Texas Rangers

Rangers will add five players when rosters expand; Robbie Ross to DL

The Texas Rangers are adding five players when rosters expand on Saturday.

They are purchasing the contract of top prospect Jurickson Profar from Double A Frisco, and recalling left-hander Martin Perez, outfielder Leonys Martin, utility player Brandon Snyder and right-hander Yoshinori Tateyama from Triple A Round Rock.

Additionally, the Rangers are placing left-handed reliever Robbie Ross on the disabled list with a left forearm strain and recalling reliever Tanner Scheppers.

They have designated Miguel De Los Santos for assignment, and purchased the contract of Tyler Tufts and placed him on the major league disabled list.

-- Drew Davison

Jurickson Profar getting call up to Rangers

The Texas Rangers will call up top prospect Jurickson Profar when rosters expand on Saturday.

Profar highlights the group of call ups for the Rangers. There are a handful coming from Triple A Round Rock, but those won't be made public until the Express' game ends tonight.

Profar batted .281 with 26 doubles, seven triples, 14 home runs and 62 RBIs for Double A Frisco this season.

-- Drew Davison

Rangers 5, Indians 3 (F)

CLEVELAND – Ryan Dempster won his third consecutive start, the offense produced with two outs and the Texas Rangers went on to a 5-3 victory over the struggling Cleveland Indians on Friday night.

Dempster retired the first seven batters he faced before issuing a one-out walk to Jack Hannahan in the third. He issued another walk to start the fourth, and gave up his lone run that inning.

Indians outfielder Ezequiel Carrera grounded into a fielder’s choice, but ended up on second on an errant throw by Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus, who tried to complete a double play. He went to third on Michael Brantley’s groundout, and then scored on a single by Carlos Santana.

Santana’s single was the first hit Dempster allowed. He gave up only one more hit, as he went six innings, allowing one unearned run with three walks and seven strikeouts. Dempster is 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA over his last three starts after going 0-1 with an 8.31 ERA in his first three starts with the Rangers.

Dempster worked with a lead all night.

Ian Kinsler led off the game with an infield single, and scored on an RBI single by Adrian Beltre. The Rangers extended their lead to 3-0 with consecutive two-out run-scoring singles by Michael Young and David Murphy.

After Cleveland pulled to within 3-1, Texas cushioned its lead with single runs in the sixth and seventh. Kinsler had a two-out RBI double in the sixth, and Young had a two-out run-scoring single in the seventh.

Four of the Rangers’ five runs were driven in with two outs.

The Indians got back within striking distance in the ninth, though, when Casey Kotchman drilled a two-run home run to right off Rangers reliever Koji Uehara. But Uehara retired the next batter, and Joe Nathan got the final two outs of the game for his 28th save.

Finally, it's worth noting, that Nelson Cruz, mired in a 7-for-39 (.179) slump, was ejected for the first time in his career. He slammed his bat into the ground after striking out in the seventh, prompting a quick toss by home-plate umpire Bill Welke.

-- Drew Davison

Tonight's Rangers-Indians lineups

The Texas Rangers are going with their standard lineup tonight against the Cleveland Indians.

Ryan Dempster is looking to turn in his third consecutive quality start for the Rangers, and will be facing the Indians for the first time since 2006.

Texas -- 1. Ian Kinsler, 2b; 2. Elvis Andrus, ss; 3. Josh Hamilton, cf; 4. Adrian Beltre, 3b; 5. Nelson Cruz, rf; 6. Michael Young, dh; 7. David Murphy, lf; 8. Geovany Soto, c; 9. Mitch Moreland, 1b.

RHP Ryan Dempster (3-1, 5.46 ERA in AL)

Cleveland -- 1. Shin-Soo Choo, rf; 2. Jason Kipnis, 2b; 3. Asdrubal Cabrera, ss; 4. Michael Brantley, dh; 5. Carlos Santana, c; 6. Casey Kotchman, 1b; 7. Ezequiel Carrera, cf; 8. Jack Hannahan, 3b; 9. Jason Donald, 3b.

RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (9-13, 5.58)

Friday's Rangers notes: Scott Feldman's spot in rotation is safe

Scott Feldman's place in the rotation isn't in jeopardy.

Feldman has lost his last four starts, posting a 6.45 ERA, but hasn't pitched as poorly as the stats suggest.

Manager Ron Washington reiterated that the Rangers have no issues with Feldman in the rotation, and his spot is secure.

"He's got to prove nothing else," Washington said. "The only thing he's got to do is do what we want them all to do and that's keep us in the ballgame. There's no issues with Feldman."

Feldman doesn't feel like he has to prove anything when he starts Saturday, either.

"That's not a good idea to start worrying about stuff you have no control over," he said. "It's tough because it's a results-oriented game. You want to win and we're on such a good team that it seems like we have a good chance to win every night. As long as I stay focused on making good pitches, all that other stuff should even out by the end of the year."

Here are a few other pregame notes:

* Rosters expand to up to 40 players Saturday, and the Rangers will have reinforcements. They will add position players and players, and will have additional players come up after their minor league seasons end. Tanner Scheppers will be recalled after Triple A Round Rock's season is over, but the team didn't reveal any other names. Brandon Snyder, Leonys Martin, Julio Borbon, Alberto Gonzalez, Martin Perez and Yoshinori Tateyama are among the players from Triple A who could be recalled, and Jurickson Profar and Justin Grimm are players in the mix from Double A Frisco.

* Mike Napoli ran straight ahead and had a good workout Friday in Cleveland. His left quad came out of it OK, and he could run the bases as early as Saturday. That's the final obstacle before Napoli is sent on a medical rehabilitation assignment, assuming the minor league seasons haven't been completed by then.

* Ron Washington said he would try and find a game to start Mike Olt in Cleveland. The Indians are scheduled to throw three right-handers, but Washington could have an everyday player serve as designated hitter in order to create a spot for Olt.

-- Drew Davison

Rangers unlikely to make waiver deadline moves

Roy Oswalt is expected to stay with the Texas Rangers for the remainder of the season.

The veteran right-hander cleared waivers, but a source said the team isn't expected to make any moves today as the waiver trade deadline ends tonight at 10:59 p.m.

Oswalt was signed in May to be a part of the rotation, but has since been moved into a spot starter/ relief role. He prefers to start, but has said he will do whatever the Rangers ask.

The Rangers were active at the waiver deadline the past two years.

They acquired left-hander Mike Gonzalez and catcher Matt Treanor last season, and both were on the postseason rosters. In 2010, they added outfielder Jeff Francoeur, who batted .340 the final month of the regular season.

-- Drew Davison

Wrapping up Rangers' 8-4 loss to Rays

Off nights are bound to happen to position players and pitchers throughout the course of the season. Wednesday proved to be a rare off night for Matt Harrison, who has been the most consistent starter for the Texas Rangers this season.

Harrison served up a pair of home runs -- and six runs total -- to the Rays in the first two innings, and the Rangers' offense couldn't bail him out.

"I just flat-out stunk with my location and command," Harrison said. "I put us in a big hole early in the game."

The Rangers made it a game, though, chipping away at the lead. They scored two runs in the bottom of the second, and single runs in the third and fifth to pull to within 6-4.

But the Rays' bullpen shut it down from there. Only one Rangers batter reached the final four innings, as David Murphy led off the ninth with a single against Rays closer Fernando Rodney.

"The strength of that team is pitching," Murphy said. "We feel like we can put runs up against anybody that's out there, but it's not going to happen every single time. They did well tonight."

The Rays also added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth and ninth to make it less stressful on the backend of their bullpen.

"It was nice to push some runs across and make it a ballgame, but six runs is tough when you're facing a good team," Michael Young said.

Here are a few postgame notes:

* Josh Hamilton had a solo homer in the fifth, his 36th of the season. He finished 2-for-3 and has five multi-hit games in his last six games.

* Elvis Andrus had two hits on the night, and set a career-high for most hits in a month (39).

* Texas' lead in the American League West dropped to 4 1/2 games, as Oakland defeated Cleveland tonight. Still, the Rangers have won 10 of their last 12 and completed the 10-game homestand at 7-3.

