MLB Capsules - AL: Rangers win 10th straight in 5-1 win over M's

SEATTLE (AP) — Facing Felix Hernandez, the Texas Rangers knew they were going to have to make the most of their chances.

Elvis Andrus managed to score from third base on a soft chopper back to the mound and Ian Kinsler hit two home runs off the Mariners ace as the Rangers cruised to their 10th straight victory with a 5-1 win over Seattle on Saturday night.

The winning streak is the longest in the majors this season.

"That's the way we played last year in the second half and that's what we've been waiting for our team," Andrus said.

For the Mariners, it was their season-high eighth straight loss.

With the Rangers holding a 2-1 lead, Kinsler hit his second home run of the game off Hernandez with one out in the eighth inning. As soon as Kinsler connected, Hernandez threw a punch in the air in obvious disgust as the ball sailed into the left field seats.

"We see him a lot so we know the movement of his pitches, we've seen it a bunch, but there's no approach for him," Kinsler said of Hernandez. "You just got to hope he makes a couple mistakes. That's basically what it comes down to."

Andrus followed with a single to left field for his third hit of the night. Hernandez balked to move Andrus to second prompting manager Eric Wedge to vehemently argue with second base umpire Fieldin Culbreath before getting tossed from the game. A wild pitch then moved Andrus to third and he scored on a chopper back to the mound from Josh Hamilton that Hernandez nonchalantly tossed to first base allowing Andrus to score to give the Rangers a 4-1 lead.

"He was like checking me out, then as soon as he turned he thought I was coming back," Andrus said. "...When you have a chance like that, we're going to take it."

It's exactly the kind of play manager Ron Washington hopes to see from his surging ball club.

"Just being heads up," Washington said. "Ground ball hit back to him and Elvis went down the line and froze him and pretended like he was going back and (Hernandez) lobbed it over there and Elvis took advantage of it and he beat the throw. That's a part of our game also. It's exciting."

Rangers starter C.J. Wilson (10-3), who allowed just one run and struck out seven in seven innings of work, was pumped after watching Andrus slide in front of the tag from Miguel Olivo.

"One of the most exciting plays I've ever seen was Elvis scoring on that comebacker right there," Wilson said. "It looked like Felix sort of mentally checked out there for a tenth of a second and that's all it took for Elvis to make that good decision and go home right there. It's like a little league play, it was awesome."

Jamey Wright replaced Hernandez and gave up a single to Adrian Beltre and double to Nelson Cruz to score Beltre from first that gave Texas a 5-1 cushion.

"You just got to keep trying, we have to figure out ways to win games," Hernandez said. "Today I was trying to win the game, I was pumped up but couldn't do it."

Kinsler hit his fifth leadoff home run of the season off Hernandez (8-8) as the Rangers jumped on top early.

Wilson allowed just one hit and a walk to the floundering Mariners offense over the first four innings pushing the Mariners scoreless inning streak to a franchise-record 30 straight innings without a run.

Franklin Gutierrez led off the fifth inning with a single and stole second base to get into scoring position with no one out. Ichiro Suzuki delivered a two-out single to center to break their scoring drought and even the game at 1-1.

Endy Chavez led off the sixth inning with a single to right and moved to second on a sacrifice from Kinsler. Elvis Andrus singled to drive in Chavez and give Texas the 2-1 lead.

Notes: Boston previously held the longest win streak this season with nine straight from June 3 to June 12. ... Texas had their streak of 33 consecutive scoreless innings snapped in the fifth inning. The streak tied for second longest in franchise history. ... The Mariners set a franchise record going 30 innings without scoring a run. The previous mark of 29 straight innings was set from June 7 to June 11, 2004. ... Seattle honored the 2001 team in a ceremony before the game marking the 10th anniversary of their 116 win season with more than 20 members of the squad in attendance. ... It was Kinsler's second multi-home run game of the season and ninth of his career. ... Mariners manager Eric Wedge said he was ejected for asking clarification on Hernandez's balk. Wedge said he was told he couldn't even come out to ask about it and was tossed. "There was another crew that we were with before who said you could come out as long as you didn't argue. I was told tonight as soon as I came out they had no choice, they were going to toss me. So they need to get on the same page."

