Texas Rangers

Rangers' struggles continue as Indians take series with 5-2 win Wednesday

ARLINGTON -- The Texas Rangers’ struggles continued Wednesday night. Both at the plate and on the mound. The Cleveland Indians took the series with a 5-2 win in front of 34,248 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Texas is 4-7 in June.
Rangers’ starter Nick Tepesch allowed five runs on eight hits, including two home runs, in five innings of work.
The Indians had Tepesch on the ropes nearly every inning. His defense bailed him out in the first when left fielder David Murphy threw out Michael Bourn trying to score from second on a two-out single. Catcher A.J. Pierzynski had the plate blocked and took Murphy’s throw on a line, which beat Bourn by a step. It was Murphy’s fifth outfield assist of the season.

With two outs in the second inning, however, Tepesch hit Nick Swisher on a 1-2 pitch to set up Mike Aviles’ two-run shot to left to give Cleveland a 2-0 lead.
The Indians padded their lead with a run in the third when Bourn scored on Michael Brantly’s single through the right side. It could have been worse, though. Two singles started the inning, but Tepesch was able to sandwich the run-scoring single with two strikeouts and fly out to limit the damage.
Leonys Martin led off the bottom of the third with his third homer of the season to pull Texas to within 3-1. Jurickson Profar followed with a single, but Cleveland starter Ubaldo Jimenez was able to escape major trouble by forcing David Murphy into a 4-6-3 double play. After Lance Berkman and Adrian Beltre reached with a single and a walk, A.J. Pierzynski grounded out to first to squelch the rally.

Jason Kipnis homered to left on the first pitching of the fifth. Later, after Brantly walked, Carlos Santana doubled down the right-field line to give the Indians a 5-1 lead.

Tepesch retired the next two batters but his night was done. He walked one, hit two batters and had five strikeouts.

The Rangers (38-26) forced Jimenez from the game in the sixth after Berkman and Beltre  reached base with no outs. Cleveland (31-33) relievers Rich Hall and Bryan Shaw forced a flyout from Pierzynski, struckout Nelson Cruz and induced a groundout from Jeff Baker to end the inning.

Another leadoff single from Chris McGuiness in the seventh was wiped away with Martin’s 6-4-3 double play. Profar singled but David Murphy flew out deep to right to end the inning.
Profar's double to right scored Martin in the ninth to make the scored 5-2 but Murphy flew out deep to centerfield to end the game. 
Cleveland won 5-2 Tuesday after holding Texas to seven hits. The Rangers won the opener Monday 6-3.
In Wednesday's loss, the Rangers were held to eight hits and left nine men on base.
Texas begins a four-game series with Toronto Thursday in Arlington.

-- Stefan Stevenson
@FollowtheFrogs 

Final: Rangers 7, Cleveland Indians 4

ARLINGTON – Alexi Ogando pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning, then was almost unhittable from that point on as the Texas Rangers defeated the Cleveland Indians 7-4 Thursday night at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

The Rangers improved their lead over the idle Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to 3 1/2 games by wrapping up a 5-1 homestand with a sweep of Cleveland.

Ogando walked Shelley Duncan to load the bases with one out in the second, but struck out Nos. 8-9 hitters Lonnie Chisenhall and Lou Marson. That started a stretch of 12 consecutive batters Ogando retired.

He pitched six innings, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out four to improve to 13-8. Three Rangers relievers allowed a combined four runs after Ogando left with a 6-0 lead.

The Rangers gave Ogando a 1-0 lead when they scored an unearned run in the third. Endy Chavez walked, stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error and scored on Elvis Andrus’ one-out single.

They then blew the game open in the fifth with five runs off Cleveland starter Fausto Carmona (6-15). Michael Young scored the first three with a one-out double after Josh Hamilton had been intentionally walked to load the bases. Adrian Beltre followed with a two-run homer, his 25th of the season, for a 6-0 lead.

Hamilton also added a solo homer in the seventh.

-- David Thomas

Padres' Bell knows Rangers a potential landing spot

San Diego closer Heath Bell, considered the No. 1 reliever available as the July 31 trade deadline nears, said he has accepted that he might be dealt and knows that the Rangers are one of the teams who might land him.

