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Texas MLB Capsules: Hamilton, Young push Rangers past Twins and Pavano
ARLINGTON — The miscues in the field had no effect on Michael Young when he came to the plate.
Young made up for two errors with a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh inning and the Texas Rangers beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 on Tuesday night in a matchup of division leaders.
"I can make a mistake in the field and clear it right away and move on," Young said. "It has nothing to with what I'm going to do later in the game."
While the third baseman's errors in the fourth and sixth innings didn't lead to any Minnesota runs, Young's go-ahead hit off Carl Pavano (15-9) came after hardluck Rangers starter Colby Lewis was already out of the game.
"It would have been nice to have gotten Colby a win. He's been pitching really well for us, and keeping us in every game," Young said. "Tonight it was two good guys going against each other having good years."
Young's two-out single ruined Pavano's sixth complete game of the season.
Darren Oliver (1-1) pitched 1 1-3 scoreless innings after relieving Lewis with one out in the seventh and runners on second and third. Hard-throwing rookie Neftali Feliz worked the ninth for his 32nd save in 35 chances.
Lewis allowed three runs over 6 1-3 innings, missing on his seventh attempt at getting his 10th victory. Lewis left with the score tied, and is 0-5 with a 3.35 ERA in his last seven starts — a span when the Rangers have scored a total of seven runs while he was still in the game.
The last win for Lewis was July 16 at Boston. The right-hander has gone at least six innings every time since, but left four games before Texas had even scored.
"I don't really care," Lewis said. "If we win every time I come out and pitch and get a quality start. The main goal is to get this thing wrapped up and focus on the postseason."
Texas maintained an 8½-game lead in the AL West over Oakland, the largest division lead in baseball. Minnesota has a 3½-game lead in the AL Central over the Chicago White Sox, who beat Baltimore on Tuesday night.
Josh Hamilton hit his 29th home run for Texas and Andres Blanco had two doubles, driving in a run with the first and scoring the go-ahead run after the second.
Blanco went the opposite way for a one-out double in the seventh, a ball that landed on the left-field line, and scored on Young's single. Pavano got Hamilton on an inning-ending infield popup, stranding two runners.
Pavano struck out five and walked two in his second complete-game loss this season.
"They put some good swings on some balls and I beat myself," Pavano said. "The home run was a good pitch, but other than that I gave up hits with two outs. That's the ball game right there."
The Twins tied the game at 3-all against Lewis after Delmon Young ended an 0-for-12 slump with an infield single to start the seventh. Danny Valencia singled and Alexi Casilla doubled off the right-field wall before Oliver took over.
Rookie first baseman Mitch Moreland threw home to get Valencia after fielding Denard Span's grounder, and the Rangers went ahead in the bottom of that inning.
Hamilton hit the first pitch of the fourth over the left-center field wall for a 2-all tie. Texas went ahead later in the inning when Blanco's RBI ground-rule double followed two defensive lapses.
Bengie Molina reached on a two-out double that dropped between right fielder Jason Kubel and center fielder Span and rolled to the wall. Moreland then got an infield single on a grounder that second baseman Orlando Hudson backhanded before short-hopping the throw to first.
"I called him off, I stopped then he stopped," Kubel said.
"It looked like Kubel was falling and then Denard was flying in there and I think he shied off a little bit. Those are things that just can't happen," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Pav's going along pretty good and we end up costing ourselves two runs in that inning. That's the difference in the ball game."
The Rangers needed a double play to get out of the sixth after Young's throwing error put two runners on with no outs.
The Twins got off to a quick start the night after being held to one hit.
After Span lined out to Lewis to start the game, Hudson and Joe Mauer — whose one-out single in the ninth Monday was the only Minnesota hit — followed with consecutive singles. Both scored on Michael Cuddyer's double when center fielder Julio Borbon let the ball get past him after trying to make a diving catch of the sinking liner.
Borbon did make a diving catch on Span's liner to end the fifth, and in the ninth made a leaping catch on the track to rob Valencia of an extra-base hit.
