Road Kill - Twins Finish-Off Rangers For Sweep

Rangers lose hold on American League West division lead due to recent slide. (AP Photo/Andy King)

A 1-4 start to it's eight game road trip has the Texas Rangers (26-24) looking up at the Oakland Athletics in the A.L. West. Also keep in mind that the Rangers have lost six of their past seven games overall, and this three game sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Twins (30-20) has revealed that this team may not be ready to contend just yet.

"We just haven't really clicked on all cylinders yet," said Ian Kinsler, who went 2 for 12 at the plate in the series. "We're getting good pitching but we're not scoring runs. When we're scoring runs we're not pitching well. We just need to get both those things on the same page and I think we'll start rolling."

Falling Down On The Job

Scott Feldman (above) and the rest of the Rangers' pitching staff has been the culprit for recent mediocre play. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Chris Young)

In the last 12 games, the Texas Rangers pitching staff has seen it's team ERA drop from third in the American League (4.03) to seventh (4.13). Over this period, the Rangers have allowed an average of nearly six runs (5.83) per game. Texas' record has reflected this as it has gone 6-6 in the past 12 games and seen it's four game lead over the Oakland Athletics drop to two over the past week.

Feldman Struggles, Rangers Lose 5-2

Billy Butler (above, 16) hit a solo home run that broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning as the Royals won their first game of the season against Texas. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Because of shaky pitching, both in the starting rotation and from the bullpen, the Texas Rangers (26-21) have now lost three of their past four games after a five-game winning streak last week.

Rangers' starter, and supposed ace, Scott Feldman (L, 2-5) gave up four runs on seven hits in 6 2-3 innings - the fifth straight start in which he has given up four runs or more. Feldman's ERA has skyrocketed to a season-high 5.84 during this span.

"I'm frustrated," Feldman said. "I've got to get better."

The Kansas City Royals (19-28), on the other hand, got eight innings of two run ball from Luke Hochevar (W, 5-2), who got his second straight win.

"Hochevar didn't give up much," Manager Ron Washington said. "The sixth inning we had a chance to take the lead on him, but we just didn't get it done. Feldman hung in there and gave us 6 2-3 innings. We just didn't put enough runs to make a difference."

Guerrero Power! Texas Wins 8-7

Behind two home runs and five RBI from Vladimir Guerrero (above) the Rangers were able to hold on after nearly blowing what was a 6-2 lead in the fifth inning. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Even though their pitching staff have struggled in recent weeks, the Texas Rangers (26-20) have been able to rely on a potent offense to stay in the driver's seat in the American League West.

This was the case again Tuesday night against the Kansas City Royals (18-28), as starter Rich Harden went only 5 1-3 innings - allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits. However, the Rangers managed to pound out 11 hits and score eight runs - luckily one better than the Royals.

"The pitches they hit were right over the plate," Royal's starter Gil Meche said. "There wasn't one pitch they hit that they shouldn't have hit over the fence where they hit them in those locations. It was a badly pitched game."

Well I guess that's one point of view.

Rangers Unable To Come Back After Rough Start - Lose 5-4

Chicago scored four quick runs in the first inning and Xavier Nady (above) put Chicago up for good at 5-3, narrowly avoiding the glove of catcher Matt Treanor (above). (AP Photo/Ralph Lauer)

After a 5-0 start to it's seven-game home stand, Texas has come up just short in the last two games.

C.J. Wilson (L, 3-2) and the Texas Rangers (25-20) were simply unable to claw their way back after putting themselves in a 4-0 hole to start the game against the Chicago Cubs (21-24). Three straight singles to start the game followed by an Alfonso Soriano two-run shot over the left field wall put the Rangers in a tough situation right out of the gate.

"Maybe I was throwing too many strikes, slash getting bad bounces," Wilson said, who threw 13 of his first 14 pitches for strikes, including Soriano's two-run homer. "Soriano's ball, that's the one I want back."

Rangers' Bullpen Blows It In 10th, 5-4

Business week win-streak comes to an end thanks to some lefty-on-lefty action that didn't fare well for Texas. Tyler Colvin (21) couldn't connect on the high-five (above), but scored the first of two Cubs' 10th inning runs that snapped the Rangers' five-game winning streak. (AP Photo/Ralph Lauer)

In baseball, it pays to have a quality manager in the dugout who is capable of making the right decisions on a consistent basis.

With Darren O'Day on the mound for the Texas Rangers (25-19) and the Chicago Cubs (20-24) batting in a 3-3 dead-locked game in the 10th inning, Cubs' manager Lou Piniella decided to go to his bench. There he found two left-handed hitters (Kosuke Fukudome and Mike Fontenot) to go up against a left-handed pitcher in O'Day, against whom lefties are now hitting .423 for the season.

