Countdown To Free Agency 2010

As the free agency period looms, the Mavericks know they have to secure Dirk Nowitzki (above) before they can move on to any other targets. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

With less than six hours left before the 11:01 p.m. (central time) start of what is being labeled as the best free-agent class of all time, the Dallas Mavericks are counting on taking care of one of it's own before it's able to get involved in the free-agency bonanza.

"Everything else hinges on this," Mavericks president Donnie Nelson said. "We're going all-out. We'll get this thing done, and then we'll survey the rest of the field and figure out where to go from there."

Rough Start - Rangers Lose 6-5

The Angels scored four runs with two-outs in the sixth inning, three runs came in after Bobby Abreu (above) hit a double with the bases loaded, and it was too much for these Rangers to come back from. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

With the Texas Rangers (46-30) having won the only other two games against the Los Angeles Angels (44-35) by a total of two runs so far this season, you knew this was going to be a competitive series.

That certainly held true Tuesday night as former Angels' outfielder Vladimir Guerrero paced the Rangers with a homer and three RBI, but it wasn't enough thanks to some clutch hitting from L.A. and the Angels followed the trend of one-run victories between these teams this season.

Rangers Pound Astros 10-1, Win Record 8th Straight Series

Josh Hamilton (above) extended his career-high hitting streak to 21 games and the Rangers as a team tied a franchise-record with it's eighth straight series victory. (AP Photo/Cody Duty)

With one swing of the bat, Josh Hamilton has the ability to bring an entire stadium to it's feet. He showed it in the 2008 home run derby and he showed it again Sunday night as he absolutely crushed a Roy Oswalt (L, 5-10) pitch that, last seen, was headed somewhere toward South America.

"You feel those. I got all of it," said Hamilton, whose home-run was measured at 468 feet and landed several rows into the upper deck in right-center field - the second longest home run in Ballpark in Arlington history. "I see it go, I feel that it's going out, and I put my head down and run. I've never been one to watch where they land. I let everybody tell me when I get back to the dugout."

Back On Track - Rangers Beat Astros 7-2

C.J. Wilson (above, left) contributed seven strong innings and Ian Kinsler hit a three-run home run as Texas got back to it's winning ways. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

It was back to business as usual Saturday afternoon for the Texas Rangers (45-29) as they shrugged off an ugly loss the day before to the Houston Astros (29-46). Texas cranked out seven runs on 15 hits and took control in the fourth with a huge four-run inning.

11 And Done - Rangers Lose 7-4

It was a sloppy game all around as both teams combined for five errors (three for Texas) and the Rangers were unable to pull themselves out of an early hole. It also didn't help that Ian Kinsler (above) was thrown out of the game early for arguing balls and strikes. (AP Photo/Cody Duty)

It had to end at some point.

Unfortunately for Rangers' fans who had seen such crisp baseball in the last few weeks, this was a game to forget. The Texas Rangers (44-29) didn't pitch well, weren't able to hit in clutch situations and were unable to make plays in the field as the 11-game winning-streak fell by the wayside at the hands of the lowly Houston Astros (29-45).

"They beat us," manager Ron Washington said. "We move on."

Mavs Pay For 'Nique

Dallas buys it's way into the first round of the NBA draft (25th overall) and gets a self-proclaimed Dwyane Wade/Rodney Stuckey mix in Dominique Jones out of South Florida. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius, File)

Here are some of the pluses and minus(es) for the Dallas Mavericks after the 2010 NBA Draft:

Can't Stop, Won't Stop

Rangers' run reaches 11 as this team gets yet another sweep on this road trip. The team celebrates (above) after fighting back from down 4-0 in Thursday night's game, to win 6-5. (AP Photo/Cody Duty)

After a dominating performance Wednesday night, a 13-3 victory in which everyone swung the bat well, the Texas Rangers (44-28) had to get gritty Thursday. The Pittsburgh Pirates (25-47) took a 4-0 lead in the first inning and the Rangers were forced to battle their way back, showing they can win in multiple ways - just as they've shown throughout the win streak.