M’s honor 10th anniversary of 116-win team

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Mariners welcomed over 20 members from their 2001 team to Safeco Field Saturday night to honor the 10th anniversary of their record-setting run to the AL West crown.

The Mariners won 116 games in 2001, matching the 1906 Chicago Cubs for most wins in major league history.

General manager Pat Gillick, manager Lou Pinella, bench coach John McLaren and 18 players from the Mariners record-setting team returned to Safeco Field for the celebration of the best team to ever play in Seattle.

The tight-knit squad formed a special bond together in racing out to a 20-5 record in April and didn’t look back.

"That was one of the things that made our team so special. We didn’t have cliques," Mark McLemore said. "Everyone got along with everybody. Everybody spent time with everybody. It was just a lot of fun."

After the attacks of Sept. 11 put the season on hiatus for a week, Seattle managed to close out the regular season with a 12-6 record in their final 18 games to match the Cubs’ record on the next-to-last day of the season. But the Mariners were fighting some bumps and bruises down the stretch, including their only losing streak of three or more games all season.

The Cleveland Indians took the Mariners to five games in the AL Division Series, forcing Pinella to throw ace Freddy Garcia and 20-game winner Jamie Moyer in the final two games of the series.

The New York Yankees, rallying behind the nation’s outpouring of support with Ground Zero still smoldering in Lower Manhattan, brought a surprising end to the Mariners season with a 4-1 victory in the ALCS to advance to the World Series.

"I think we didn’t play well," second baseman Bret Boone said. "I didn’t think they played well. They played a little bit better than us and we didn’t have too many series, playoffs or regular season, that year where we didn’t play well."

"Maybe it was a letdown because there was so much emphasis on are you going to set the record," Boone said. "‘Are you going to set the record?’ And then all of the sudden we do, and OK now let’s relax, well now we have to go to the postseason and play for what really matters, the ring."

All five starting pitchers earned at least 10 victories on the year with Moyer leading the rotation with a 20-6 record. The team sent a team record eight players to the All-Star game and clinched the division title on Sept. 19 with a 5-0 win over the Anaheim Angels.

The Oakland A’s won the wild card out of the West with 102 wins on the year and finished 14 games behind the record setting Mariners.

"You win 92 games and you’ve had a really good season," Pinella said. "You win over 95 and it’s a special season. You win over a 100, my gosh, you’re burning it up pretty good. But 116? It’s only happened one time, so that tells you, and the parity I see in baseball today I don’t see it happening in the near future, I can tell you that."

The Mariners had seen Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez leave the team in consecutive seasons, Griffey being traded to Cincinnati and Rodriguez signing an unprecedented free agent contract with the Texas Rangers.

Seattle signed Japanese sensation Ichiro Suzuki over the offseason and signed Boone to fill the hole in the infield left by Rodriguez’s departure.

"We had about a 14-run lead against Cleveland on a Sunday night in Ohio, at their ballpark, I happened to start managing the ballgame and we got beat 15-14," Pinella said. "And I walked back to the hotel and I’m wondering how the team was going to respond the next day."

Seattle beat the Indians 8-6 the following day and that’s when Pinella knew they might have something really special.

"I told my coaches, ‘Let’s just stay out of their way, these guys can play’ and they’re confident and everything is going to be pretty darn good here this year."

Blue Jays’ Bautista out again with ankle injury

TORONTO (AP) — Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista is sitting out his second straight game because of a right ankle injury.

He wore a walking boot Saturday when the Blue Jays played the New York Yankees. He’s been receiving treatment after sliding into third base in Toronto’s 16-7 win Thursday over the Yankees at the Rogers Centre.

"There’s less swelling, it’s feeling a lot looser," Bautista said. "I feel like I can put my weight on the ankle now, and I’m feeling much better."

Bautista made an aggressive slide while trying to break up a double play.