"We have all those reports. We had Fukudome sitting there and we had Fontenot," Pinella said. "We used them and it worked for us."

Nowitzki On The Move?

According to ESPNDallas.com, sources inside the Mavericks organization expect Dirk Nowitzki to opt out of his contract, thus becoming an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Nowitzki was noncommittal on a return to Dallas after the Game 6 loss to the San Antonio Spurs - that sent the Mavericks home in the first round for the third time in the last four seasons. Hopefully Nowitzki was just understandably frustrated with Dallas' recent slide, especially after the acquisitions of Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood at the All-Star break seemed to vault the Mavericks into title-contention.

In recent weeks, both Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson have been optimistic on the chances that Nowitzki will continue his career in a Mavs' uniform.

I'm not so sure.

Hanging Tough- Rangers 2 Cubs 1

Texas wins it's fifth straight behind six strong innings pitched by Colby Lewis (above). (AP Photo/LM Otero)

With the other teams in the division beginning to rebound after slow starts, the Texas Rangers (25-18) have picked a good time to play their best baseball of the season.

Colby Lewis (W, 4-2) gave up only one run on six hits in six innings and struck out five, winning his first start since April - a span of five starts. Texas used a rare sac bunt from Josh Hamilton, sandwiched between a pair of doubles by Vladimir Guerrero and Nelson Cruz in the fourth inning that gave the Rangers their only two runs of the game against Ted Lilly (L, 1-4) and the Chicago Cubs (19-24).

"Obviously they're not expecting it. That's in my favor." said Hamilton, who went 1 for 3 on the night. "We've been talking about if the situation calls for it, you know, be a team player, get it done."

Lineup Change Has Offense Humming

Moving Josh Hamilton (left) to number five in the batting order and replacing him with Ian Kinsler at three has paid dividends for everyone involved. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

With Ian Kinsler fresh off the disabled list and hitting well, along with Josh Hamilton being in a three-game funk having struck out in nine of 12 at-bats, Rangers' manager Ron Washington knew it was time for a change.

After giving Hamilton the game-off for the first game of the series against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night, Washington decided it was best to move the Rangers star to fifth in the lineup.

"I don't know if it's permanent or not," Washington said before the switch. "I thought [Kinsler] looked good there [Monday] and I wanted to keep him there. So I put Hamilton between Guerrero and Cruz."

Rangers Win Fourth Straight, Cruz To 13-7 Win

Nelson Cruz (above) knocked in a three-run home run and was a triple away from the cycle as his four RBI paced the Rangers to their fourth straight victory. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

With Scott Feldman (W, 2-4) battling through six innings and allowing four runs on 12 hits, the Texas Rangers (24-18) needed their offense to step it up. They certainly did that Thursday night as Texas scored 13 runs and cranked out 20 hits, going six games above .500 for the first time this season.

"There's not a letup in that lineup right now," Manager Ron Washington said.

Texas Rallies In The Ninth Despite Blown Call - 4-3

Michael Young (above) scores the game-winner on Nelson Cruz's sac-fly in the ninth inning. Texas won despite a one-run disadvantage after Josh Hamilton's obvious home run was called a ground-ruled double. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

The Texas Rangers (23-18) continue to have home success, even in a game like Wednesday night where things didn't go there way.

Down 2-1 to the Baltimore Orioles (13-28) in the bottom of the fourth inning, Josh Hamilton knocked a 2-0 pitch just over the left field wall on what appeared to be his second home run of the game. Hamilton had already supplied the first run of the game for the Rangers on a solo shot to center, but this time, because the ball bounced off a metal piece that connects the wall to the scoreboard and back onto the field, it was ruled a double. Replays showed that the ball had not hit the top of the wall and, if crew chief Dana DeMuth had taken a look, the call would have been reversed.

"It should have been a home run," DeMuth said after watching a postgame replay.

Home Sweet Home - Texas Takes Two In Arlington

Texas bounced back with a two game sweep over it's division rival Angels. Vladimir Guerrero (above) took it to his old team, going 4 for 8, scoring three runs and knocking in another in the series. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

After a demoralizing three game sweep at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays, the Texas Rangers (22-18) needed an opportunity to rebound, especially against a division foe like the Los Angeles Angels (18-23).

Luckily for Texas, they were coming home to the Ballpark in Arlington, where they are now 15-7 this season - which is tied for the most wins at home in baseball.

"To be able to come back and get back on track is probably the biggest thing," said Ian Kinsler, who knocked in three runs for the series.