"It's a family that wins together," said Vladimir Guerrero, who knocked in the game-winning run Thursday night, through a translator. "We're really playing well."

And Another One - Rangers Beat Pirates 6-3

Texas wins it's ninth straight thanks to some more solid pitching and a three-run home run from Julio Borbon along with a solo homer from Josh Hamilton (both pictured above). (AP Photo/Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Kelley Chinn)

The Texas Rangers (42-28) just keep on trucking as they continue to thoroughly dismantle their sub-par counterparts. The Pittsburgh Pirates (25-45), while they put up a good fight for the first few innings, were simply no match for Texas on Tuesday night.

Rangers' Pitchers Deserve Credit

All signs point to an improvement in pitching as the main culprit for the Rangers' recent surge. Colby Lewis (above) pitched nine innings of two hit baseball Saturday. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

Eight straight games and eight straight victories for the Texas Rangers as the entire pitching staff has come together to play some great baseball. The Rangers haven't allowed more than four runs (twice) during the streak and have allowed an average of 2.75 runs per game. To take it further, Texas has lost only one out of it's past 12 games, a 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on June 11 - the only game in this span where Texas has allowed more than four runs.

Road Rangers Sweep Astros

The winning streak is now at eight games after Josh Hamilton (above) hit the game-winning single Sunday afternoon as Texas closed out it's sweep of Houston. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

Three games and three different heroes for the Texas Rangers (41-28) as this team has refused to lose a game for over a week. The most recent victim, the Houston Astros (26-42), never seemed to have a chance - even after taking 4-1 lead in the final game of the series - as the Rangers' had an answer for anything the Astros threw at them.

Justin Smoak carried Texas with a home run and four RBI in the first game, Colby Lewis pitched his first career complete-game, leading Texas to victory on Saturday, while Josh Hamilton brought the series home Sunday afternoon with a 5-hit game capped off with the game-winning single.

Sweep - Texas Finishes Off Florida 6-4

Despite an early three-run deficit, the Rangers came back to secure their second road sweep of the season behind three RBI from Ian Kinsler (above). (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

After spot-starter Dustin Nippert struggled through three innings, it appeared as though the Texas Rangers (38-28) may finally lose another game on this road trip. Fortunately for Texas, the bullpen picked up the slack, pitching six innings of two-hit, one run baseball, and Ian Kinsler broke out of his slump with three RBI as the Rangers completed the sweep against the Florida Marlins (31-35).

"It's the toughest sweep in the big leagues," said Kinsler, who knocked in two of his runs on a double in the fifth, capping a three-run inning that put Texas ahead for good at 4-3. "It takes some luck. It's nice to get on a roll on the road."

Young Becomes Rangers' Hit King - Texas Wins 6-3

Micheal Young (above) tied the team record for hits with a double in the seventh inning and then broke Ivan Rodriguez' record in the eighth with a two-run single. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Coming into the seventh inning of Wednesday's game against the Florida Marlins (31-34) stuck on 1,746 hits and in the midst of an 0 for 10 slump, Michael Young broke out in a big way for the Texas Rangers (37-28). Young came through with a double and then a two-run single in back-to-back innings to set the all time Rangers' record for career hits.

"I've played my whole career in one uniform. Hopefully I can finish it in this uniform," Young said. "I think, most importantly, we got it in a win."

"Elated" Rangers Rally In Ninth For 3-2 Victory

A Matt Treanor (above) pinch-hit, two RBI triple in the ninth inning gave Texas the 3-2 win against Treanor's former Marlins' team. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Of all the story-lines you could possibly think of coming into the season, Rangers' fans would be hard-pressed to imagine Treanor's Revenge as one of them. Hell, I bet most fans didn't even know Treanor was on the team coming into the season.

But that was the story Tuesday night as the Texas Rangers (36-28) came back in the ninth inning against the Florida Marlins (31-33) behind some clutch hitting from the former Marlins' catcher.

"I'm not a journalist, but I'd say 'elated,'" Treanor said of his feelings after the game.

