Texas Rangers 9, LA Angels 5

by PegNews wire

ARLINGTON — The Texas Rangers evened the series with the LA Angels Tuesday night, defeating the division leaders 9-5 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The win capped a disappointing June, and improved the Rangers to 41-35, a game and a half behind the Angels for first place in the AL West.

The Rangers were led by the timely hitting of a surging Marlon Byrd, who went 2-for-5 with a pair of home runs and five RBIs. The two were part of a five-home run barrage for the suddenly-potent Rangers lineup, including solo shots from Ian Kinsler to lead off the game, Nelson Cruz in the third and David Murphy in the seventh.

Rangers starter Scott Feldman survived a tough first two innings for the win, surrendering just three runs on six hits over six innings of work. Feldman improved to 6-2 with a 4.09 ERA.

Even more startling, rookie shortstop Elvis Andrus added to his impressive list of firs-year accomplishments with a 2-for-3 night that included four stolen bases. The last time an American League rookie accomplished that feat was in 2000.

Posted by Todd M.