Swept - Jays Take Three Straight 5-2

John Buck (above) knocked in three RBI and the Toronto pitching staff shut down the Rangers' bats for the second consecutive game as Texas has now lost three straight. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Chris Young)

After the 11 hit, 10 run offensive explosion Friday night, you would be hard-pressed to find someone that would've thought the Texas Rangers (20-18) would score a total of two runs in the final two games of the series. But that's what happened as Toronto Blue Jays' (23-16) starters Ricky Romero and now Brandon Morrow have pitched gems in the last two games. Morrow went six innings, struck out eight batters, and gave up two runs on eight hits - a much better outing than his last when he gave up six runs in 1 2-3 innings against the Boston Red Sox.

Shut Down - Texas Loses 6-0

Ricky Romero (above) pitched a complete-game shutout, striking out 12 batters for his fourth victory of the season. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Chris Young)

For the first time this season, the Texas Rangers (20-17) were unable to put a run on the board as Toronto Blue Jays' (22-16) starter Ricky Romero held Rangers' in check all-game long.

"He used his pitches, changed speeds, moved the ball around," said Manager Ron Washington. "We just couldn't get anything going on him."

Rangers Lose Wild One - 16-10

Vernon Wells and Aaron Hill celebrate after Wells' hit a three-run home run in the third inning. Wells, a native of the DFW area, has owned the Rangers this year. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Darren Calabrese)

It's hard to know what to expect from these Texas Rangers (20-16) on a game-by-game basis.

Just yesterday, starter C.J. Wilson and the rest of the Rangers staff held the Oakland Athletics to one run on seven hits in 12 innings. Friday night was a different story as Texas allowed the Toronto Blue Jays (21-16) to score 16 runs on 15 hits as the Rangers blew a big early lead. The 2-5 hitters in the Blue Jays lineup hit a combined four home runs and knocked in 12 runs, and that was by the end of the fourth inning.

"They can swing it up and down that lineup," Manager Ron Washington said. "They showed that tonight."

Walk-Off Winners - 2-1

Vladimir Guerrero's single in the bottom of the 12th secured the a series win over the A's and the Rangers' 20th win. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

The best team in the league in winning a game on the final at-bat did it again Thursday afternoon.

The Texas Rangers (20-15) have a penchant for the dramatic as they won their eighth walk-off game of the season, tops in the American League. This time, Vladimir Guerrero played the hero as he delivered a knock to deep-left center with two on in the 12th inning. Michael Young scored from second, giving Texas the 2-1 win over the Oakland Athletics (18-17), and the mobbing began at home plate.

Rangers Dominate A's, Regain First Place - 10-1

Behind an excellent start from Derek Holland (above) along with a season-high five home runs, Texas whooped-up on Oakland Wednesday night. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

In his first start since Sept. 30, 2009, Derek Holland proved he is capable of being a part of the Texas Rangers' (19-15) starting rotation.

"Derek Holland did what we needed him to do," Manager Ron Washington said. "He was very aggressive out there. Then we put some runs on the board. He was able to command (his fastball) on both sides of the plate. There was nothing down the middle. When you can command your fastball that creates confidence."

Along with the fastball that devastated A's hitters, Holland used a slider with some great movement as his strike-out pitch - painting the corners as he rang up K after K.

Rangers Lose In Extra Innings - 7-6

Rangers' second baseman Andres Blanco (above) tries to score in the 12th inning of Tuesday's game against the A's, but is out at the plate. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

The Texas Rangers (18-15) have been able to beat a lot of teams in the past 20 games, but not the Oakland Athletics (18-15). Texas has lost three out of four against Oakland this season, and the A's have won five of their last six overall to tie the Rangers for first place in the American League West.

"It was one of those games where whoever came out on top was going to feel pretty good and the other team's going to think about it for a while," A's Manager Bob Geren said, relaying the thoughts of every winning team and losing team in baseball so far this season. "We've seem to have a ton of games like that against Texas, especially in this ballpark."

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Dissapointing First-Rounders Swapped

Linebacker Bobby Carpenter of the Cowboys and offensive-tackle Alex Barron of the Rams are changing places as Dallas brings in some depth on the offensive line.

This was rumored to be a done-deal last week, but now it's final: the Dallas Cowboys have sent the former 18th overall pick of the 2006 NFL draft Bobby Carpenter to the St Louis Rams for a first-rounder in 2005 in Alex Barron.

Taking Care Of Business - Rangers Sweep Royals With 6-4 Win

Elvis Andrus is safe sliding into home in the third inning of Sunday's game. Texas scored four runs in the inning. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

It's about time the Rangers' bullpen starting putting in some work.

Texas' starter Scott Feldman lasted only four innings, giving up four runs on six hits, but four Rangers' relivers combined to shut-out the Kansas City Royals (11-21). The bullpen allowed only two hits in the final five innings of the game, as the Texas Rangers (18-14) closed out a four-game sweep.

