Holland loses shutout gem in 9th as Rangers dismantle Mariners

From ESPN

ARLINGTON, Texas — Derek Holland was pleading to stay in for one more batter.

 Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington had already decided that the rookie left-hander, who allowed only two hits while getting within one out of his first complete game, had done enough.

“It was just me begging out there, ‘Come on, let me get this one guy, I’ve got it,’” Holland said, describing the conversation on the mound.

Holland had to settle for being the first Rangers rookie lefty with 10 strikeouts and leading Texas to a 7-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night.

“We got a real good look at what Derek Holland is capable of doing,” Washington said. “His future gets brighter.”

Jones’ display of power leads Rangers to rout of Angels

From ESPN

Texas Rangers’ Andruw Jones connects for his third home run of the night against the Los Angeles Angels during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, July 8, 2009.

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Andruw Jones had two shots at matching one of baseball’s most famous records.

 Jones homered in his first three at-bats of Texas’ 8-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night. He had two shots at becoming the first player in six years to hit four homers in a game, but he popped out and struck out.

Chris Davis sent to AAA, Josh Hamilton activated

Josh Hamilton will return for the Angels series and Chris Davis was sent to Triple-A Oklahoma City to make room for Hamilton on the roster.

This gives Davis a chance to revamp his swing in the minors and regain some confidence. I think it’s the right move. The club didn’t have much choice at this point. The defense Davis played at first was excellent and it kept them more patient than normal, but you can’t have your first baseman hitting .200. So Davis and Justin Smoak will split time at OKC (I would think one will DH when the other is at first) and Hank Blalock becomes the primary first baseman.

Texas Rangers’ Hamilton hopes to return to lineup Saturday

From the DMN

DES MOINES, Iowa – The search for the missing piece from the Rangers lineup resumed in a state where the best-known ballpark is carved out of a cornfield.

But Josh Hamilton was some three hours southwest of the Field of Dreams on Thursday night, instead playing center field for Triple-A Oklahoma City at the 11,000-seat Principal Park.

But his field of dreams is Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Hamilton, who is on the disabled list after having surgery to repair a torn abdominal muscle, hopes to resume patrolling center field there and batting third as soon as Saturday.

Report: Rangers borrow money from MLB

The Associated Press

The Texas Rangers borrowed millions of dollars from Major League Baseball within the last week, according to a Yahoo! report.

Rangers spokesman John Blake told the Web site that the club would have no comment, and Rich Levin, a spokesman for the commissioner’s office, said baseball does not comment on team finances.

Baseball will continue to offer financial assistance to owner Tom Hicks until he is able to sell the team, the Web site reported, citing a major league source with direct knowledge of the situation.

“He won’t be running the team much longer,” the person said. “Major League Baseball is helping him through this until someone else can be put in place to run the club.”

Yahoo! reported a major league source told the Web site that the loan to the Hicks Sports Group was not made specifically to help Hicks with payroll obligations and was believed to be for less than $15 million.

That number first surfaced Wednesday, when a caller to an XM radio station said the Rangers had failed to make payroll and had to get $15 million from Major League Baseball. The host, former Rangers manager Kevin Kennedy, said he knew something about the situation and that the team would be owned by someone other than Hicks in the offseason.

Marlon Byrd Has Questionable Judgement

From Deadspin

Two pieces of surprising news. One, Victor Conte‘s not in jail! Two, there’s still an athlete dumb enough to turn to him for supplements.

Innocent until proven guilty and all that, but when you’re the common thread between Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery, Bill Romanowski, et al., anyone who works in a profession that has a drug policy might do well to stay far, far away.

BALCO is no more, but Conte now runs Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning. Rangers outfielder Marlon Byrd wanted what SNAC has to offer, so he gave Conte a call.

I’d been doing the GNC-can search, putting this product with that, seeking and searching,” Byrd said. “I tried everything over the counter. I needed an expert.”

Alone in 1st place again

about 6 hours ago: Texas Rangers’ Andruw Jones, left, celebrates with teammate Ian Kinsler (5) after Jones hit a two-run home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 25, 2009, in Phoenix.

Padilla to the rescue: Texas Rangers end losing skid

From DMN

PHOENIX – The likelihood that the Rangers would break out of their June slump against Dan Haren was remote, so once again Wednesday night they needed a strong pitching performance.

Cue right-hander Vicente Padilla, who only three weeks ago was riding baseball’s waiver wire but outdueled Haren as the Rangers snapped their five-game losing streak.

Padilla allowed a run on six hits in seven strong innings, and Frank Francisco and C.J. Wilson preserved the lead with a scoreless inning apiece as the Rangers edged Arizona, 2-1, at Chase Field.

Kinsler homers twice in Texas Rangers’ 6-1 win

ARLINGTON – Ian Kinsler homered in his first two at-bats as the Rangers snapped a two-game losing streak and clinched the Lone Star Series for a third consecutive season with a 6-1 win over the Houston Astros on Tuesday at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Kinsler, who had fallen in a 4-for-33 slump, came through for the first time on the nine-game homestand by making a mental adjustment on Monday’s off-day. It’s an adjustment his teammates believe could jump-start him for the rest of the season.

The #1 pick of the Texas Rangers is Matt Purke

It appears the Texas Rangers did well in the draft today selecting Matthew Purke from Houston Klein High School. It has been noted that he was the #2 left-hander in the draft. Good job Rangers!