Rangers-Angels: Back-and-Forth Series Ends With Split Decision

Riding the excitement of four All-Star selections, the Texas Rangers returned home for four games against the AL-West-leading Angels of Southern California.

Trailing the Halos by 7.5 games, the series could go one of three ways:

The Rangers could win this series or break even, but the Angels were likely to extend their lead over the Rangers with Ervin Santana (9 wins), Joe Saunders (AL leading 12 wins), Jered Weaver (not Jeff Weaver), and John Lackey (five wins in June, most in baseball) on the mound facing Luis Mendoza (third career start), Matt Harrison (MLB debut), Warner Madrigal (first MLB start), and Scott Feldman (recently most reliable Ranger starter).

GAME ONE

The Angels wasted no time taking an 8-0 lead before the fifth out, and Ranger starter Mendoza exited early. It was not the best outing from Angel starter Ervin Santana, but going seven innings and allowing six runs was enough to hold on and get his 10th win of the season.

The Angels offense was highlighted by four home runs from Jeff Mathis, Vladimir Guerrero, and two from Torii Hunter.

Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez got his 35th save of the season, giving him the most saves before the All-Star break in major-league history; breaking John Smoltz's record of 34 saves in 2003.

The Ranger bats came to life after the early 8-0 deficit, with Josh Hamilton's 20th double and 85th RBI in the third, and then a pair of home runs from David Murphy and Chris Davis in the fifth. Murphy's 12th, a three-run homer and Davis's 4th, a two-run shot, brought the Rangers to within two runs.

But the Ranger onslaught would stop there and fall short.

AL batting leader Ian Kinsler's third-inning double extended his hitting streak to 19 games, his second 19-game hitting streak of the season.

GAME TWO

AL wins leader Joe Saunders faced off against Matt Harrison, making his MLB debut. Earlier this year, Harrison pitched a no-hitter for the Rangers' Double-A affiliate Frisco Roughriders.

Saunders was his usual self with eight innings of work, allowing three runs (all earned), six hits, no walks, and striking out five.

But Harrison was up to the challenge, going seven innings and giving up only two earned runs on five hits and one walk.

In the first inning, Josh Hamilton's sacrifice fly scored one run, a Davis solo home run in the fifth scored another, and then a Hamilton RBI single in the sixth was enough for the Rangers' win, 3-2.

C.J. Wilson recorded his 22nd save, and Ian Kinsler extended his hitting streak to 20 games.

GAME THREE

Through six innings, Weaver and a combined effort from Rangers Madrigal and Rupe held the game tied at 2-2.

In the seventh, Angels Juan Rivera opened it up with a two-run homer.

Neither team did anything until the ninth inning.

In the bottom of the inning, the Halos sent out K-Rod, again, looking for his 36th save, while the Rangers had Vazquez, Kinsler, and Catalanotto coming to the plate, with Young and Hamilton to follow.

Vazquez worked a walk, then after a Kinsler strikeout and a Cat ground out, Young's single scored Vazquez from second, bringing the game to 4-3 and Josh Hamilton walking to the plate.

On a 3-1 pitch that K-Rod left a little bit too much over the plate, the Rangers heroic story that is Josh Hamilton added a new chapter.

Hamilton belted the pitch to right field and barely cleared the fence, a two-run, walk-off home run; Hamilton's first career walk-off home run.

At the plate the players jumped and cheered and awaited Hamilton to toss his helmet and join in celebration of an improbable win.

It upped his RBI total to a major-league leading 89, and was his first home run in 23 games.

The home run was only the second of the year allowed by K-Rod. A sixth-inning double improved Kinsler hitting streak to 21.

GAME FOUR

The final game was a non-stop back-and-forth contest. In the first inning, RBI hits from Vazquez and Young plated two quick runs off Abilene native, and Angels' ace, John Lackey.

A second-inning home run from Howie Kendrick, his first of the year, and sacrifices from Casey Kotchman and Garret Anderson in the third, gave the Angels a 3-2 lead.

Hamilton responded in the bottom of the third with his 21st home run and RBI 90 and 91.

The Angels then slugged the game wide-open in the fourth with five runs, highlighted by a two-RBI single from Torii Hunter. In the fifth, Kendrick popped his second home run and first career multi-HR game, a two-run shot to extend the lead to 10-4.

But the Rangers never gave up. A Marlon Byrd solo shot in the fifth, followed by Young's RBI single in the sixth, brought the score to 10-6.

In the seventh, the Rangers' youth movement continued to make noise, as Chris Davis doubled to deep center, scoring Byrd. Next, Brandon Boggs singled in Davis, and finally Max Ramirez completed the comeback with his second career home run, a two-run shot that tied the game at 10.

The score would stay this way until the 11th, when pinch-hitting Maicer Izturis hit a bloop single to center, scoring Garret Anderson and setting up the Angels to tie the series.

In the bottom of the inning, the Rangers had two on with no outs against K-Rod, but could never score any runs.

The series ended in a tie, but the Texas Rangers take away the victories of getting two wins over a tough Angels staff and proving to the divisional leader that they are for real this season.