4-4) struck out three, walked three and threw 117 pitches in his longest outing of the season, finishing two outs shy of his first shutout since 2009.

Harrison was winless in his last five starts — a streak easily broken in Philadelphia.

“Everything was working for me and I was throwing strikes,” Harrison said.

Harrison fanned Ryan Howard to open the ninth, but was lifted after he walked Ben Francisco.

Neftali Feliz got two outs for his ninth save. Mitch Moreland had an RBI double off Phillies starter Roy Oswalt and Craig Gentry added a suicide squeeze.

“The plane ride will be a lot better,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “I hope this will be a momentum swing for us.”

Both teams are expected to get a lift on Monday: Chase Utley for the Phillies, and Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz for the Rangers.

Two teams with loaded offenses have been hit hard by injury and underachievement. The Rangers entered batting .196 in their last five games and they have gone 11 straight games scoring four of less runs. They have one home run in the last seven games.

Texas touched Oswalt (3-2) for eight hits and broke through for a run in the sixth.

“I knew with Oswalt pitching, it would be a close game, so I wanted to give the team a chance to win,” Harrison said. “It’s good to finally have a win. It seems like it’s been two months. This is a real confidence booster for me.”

Michael Young singled to right and advanced to second on a grounder. Moreland drove the ball the opposite way off the left-field wall for a run-scoring double.

He was left there when shortstop Jimmy Rollins made a nice grab in the hole to throw out Harrison and end the inning.

The Rangers made it 2-0 in the eighth when Gentry’s suicide squeeze scored Adrian Beltre, who had doubled.

Oswalt lost for the first time (10-1) at Citizens Bank Park. He was 6-0 in eight starts with the Phillies. He struck out three and walked two.

Oswalt said he couldn’t change his approach when the offense is slumping.

“You’ve just got to hit your spots a little bit better,” Oswalt said. “You’ve got to kind of dance of between raindrops out there. You can’t give up too many hits in one inning.”

Texas blew its chances to bust the game open.

The Rangers squandered runners on the corners in the fifth when Ian Kinsler grounded into a force out. They had two runners on in the seventh when Young hit into a double play.

Help is on the way.

Washington said Hamilton and Cruz should be activated off the disabled list in time for Monday’s home game against the White Sox.

Both are expected to play Sunday for Triple-A Round Rock in the final game of their minor league rehab assignments.

Hamilton, last year’s American League MVP, is recovering from a broken bone in his upper right arm. Cruz is rehabbing a strained right quadriceps muscle.

The Phillies are in a funk and they’ll need more than Utley’s return to jolt the offense.

The Phillies have not scored more than three runs in a game since May 13. They scored a combined five runs in the first two games of the series, just enough to win with Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee on the mound.

Oswalt wasn’t so lucky.

In the third, Placido Polanco left two runners stranded on a dribbler up the first base line.

The Phillies had eight hits on Saturday, snapping a streak of seven straight games with six or less. The NL East leaders had five on Sunday. It was so bad that Howard tried to bunt for a hit in the ninth.

“We’re going to hit, we’re going to hit better,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “We’re going to bottom out one of these days. Hopefully, it was today.”

Notes

• The Phillies dropped to 5-1 against the Rangers at Citizens Bank Park in interleague play.
• Utley will be activated off the 15-day disabled list before Monday’s game against Cincinnati. The Phillies are set to put RHP Joe Blanton on the DL and recall righty Vance Worley before Monday’s game. The Phillies optioned INF Pete Orr to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
• Rangers SS Elvis Andrus has stolen 23 straight bases.
• Kinsler was hit by pitches twice.

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(Sports Network) – The identity of the Oakland Athletics has long been
centered around solid pitching, and this year has been no different.

It was some more strong pitching that allowed the A’s to take three out of
four from the Texas Rangers at home this past weekend. There was also some
timely hitting, which hasn’t been so common in Oakland. Hideki Matsui’s walk-
off blast in the 10th inning of Monday’s game gave the A’s a 5-4 victory and,
they hope, some much needed momentum going into another big series. Manager
Bob Geren called it their most exciting game of the year.

“I’ve never seen this group that animated and excited after a win,” Geren
said. “Guys were just jumping high. I hope they didn’t hit their head on the
dugout. That ball came off the bat and it was loud. That was a thrill.”

The team now turns its attention to the red-hot Cleveland Indians (19-8),
owners of the best record in the majors after a month of baseball. But while
the Tribe are off to their best start in more than a decade thanks to 13
straight wins at home, they are just 6-6 on the road as they visit the
Coliseum Tuesday night.