-- Drew Davison

Rays 8, Rangers 4 (F)

ARLINGTON – Matt Harrison had his worst start in almost four months, the offense tried but couldn’t climb out of an early six-run deficit and the Tampa Bay Rays avoided a sweep by beating the Texas Rangers, 8-4, on Wednesday night at Rangers Ballpark.

The Rangers lost for only the second time in their last eight games, and their lead in the American League West dropped to 4 ½ games over Oakland, which defeated Cleveland.

The Rays jumped on Harrison early. They scored three runs in the first, highlighted by a two-run homer by Evan Longoria, and three more in the second on a three-run blast by B.J. Upton.

Trailing 6-0, the Rangers chipped away.

Texas scored two runs in the second on a homer by Mitch Moreland, and another run in the third on an RBI groundout by Nelson Cruz. The Rangers pulled to within 6-4 with a solo home run by Josh Hamilton in the fifth.

That, however, was as close as they’d get.

The Rays took a 7-4 lead in the sixth when Elliot Johnson led off with a solo homer off Harrison.

The three homers were the most allowed by Harrison this season. He went 5 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs on 12 hits with one walk and five strikeouts. It was his shortest outing since 4 2/3 innings at Boston on Aug. 8, but Harrison was battling a stomach virus that start.

Longoria went deep again in the ninth off Rangers reliever Alexi Ogando, putting the Rays up 8-4.

-- Drew Davison

Wednesday's Rangers notes: Mike Adams sharp and effective

Mike Adams would have liked for it to happen quicker, but at least it has happened.

He had a respectable, but not great, 3.07 ERA over his first 35 appearances this season, but has posted a 1.23 ERA over his last 17 outings.

Adams credited a change he made in his delivery, and also better command of his secondary pitches. He feels comfortable to throw his changeup and curveball in any count, rather than relying strictly on his cut fastball.

"I've been feeling really good with my secondary stuff whether the count is 0-0 or 3-2," Adams said. "Now and then I'll have one get away, but I've done a better job with them."

Here are a few other pregame notes:

* There is no new information on Mike Napoli. He is not running the bases today, and ran only on the treadmill and in the pool. He doesn't know when he'll be ready for a medical rehabilitation assignment.

* Ron Washington praised the progress Mitch Moreland has made on defense this season. Moreland made a standout defensive play to end the eighth inning Tuesday, as well as starting a 3-6-1 double play to end a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning. Moreland said he's worked on his footwork at first base, and his reaction to balls off the bat has improved.

* Mike Olt said he is considering playing winter ball this season, and has talked with general manager Jon Daniels about it. But Olt's first priority this offseason is to regain weight he's lost throughout the season. Olt said he weighs about 213 pounds, whereas his ideal weight is more in the 225-pound range.

-- Drew Davison

Tonight's Rangers-Rays lineups

Nelson Cruz is in the starting lineup for now, a day after leaving Tuesday's game with a left elbow contusion. Cruz is going to take swings before the game and, assuming that goes well, will remain in the lineup.

Matt Harrison goes for win No. 16, and will be paired with Luis Martinez for a second consecutive start. Harrison and Martinez teamed to take a no-hitter into the seventh inning Friday against Minnesota.

Texas -- 1. Ian Kinsler, dh; 2. Elvis Andrus, ss; 3. Josh Hamilton, cf; 4. Adrian Beltre, 3b; 5. Nelson Cruz, rf; 6. Michael Young, 2b; 7. David Murphy, lf; 8. Mitch Moreland, 1b; 9. Luis Martinez, c.

LHP Matt Harrison (15-7, 3.04 ERA)

Tampa Bay -- 1. Desmond Jennings, lf; 2. B.J. Upton, cf; 3. Ben Zobrist, ss; 4. Evan Longoria, dh; 5. Jeff Keppinger, 1b; 6. Ryan Roberts, 2b; 7. Elliot Johnson, 3b; 8. Jose Molina, c; 9. Sam Fuld, rf.

RHP Alex Cobb (8-8, 4.32 ERA)