Texas Wins Third Straight - 3-2

Ian Kinsler punched a single into right field, scoring Michael Young (above) for the go-ahead run in the eighth inning. (AP Photo/Star-Telegram,Rodger Mallison)

The Texas Rangers (17-14) have looked like a different team in the past couple of weeks. A big reason is the return and resurgence of second baseman Ian Kinsler.

Texas is 7-2 since Kinsler returned from the disabled list on May 1, and he went 2 for 3 in this game, breaking a 2-2 tie with the Kansas City Royals (11-20) in the eighth inning with a clutch single.

"(Royals' starter Gil Meche) caught a little too much of the plate and I was able to flip it in," Kinsler said. "It came down to execution, who was going to execute the best.

"I won the battle."

C.J. All The Way - 4-1

Behind C.J. Wilson's (above) complete-game gem and another home-run and a couple of RBI from Vladimir Guerrero, the Rangers have clinched at least a split of the four-game series with the Royals. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

After Thursday's home-run bonanza, it was nice to see a Rangers' pitcher lock-in and dominate like starter C.J. Wilson did Friday night.

"Once I got through the sixth with a low pitch count, I wanted to finish it off," Wilson said. "Once I got into the eighth, I just clicked it into another gear and went into closer-mode."

The former set-up man/closer pitched the first complete game of his career, allowing only one run on five hits and striking out four. Wilson mixed his pitches well, enabling him to go the distance and save a tired bullpen.

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Rangers Win Shoot-Out - 13-12

Vladimir Guerrero and Josh Hamilton (both pictured above) combined to knock in seven of the Rangers' 13 runs on the evening. The two sluggers had back-to-back home runs in the eighth inning, securing a Texas victory. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Thursday night at the Ballpark in Arlington was not a good night for pitchers, to say the least.

The Texas Rangers (15-14) and the Kansas City Royals (11-18) combined to crank out 26 hits and 25 runs in what was a highly entertaining baseball game.

"It was one of those crazy games where the wind was kind of blowing out and it was a good day to hit," said Michael Young, who went 2 for 3 with two runs and two walks on the night. "The Royals battled back and made it a ball game, but we found a way to win at the end."

Rangers Lose Second Straight - 4-1

Rangers get down early, fail to come back as A's take series. Oakland closer Andrew Bailey (above) celebrated after recording his fifth straight save. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

It seems as though every time the Texas Rangers (14-14) look as though they are going to separate themselves from the pack in the American League West, they end up falling back to earth.

This time, it came in the form of two-straight losses to the Oakland Athletics (15-14) - sacrificing their A.L. West lead.

"We can execute better," Manger Ron Washington said. "We've got to make sure we continue to pound and get them in the right frame of mind. There are still some guys in the lineup trying to find themselves.

"We go according to the middle of our lineup. They go, we go."

Texas-Sized Comeback Falls Short - 7-6

Despite knocking in five runs, Vladimir Guerrero (above) and the Rangers were unable to rally from an early deficit. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Rangers' starter Scott Feldman gave it all he had Wednesday night, but his early struggles did his team in. The Oakland Athletics (14-14) jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings and the Texas Rangers (14-13) didn't hold a lead in the game for only the third time all season.

Vlad Guerrero hit a grand-slam in the third inning off A's starter Vin Mazzard, after Texas loaded the bases using some patience at the plate. Julio Borbon, Elvis Andrus, and Josh Hamilton all walked to load em' up and Guerrero's shot (his third home-run of the season) made it 5-4 Oakland, and got the Rangers right back into the game.

Rangers Hang On - Beat A's 4-2

Rich Harden (above) pitched his best game of the season and four Rangers knocked in a run each as Texas won it's fourth straight. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

The Texas Rangers (14-12) are taking the whipping stick to their American League West rivals, at least for the first four games of this six-game west-coast road trip. It's latest victim, the Oakland Athletics (13-14), were done-in by a great outing from Rich Harden - a former A's player.

"He threw a lot better than he has all year, that's for sure," A's manager Bob Geren said. "His velocity was up significantly from his previous starts and his command, he'd had trouble."

He certainly didn't have trouble with his command on this night. Harden pitched seven innings, gave up no runs on only two hits, struck out nine batters and, most importantly, issued zero walks for the first time in a Rangers' uniform.

Rangers Rumble To First Place

Texas is riding high after three-straight wins over Seattle have vaulted them into first place in the division. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

It's official. My three-day-long Mavericks hangover/mourning period is at an end.

Now it's time to get into some baseball, and right now looks looks a good time as the Texas Rangers (13-12) just swept a three-game series in Seattle for the first time since 1999. The Rangers pitching carried the team, allowing only four total runs in the series to the Seattle Mariners (11-14).

"Out pitching staff's been our backbone all year," said David Murphy, who knocked in both the game-tying and game-winning runs for Texas Sunday afternoon.