Texas got its first run in the third when Elvis Andrus' smart move on the basepaths — he stopped and initially avoided being tagged — delayed an inning-ending double play long enough for Borbon to score.
Notes: Andrus' 14-game hitting streak is the longest active streak in the majors. ... Rangers reliever Frank Francisco was unavailable after getting a cortisone injection under his right arm.
MRI shows improvement in Kinsler's strained groin
ARLINGTON (AP) — Texas Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler ran sprints and took 100 swings in the batting cage Tuesday after an MRI exam showed significant improvement in his strained left groin that has kept him out of the lineup nearly a month.
Kinsler is hoping to be back in the pennant chase with the AL West-leading Rangers within about a week.
"I feel great," Kinsler said after his most extensive work since getting hurt. "It was a positive reaction. I'm healing up and everything looks to be in place and ready to start my third spring training for the year."
Kinsler missed his 25th game Tuesday night since going on the disabled list July 28. He missed the first 22 games this season after spraining his right ankle during spring training. He is hitting .298 with six home runs and 38 RBIs in his 76 games.
With the biggest division lead in baseball, 8½ games going into their game against Minnesota, the Rangers can be cautious with Kinsler and their other injured players.
"We're going to make sure Kinsler's ready to go. His bottom half has to be ready to go," manager Ron Washington said. "We've got to get him ramped up with baseball stuff."
Kinsler said he wants to get on the field, and hopes Wednesday to run bases, take some ground balls and batting practice outside.
If all goes well, Kinsler could begin a rehab assignment by this weekend.
"The last week or so I felt really good, felt great. The MRI proved it and being able to run proved it also," he said. "Right now, there's really no problems. I've just got to take my time getting in shape. I don't want to come back and pull a hamstring because I'm not in shape or something like that. Just make sure that my body's ready to go, that's the most important thing."
Asked how long that would take, Kinsler said, "less than a week."
The Rangers traded for Cristian Guzman to help fill the void, but Guzman is now on the disabled list with a strained right quadriceps.
Nelson Cruz is on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring, and eligible to return Monday. Washington said the right fielder is doing more agility work and running the bases harder in anticipation of beginning a rehab assignment Thursday.
"It's a little different with Nelson because Nelson just had inflammation in the hamstring," Washington said. "We were protecting him. He never stopped his work."
-- Stephen Hawkins
Texas adds INF Alex Cora to roster for Arias
ARLINGTON (AP) — The Texas Rangers have purchased the contract of infielder Alex Cora from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Cora joined Texas for its game Tuesday night, a week after signing a minor league contract. The New York Mets released him earlier this month.
To make room on the 40-man roster, Texas designated infielder Joaquin Arias for assignment.
Arias was the player to be named later in the deal that sent Alex Rodriguez to the New York Yankees for Alfonso Soriano before the 2004 season. Texas has 10 days to trade, release or outright Arias to the minor leagues.
Cora is in his 13th major league season, having played 1,178 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1998-2004), Cleveland (2005), Boston (2005-08) and the Mets (2009-10).
Skydiver gets stuck on Rangers Ballpark flagpole
ARLINGTON (AP) — Just a bit outside.
A U.S. Army skydiver was left dangling on a flagpole at Rangers Ballpark after his parachute got entangled during a pregame jump Tuesday night.
The Rangers said the unidentified jumper was uninjured after he unbuckled himself from the chute and dropped a few feet to a work platform on top of the scoreboard, the highest point of the stadium. The jumper could been seen walking away while his parachute whipped in the wind for several more minutes before being removed by stadium workers, who arrived quickly.
The skydiver was among several members the U.S. Army Parchute Team known as the Golden Knights who jumped on the breezy night. The rest landed on the field.
Astros outlast Phillies in 16 innings
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Houston Astros' wild 4-2 win over Philadelphia lasted 16 innings, over 5 hours, and saw Phillies pitcher Roy Oswalt play left field and ground into the final out Tuesday night.