The AL West leaders have scouted Bell this season and have long been tied to him as a possible bullpen addition. He said he'd even serve as a set-up man with a new team. The Rangers have Neftali Feliz in place as their closer.

"I'm going to work my butt off and give everything I have to the San Diego Padres," Bell said. "When they tell me that I'm in Philly or St. Louis or Texas or the Yankees or the Angels, whoever it is, I'm going to give my heart and soul to that team."

Bell, a right-hander, can become a free agent after the season and could be pursued by the Rangers if they remain committed to moving Feliz into the rotation.

-- Jeff Wilson

Rangers owner urges fans to believe, and to celebrate with passion tonight

Rangers owner Chuck Greenberg, for one, isn't giving up despite his team's 3-1 deficit to the Giants.

Greenberg, who may define resilency for the way he stuck with his plan to buy the team through a long, roller-coaster of a process that ended in a marathon auction, told blogger Jamey Newberg overnight that the Rangers have been achieving the unattainable all year.

He conjured up the 1979 "We are Family" Pirates, who were down 3-1 to the Baltimore Orioles but stuck together and came back to win the World Series. Greenberg wrote that he received a text from Kent Tekulve, the closer on that '79 team, after Sunday's loss to the Giants.

Tekulve related to Greenberg a comment from the great Willie Stargell, who reminded his teammates before Game 5 of that Series that they were playing in front of the world and that, win or lose, they needed to "show the world how the Pirates play baseball."

Greenberg also had a message for the fans headed to tonight's game:

But here is a simple reality. Monday will be the last game played in Rangers Ballpark this year. We all owe it to ourselves, our players and each other, to celebrate with passion, enthusiasm and indefatigable belief from lineup cards to the final out, loud and proud.

Ticket counterfeiters arrested at Rangers Ballpark

Five people were arrested after Game 3 for selling counterfeit tickets, Arlington police said.

Police said the phony tickets ranged in price from $400 to $3,200.

They also reminded fans that it's illegal to scalp tickets in Arlington unless you're registered to do so.

New York says farewell to its Yankees

This one needs no caption.

Rangers-Yankees Game 4 a big draw for TBS

The Rangers' 10-3 win over the Yankees in Game 4 on Tuesday was the second-most-watched League Championship Game in cable TV history, TBS said Wednesday.

Almost 10 million people watched the game, which was broadcast from Yankee Stadium.

More than 1 million of those viewers were in the Dallas-Fort Worth market, which pulled a rating of 26.5. The rating nationally was 6.3.

Start spreading the news: New York papers in a panic

Wondering how they're feeling in New York this morning? Here's a roundup from the New York papers on Wednesday morning:

-- New York Post: Yankees trail ALCS 3-1; Game 5 today

-- New York Daily News: Benjie Molina and Rangers put Yankees in 3-1 ALCS hole

-- New York Times: Night of body blows leaves the Yankees teetering

 

Greenberg working hard to keep from bidding against Cuban

The cat-and-mouse games being played out behind the scenes must be fascinating.

Too bad they are not in open court.

The Rangers auction may now be delayed until sometime this afternoon, which Judge Russell Nelms apologetically told the court is not unusual in these cases.

All the maneuvering suggests that Chuck Greenberg is trying to win without actually having to bid against Mark Cuban and Jim Crane in open court.

The machinations have fallen short thus far, including Greenberg's challenge of the Cuban-Crane bid.

-- Pete Alfano

Ryan, Daniels: Washington is fine

With the Rangers struggling early, the question arises: Is manager Ron Washington safe? According to Nolan Ryan and Jon Daniels, he is. Both said they are not looking to make a managerial change.

Here's what Daniels had to say:

"Ron's our manager. I read about some of the stuff, but there have been zero discussions internally to the contrary. We believe in this team. We believe in this staff."

And from Ryan:

"I think Ron's fine. I don't see anything that concerns me. Obviously we've had some well-pitched games where we didn't score any runs. Then we had some games where we had a breakdown once we went to the bullpen. Our starting pitching didn't give us enough innings. As a whole, when you look at the two weeks, I'm pretty happy with where we are."

- Anthony Andro