Oakland stands at 15-14, one game back of the division co-leaders. The A’s
have their pitching to thank for getting them to this point, as they closed
out April with a Major League-best 2.47 staff ERA and only eight home runs
allowed. Leading the way has been the starting trio of Brett Anderson, Trevor
Cahill and Gio Gonzalez. Anderson, however, gave up his first three dingers of
the year in Monday’s outing, although the A’s were able to salvage the win
thanks to Matsui’s late-game heroics.

Meanwhile, the offense has been slow to come around, as the team is hitting
just .242 and ranks second-to-last in the AL with only 16 home runs.
Defensively, Oakland’s 27 errors are tied for most in the majors.

However, things could be looking up. Consider, the A’s will play 17 of their
30 games in May at home, following a tough road stretch in the season’s first
month. Closer Andrew Bailey is set to face hitters for the first time on
Wednesday as he looks to take the next step in rehabbing his strained forearm.
Bailey, who has been out since mid-March, would likely face hitters one more
time before beginning a Minor League rehab assignment. If all goes well, he
could potentially return to the team by the middle of May, according to the
team.

Coco Crisp, after missing the previous three games with tightness in his left
quadriceps, returned to the lineup Sunday and went 2-for-5 with an RBI in a
7-2 win over Texas. Geren held him out of Monday’s game as a precautionary
measure.

“Coming back from an injury, we’re just being cautious with him,” Geren said.
“We’ll monitor how the game goes. He was at a pretty high exertion yesterday,
did a lot of running. So we just need to be cautious with him for the long
term, and we felt like today was the day to do that.”

Geren added that he expected Crisp back in the leadoff spot for Tuesday’s
series opener against Cleveland. That’s certainly good news for the A’s, who
need their leadoff man setting the table for a lineup that has lacked some
punch.

FIRST-PLACE RANGERS HAVE SOME HOLES

Entering play Tuesday, the Texas Rangers (16-13) shared the AL West lead with
the Angels. But in order to stay atop the division, the Rangers have some
weaknesses they’ll need to shore up.

Relievers Arthur Rhodes and Darren Oliver combined for a late-game meltdown in
Monday’s 5-4 loss to Oakland. With closer Neftali Feliz still not back from a
shoulder injury, the bullpen has blown 4-of-7 save opportunities. The good
news is Feliz is headed for a rehab assignment in Double-A Frisco on Wednesday
and could soon after return to bolster the back end of the ‘pen.

But Feliz won’t solve all of the team’s problems. After a club-record 9-1
start to the season, Texas has dropped 12 of its last 19 games. The Rangers
have struggled with runners in scoring position, and their .976 fielding
percentage and 26 errors both rank as the second-worst marks in the American
League.

“We’re grinding right now,” Michael Young said after Monday’s setback. “We’re
battling and playing hard, but we’re just not getting the breaks right now.”

The team has dropped five of its last six road games to fall to 5-8 away from
home. The Rangers will continue their current trip with a three-game set in
Seattle beginning Tuesday night.

ANGELS CAN’T RIDE STELLAR PITCHING DUO FOREVER

It had to come to an end sometime. As remarkable as his start to the 2011
season was, Jered Weaver simply had to lose at some point. That reality came
to fruition Monday night when Weaver (6-1) suffered his first loss of the
season in a 9-5 setback to the Boston Red Sox.

The turning point came on a 13-pitch at-bat by Dustin Pedroia in the fifth
inning, which the former league MVP capped with a two-run single up the middle
to put Boston on top. Even with the loss, Weaver still leads the majors in
wins (6) and strikeouts (55), and he ranks third with a 1.39 ERA. Teammate Dan
Haren ranks second with a 1.23 ERA.

Monday’s loss underscores the obvious fact that the Angels are going to need
other guys to step up. Haren and Weaver are only two-thirds of a starting
rotation that has otherwise struggled. Weaver won’t be perfect every time out
— his three runs allowed were a season-high and his six innings pitched were
a season-low.

Haren will look to pick up his teammate when he battles Red Sox ace Jon Lester
Tuesday night. Haren has allowed two or fewer runs in all six of his outings,
although he has lost three straight starts to Boston. Likewise, Weaver is 1-3
with a 7.16 ERA lifetime at Fenway Park. And as a team, the Angels have
dropped 14 of their last 15 meetings with the Red Sox.

