Officially Troublesome - Rangers Lose 4-1

With both Josh Hamilton and Elvis Andrus getting the game off, the Rangers offense struggled to get anything going. Miguel Tejada (above) hit a solo homer for the Orioles who got it's first four-game sweep since 1995. (AP Photo/Cody Duty)

The Texas tailspin has now reached four games as the Texas Rangers () continue to struggle going into the All-Star break. The Rangers have now lost eight of 11 games in the month of July after a 21-6 record in June.

"We're in first place. There's no need to be sad," manager Ron Washington said. "We just have to come out of the break and hold on to it."

The good news for the Rangers is that the division rival Los Angeles Angels have struggled recently also. Texas still holds a four-and-a-half game lead in the American League West, as the Angels are also 3-11 for the month and are now only three games over .500 for the season (47-44).

The bad news is Texas has an absolutely brutal schedule coming out of the break. Seven straight road games against the Boston Red Sox (51-37) and Detroit Tigers (48-38) will test the Rangers who have been only average on the road all-season long.

Then again, maybe the Rangers are better suited for the road after a 3-7 stretch at the Ballpark in Arlington.

(Portions of this article were taken from The Associated Press)