Oswalt became the first Phillies pitcher to play a position in the field in 39 years after Ryan Howard was ejected in the 14th inning.
"I'm not sure what I think about the whole situation," right fielder Jayson Werth said. "I think I'll take a nap, wake up refreshed and pretend the whole think didn't happen."
Oswalt caught a routine fly ball from Astros catcher Jason Castro, earning a loud ovation from the fans who remained. The last pitcher to play a position was Bill Wilson on Aug. 6, 1971. Oswalt was forced to go into the outfield with Philadelphia out of position players. Raul Ibanez took over at first for Howard.
"There's a saying in baseball, the ball will find you when you're out of position," said Ibanez, who also recorded a putout on a diving play at first base. "The ball found him and he caught it."
Oswalt didn't address the media after the game.
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said he decided to put Oswalt in the outfield because of his athleticism. The former Astros pitcher routinely shags fly balls in the outfield during batting practice.
Howard was tossed by third base umpire Scott Barry after being rung up on a check swing, the second one of the at-bat. He threw his bat and helmet after striking out for the fifth time, causing the ejection, then charged toward Barry, gesturing wildly. Howard finished the game hitless in seven at-bats with five strikeouts.
He left the clubhouse after the game and didn't speak with reporters.
"I've seen him mad, but never upset like that," Manuel said.
The Astros scored twice runs in the top of the 16th. They loaded the bases with one out off David Herndon (1-3) on a single, hit batsman and walk. Chris Johnson grounded hard to third base, reaching on an infield single for the go-ahead run.
Houston scored again on Tommy Manzella's fielder's choice.
The Phillies got the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the inning after Placido Polanco walked with two outs. Houston intentionally walked Chase Utley to bring up Oswalt, who grounded to third to end the game.
Astros manager Brad Mills said he didn't have visions of a game-winning hit.
"I had visions of an out," Mills said. "I had no visions of a hit."
Philadelphia was trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth with two outs when Jimmy Rollins tied the game with a solo homer off Wilton Lopez, who was trying for a four-out save.
Carlos Lee homered and Bud Norris allowed one run in six innings for Houston, which led 2-1 heading into the ninth inning.
Before the wild extra innings, the Philadelphia continued to offer no support for starter Cole Hamels, and kept him winless since a 1-0 win July 11. The Phillies finally scored a run for him — their first in 25 2-3 innings while he was in the game — when Ibanez's two-out double in the sixth scored Werth, who had singled.
Hamels left for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the seventh, after allowing two runs on five hits, including Lee's two-run homer in the fourth, and struck out eight.
Besieged by myriad injuries this season, the Phillies had their regular starting eight in the lineup for the first time since May 21, vs. Boston. It didn't help against the Astros, who took the first two games of a four-game set in Philadelphia.
Norris continued a three-start run of good pitching, allowing five hits and striking out four. He has a 2.25 ERA in that span. Tim Byrdak and Gustavo Chacin worked into the eighth.
The Phillies threatened against Byrdak in the seventh, when Rollins and Polanco drew one-out walks. But Rollins was thrown out on the front end of a double steal and Utley flew to right, ending the rally.
For Rollins, it snapped a string of 30 straight successful stolen-base attempts, dating to July 22, 2009.
Notes: The Phillies signed minor-leaguer Nate Robertson to a minor-league deal on Tuesday, and assigned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He is scheduled to start Thursday for the IronPigs. He pitched this season for the Marlins and for St. Louis' Triple-A team, Memphis. ... Kyle Lohse played the outfield for three innings for the Cardinals against the Mets on April 17 this season according to STATS LLC. He recorded two putouts. ... Phillies starter Roy Halladay presented each of his teammates with a Baume and Mercier watch to commemorate his May 29 perfect game against Florida. Each was personalized and included box score on the back of the face. The watches came in a wooden box that included a message: "We did it together. Thanks, Roy Halladay."
