Texas Rangers 7, Detroit Tigers 5

Rangers even up the series after clutch win.

ARLINGTON — The Texas Rangers evened up the series Tuesday night at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, defeating the Detroit Tigers 7-5. The win improved Texas to 46-29, four and a half games ahead of the LA Angels for first place in the AL West. Detroit fell to 36-38.

Photo not provided by the Detroit Tigers

For some reason, the Tigers just don't seem as threatening as they did last season.

Rangers starter Yu Darvish was solid, allowing four runs on four hits over seven innings. Darvish, who walked just one while striking out 10, improved to 10-4 on the season with a 3.57 ERA.

Tigers starter Drew Smyly struggled, giving up six runs in four-plus innings and falling to 2-3 on the year.

Detroit struck early when Prince Fielder drove in two runs with a first-inning double to put the Tigers up 2-0 before the Rangers had seen a single pitch. Prior to that, Darvish had given up his only walk of the game to leadoff hitter Austin Jackson, then plunked Miguel Cabrera before facing Fielder.

Ian Kinsler cut the lead in half with a leadoff home run, which Fielder answered in the fourth with a solo home run of his own to make it 3-1. But in the bottom of the fourth, the Rangers offense exploded. After Adrian Beltre singled then reached second on Smyly's throwing error, Michael Young drove him in with an RBI triple to make it 3-2. Nelson Cruz singled in Young to tie it up, then stole second and scored on Yorvit Torrealba's RBI single. Torrealba advanced to second on the throw home, then scored on Brandon Snyder's RBI single to make it 5-3. Synder was thrown out at second to end the inning.

After Detroit scored again in the fifth to make it 5-4, Elvis Andrus doubled, advanced to third on a Josh Hamilton groundout and then scored on a passed ball to make it 6-4. Hamilton hit a solo home run, his 24th of the season, in the seventh, and Fielder drove in a run, his fourth of the night, on an RBI groundout in the eighth to cap the scoring.