With Weaver suffering a stomach virus over the weekend, manager Mike Scioscia
was afforded the opportunity to line up his top two pitchers back-to-back.
While the move has some advantages, as the skipper pointed out, it is
dependent on the other starters carrying their weight.

“The first thing you’re looking for in a rotation is going to be length,”
Scioscia said. “When those guys were split up, it helped us in that aspect.
You had more normal length. With those guys back-to-back, there are obvious
advantages to trying to get on a roll. If you get length from (Ervin) Santana,
(Joel) Pineiro and (Tyler) Chatwood, it’s a moot point. If Ervin and Joel are
going deep in games, it won’t be an issue at all with the bullpen.”

So far, Chatwood (2-1, 4.94) has failed to hold up his end of the bargain. And
although Santana has averaged 6 1/3 innings, he has been mostly ineffective
(1-3, 4.89).

MARINERS ROUNDING INTO FORM

After a horrid start to the season that saw the Seattle Mariners sporting
baseball’s worst record (8-15) as of April 24, the team has really picked
things up of late. Since that point, the M’s have won five of their last six
— on the road against the likes of Detroit and Boston — to move to within
three games of the division leaders.

Although it’s a relatively small sample size, the recent surge has certainly
restored some confidence, not to mention stop Seattle from digging itself a
deep hole in the standings. But now comes the tricky part; building on that
momentum.

“It was a great road trip,” said manager Eric Wedge. “The guys played some
real good baseball. It was a big step in the right direction. I think these
guys are finding out just what they’re capable of doing, and we’re going to
continue to get better.”

The starting pitching, led by ace Felix Hernandez, has been serviceable. And
Brandon League has shored up the back end of the bullpen by converting all
seven of his save opportunities thus far. The X-factor, as has been the case
for quite some time with this team, is the offense.

Seattle ranks second-to-last in the AL with a .231 team batting average, and
even during the recent trip, the Mariners averaged just over three runs per
game which is right on their season average.

Some relief could be on the horizon in the form of Franklin Gutierrez, who
began a rehab assignment Monday night after missing most of spring training
and all of April with irritable bowel syndrome. A healthy Gutierrez in center
field would help out the defense, and his right-handed bat would help restore
balance to a lefty-heavy lineup.

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SURPRISE, Ariz. — Veteran infielder Michael Young visited unfamiliar territory Monday, making his first-ever start at first base during the Texas Rangers’ spring training game against the Kansas City Royals.

“I’ve never played a game at first,” Young said before the game.

Not in Little League, high school or even UC-Santa Barbara. Not in the minors, and definitely not during any of his 11 seasons in the major leagues.

Young handled only one chance in four innings on Monday. Demonstrating why they want him in the lineup, he had a double and a triple.

The newbie first baseman has had a mission in spring: get a first baseman’s glove.

“I’m going to work one in right now,” Young said Monday morning as he dressed for workouts. “I’ve being using C.D.’s [Chris Davis] for a while.”

Young, who used Davis’ glove vs. the Royals on Monday, is still working out his own first baseman’s glove.

He might need a separate locker just for his gloves this season — he’ll have at least three for the different positions he’ll play as a super-utility man. His middle infield glove is smaller than his third baseman’s glove, which is obviously smaller than an oversized first baseman’s glove, which is halfway to a catcher’s mitt.

“It’s definitely different,” Young said. “It’s big.”

Meanwhile, Davis started Monday’s game at third base, where he’s getting plenty of action this spring while Adrian Beltre is out with a calf strain. Davis said he doesn’t really care if he’s at the hot corner or first base.

“Whatever keeps me in the lineup, to be honest,” Davis said.

First base is considered the easier position to field, and plenty of players have made the transition from third base, catcher and the outfield. Plus, Young isn’t moving there full time, just on a sporadic basis assuming Mitch Moreland wins the position outright. Mike Napoli can also play first.

There are plenty of nuances to playing first base that require practice time to get rhythm, timing and instinct down, such as pick-off throws, general positioning, the stretch and the scoop. For at least his first few games at first, Young will get dugout direction from Rangers coach Dave Anderson and manager Ron Washington.

“I just want him to get over there and get comfortable and get relaxed,” Washington said. “I know if a ground ball goes to him, he’s going to catch it. If a ground ball goes in the infield, he’s going to put himself in position to make the play. There’s nothing special that I’m looking for. I just want him to get through the day. If he gets through the day healthy, I’ll be happy.”

Jeff Caplan covers the Rangers for ESPNDallas.com.

Follow Jeff Caplan on Twitter: @espn_caplan

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There is the quick update of the day.

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