"As I slid my cleat got caught in the dirt, and I just rolled over on my ankle a little bit," he said. "It wasn’t as bad as I thought at first. It was painful and I definitely had some swelling and restricted movement yesterday, but everything is improving a lot."

The injury will be evaluated again on Sunday. With the Blue Jays off Monday, Bautista is hoping to return for the series opener against the visiting Seattle Mariners on Tuesday.

"I’m pretty confident, but again it’s not entirely my decision," he said.

Bautista leads the majors with 31 home runs. He’s batting .336 with 65 RBIs this season. He signed a 65-million, five-year contract extension with the Blue Jays in the offseason.

Red Sox put Jenks on DL

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Boston Red Sox have placed reliever Bobby Jenks on the 15-day disabled list because of a back injury.

The team announced the move before Saturday’s game against Tampa Bay.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona said Jenks felt pain in his left mid-back area while warming up in the bullpen during Friday night’s 9-6 loss to the Rays.

Jenks was on the DL from June 8-28 with tightness in the same area. The right-hander, 2-2 in 19 games, will be examined by the team medical staff this weekend in Boston.

"We’ll see how concerning it is," Francona said. "There’s enough concern that we DL’ed him."

Boston called up left-hander Randy Williams from Triple-A Pawtucket to replace Jenks.

Also, there is no timetable for when Clay Buchholz, sidelined by a strained lower back, will throw off a bullpen mound.

"There is no schedule," Francona said. "It’s all how he feels. He need him. We’d love to have him in the short-term, but we really want him in the long-term. So, try to make good judgments."

Buchholz, 6-3 with a 3.48 ERA in 14 starts this season, took Saturday off from throwing after he played catch one day earlier. The right-hander is encouraged by his recent throwing, but still has some discomfort in the back.

"I don’t think it’s something I can rush," Buchholz said.

Guillen returns to Tigers after missing 11 months

DETROIT (AP) — Eleven months to the day since he last played in a major league game, Carlos Guillen finally returned to the field for the Detroit Tigers.

He started at second base Saturday with his team in the middle of a playoff race. The Tigers hope the 35-year-old can provide a boost at a position where nobody on the team has excelled this season.

Guillen hadn’t played since Aug. 16, when a runner slid into him while he was trying to turn a double play, injuring his left knee.

"It’s a long time. It’s tough," Guillen said before the Tigers hosted the Chicago White Sox. "I’m happy to be here, to be back."

Guillen received a nice ovation from the crowd at Comerica Park when he first came to the plate in the second inning. He flied out to left field, but grounded a single to right in the fourth.

He looked fine in the field, comfortably catching a shallow fly ball in the second and ranging to his right to make a play on a sharp grounder in the fifth.

Guillen said he felt good at times during spring training, but his rehabilitation took a while.

"It’s a tough injury," Guillen said. "Sometimes you feel good for one week, and the next day you’re sore. Right now, I’m at the point where I’ve been playing 15, 20 days in a row, and I feel good every day."

Guillen hit .316 in 11 games with Triple-A Toledo.

"I’ve got like 10 months, I haven’t played every day," Guillen said. "You need to get some at-bats, feel comfortable at the plate, feel comfortable in the field."

Detroit entered Saturday one game behind first-place Cleveland in the AL Central. Center fielder Austin Jackson was out of the starting lineup with a sore left wrist.

Manager Jim Leyland put Guillen in the lineup immediately, hitting the veteran seventh.

Guillen was hitting .273 last year when he was hurt. If he produces at that level the rest of this season, it could help the Tigers as they attempt to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

"That’s where you want to be — a winning team where you have fun every day, where you’re in a pennant race every day," Guillen said.

-- Noah Trister

Orioles, Hardy agree to 3-year contract

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles and shortstop J.J. Hardy agreed to a three-year contract Saturday, a deal that almost certainly assures he won’t be going anywhere before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

"That’s a big part of the whole contract, that I know I’m going to be here for three years," Hardy said before the Orioles faced Cleveland on Saturday night.