Ham-Bone Back To His Old Ways

Josh Hamilton (above), an American League MVP candidate for the Rangers just two years ago, appears to have regained his old form with recent hot streak. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

After a disappointing 2009 season and a slow start to 2010, Texas Rangers' outfielder Josh Hamilton seems to have finally turned things around. After an April in which he batted only .265 with 11 RBI, Hamilton has seen his numbers increase significantly in each of the past two months.

On A Roll

Colby Lewis (above) did it all as the Rangers took the rubber-match against the Brewers 7-2. Texas took two out of three against Milwaukee, it's fourth straight series victory to start the month of June. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

For only the third time all season, the Texas Rangers (35-28) have won a series on the road. While it was against the team with the worst home-record in the National League, the Milwaukee Brewers (26-37), Texas can still hang it's hat knowing it's still a half-game up in the American League West.

Piece Of Cake - Rangers Win 12-3

Josh Hamilton, Vladimir Guerrero (both above) and the rest of the Rangers' high-powered offense close out series against M's in dominating fashion, and now hold a 1.5 game lead in A.L. West. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Why can't the Texas Rangers (33-27) play the Seattle Mariners (23-37) every day?

No Sweat

Texas rebounds after blowing the first game in the series, outscoring Seattle by a total of 19-3 in the last two games. Colby Lewis (above) and C.J. Wilson each contributed quality starts to go along with a booming Rangers' offense. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Just when "here we go again" began to creep in to Texas Rangers (32-27) fans' collective minds, Texas does what it has all season long: come back strong.

The Rangers' got consecutive quality starts for the first time in nearly a month and, combine that with a powerful offense, Texas demolished the Seattle Mariners (23-36) in two straight games to reclaim first place in the American League West.

Texas Can't Handle Lee, Fall 4-2

Rangers score two in the ninth, but it was too-little-too-late as Cliff Lee (above) confounded Texas hitters all game. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

In a division rival's ballpark, this is how the Ace of a pitching staff is supposed to perform. Cliff Lee (W, 4-2) pitched a complete-game, striking out seven batters while walking none, and didn't allow a run until the ninth inning as the Seattle Mariners (23-34) pulled out a 4-2 win.

"I was just locating fastballs, getting ahead in the count, and mixing in a few offspeed pitches here and there and forced them to swing the bat," Lee said. " That was the extent of it."

Home Cookin'

Rangers manage to take two of three from the best team (record-wise) in baseball. Tommy Hunter's (above) complete game, five-hitter led Texas to a 6-1 victory on Saturday. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

For only the third time this season, the Texas Rangers (30-26) have taken a series against a team with a winning record. What's even more impressive is that it was against the team with the best overall record and road record in the Major Leagues, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (37-20).

Cold As Ice- Rangers Lose 4-3

Texas blows a two-run lead in the sixth, after Carlos Quinton (above) hit a the go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

For the first time in the three-game series against the Chicago White Sox (23-30), the Texas Rangers (28-25) actually got some quality pitching from a starter.

Unfortunately for the Rangers, Colby Lewis' 6 1-3 innings of four run baseball wasn't enough, as White Sox outfielder Carlos Quinton came up with the game-winning home run in the seventh inning. This came after an error by Quinton in the outfield led to a Texas run and boos from the home crowd.

"He was pumped up, and he was ripping some guys' arms off with high fives," White Sox captain Paul Konerko said. "He's an emotional guy. He felt terrible after dropping that ball. It was definitely a redeemer."

Bouncing Back

Texas has scored a total of 18 runs in the last two games, ending a four-game losing streak and earning two straight wins. Matt Treanor (above) led Texas in Wednesday's game with four RBI in it's 9-5 victory. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

One thing has been a given for the 2010 Texas Rangers (28-24) through the first couple of months of the season: they beat up on bad teams.

That was case in the first two games of the three-game set against the Chicago White Sox (22-30), as Texas has relied on it's bats to pound the Sox into submission.

"We score four runs at the beginning of the game, with [Mark] Buehrle on the mound, you're a little excited about the game," White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen said after Tuesday's game. "Then, all of the sudden, everything was turned around."