The deal cannot be finalized until Hardy passes a physical. He will reportedly receive around $22 million, and the contract includes a partial no-trade clause.

"I’m very supportive of it," manager Buck Showalter said. "I hope it happens."

Hardy came to the Orioles last December in a trade with the Minnesota Twins, where he spent one season after a five-year run with Milwaukee. The pending deal means he won’t have to sweat out the July 31 trade deadline.

"There’s a lot of things I don’t have to worry about now," he said. "It’s definitely a relief, a big weight off my shoulders. I can just worry about playing baseball now."

The 28-year-old Hardy hit .275 with 13 homers and 33 RBIs through Friday. He reached base in 42 of his past 47 games, and has proven to be a valuable replacement for injured Brian Roberts in the leadoff spot.

Hardy has also been exceptional in the field. He has only two errors in 63 games and ranks first in majors among shortstops with a .994 fielding percentage.

"Obviously, J.J. is playing shortstop at a very high level," Showalter said.

Hardy was to become a free agent after this season, but had no desire to make it four teams over four years.

"I like all the guys in this clubhouse. I like the coaching staff," he said. "I just think overall I’ve had a lot of fun here, and there’s been years I didn’t have a lot of fun playing. That’s a big thing for me, to have fun, and all these guys allow me to do that."

Making a commitment to the Orioles means playing for a last-place team headed for its 14th consecutive losing season. Baltimore started the day mired in a nine-game losing streak and with one win in its past 15 games.

"Right now it’s not going that well, but there is some potential and I feel like this team is a lot better than what we’ve been doing the last couple weeks," Hardy said. "I like challenges as well as being competitive. I feel like it’s definitely a big challenge to turn this whole organization around, and if I can help and be a part of that, great."

Right fielder Nick Markakis, who is signed through 2014, believes the agreement with Hardy proves the franchise is committed to winning.

"It definitely means a lot to the club, the organization and most of all, the fans. They’ve been here longer than I have and all the guys in this clubhouse. They deserve it more than anything," Markakis said. "We’re working, we’re trying to climb that mountain. We’re on our way. It’s only a matter of time."

-- David Ginsburg

Nathan replaces Capps as Twins closer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Former All-Star Joe Nathan took over the closer’s job for the Minnesota Twins and promptly picked up his first save since April 8.

Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire announced the switch before Saturday’s game against the Kansas City Royals, with Nathan returning to his familiar role and the struggling Matt Capps moving back to be a setup man.

"Kind of do a flip-flop, try to get Capps going again earlier in the ballgame and then let Nathan finish off a few here," Gardenhire said.

Nathan pitched a scoreless ninth in Minnesota’s 4-3 win, getting a standing ovation as he entered and finished the game.

Capps blew his seventh save chance in 22 tries on Friday night, giving up a two-run homer in the ninth inning to Royals rookie Eric Hosmer in a 2-1 loss. Capps is tied with Carlos Marmol of the Chicago Cubs for the most blown saves in the majors.

After back-to-back uneventful saves in Chicago before the All-Star break, Capps struggled again at home. In his past four appearances at Target Field, Capps has blown two saves, allowing 11 hits, seven earned runs, two walks and two homers in just 2 2-3 innings.

"Disappointed is a very good way to put it," Capps said. "But it is what it is. That’s about all I’m going to say, I guess."

Nathan has 250 career saves for the Twins, second most in team history.

"To be back in this role is good," Nathan said. "It’s where I want to be."

The right-hander opened the season as the closer and converted three straight saves in his return from elbow surgery.

However, Nathan struggled in mid-April, blowing two straight save chances while lacking his usual velocity and gave way to Capps.

Nathan then went on the disabled list on May 24 with a right flexor muscle strain.

Since returning, Nathan has not allowed a run in his past seven appearances, giving up just two hits in 6 1-3 innings. He’s struck out seven during the stretch, showing improved velocity.

"The ball’s coming out of his hand," Gardenhire said. "Now you put him in that role and see what happens."