Arlington, TX – Scott Feldman is making the most out of his latest opportunity.
The 29-year-old right-hander spun eight scoreless innings, helping the Texas Rangers snap a five-game losing streak to the Chicago White Sox with a 2-0 triumph in the finale of a three-game set.
Feldman (5-6) fanned five and scattered seven hits. He is 5-0 over his last six appearances -- five starts -- after starting the year 0-6. He's the first pitcher to lose his first six-plus decisions in a season, and then immediately follow with a five-game winning streak.
Feldman made a spot-start on Monday in favor of Roy Oswalt, who was scratched with back tightness, and was moved back into the rotation when it was announced that Colby Lewis will miss the remainder of the season with a torn tendon in his pitching elbow.
"Any time we got anything going, he just found a way to get out of it. He got the pitch when he needed it. You just tip your hat," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said of Feldman.
Despite an 8-for-13 career mark against White Sox starter Gavin Floyd coming in, Josh Hamilton's recent struggles continued. He went 0-for-2 and is mired in a 1-for-25 slump.
Texas, which went 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position in Saturday's 5-2 loss to Chicago, finished 0-for-10 with RISP on Sunday.
Joe Nathan worked a 1-2-3 ninth to nail down his 21st save of the year.
Gavin Floyd (8-9) surrendered two runs -- one earned -- on seven hits and five walks in 6 2/3 innings for the White Sox, who had their five-game winning streak snapped.
The Rangers took advantage of a Chicago miscue to plate a run in the third and added another in the fifth due to some savvy baserunning.
Hamilton worked a one-out walk in the third and after Michael Young struck out, he went first-to-third on David Murphy's single to center. Hamilton came home when Alexei Ramirez committed a fielding error on a grounder to shortstop.
In the fifth. Cruz led off with a double and moved to third on Hamilton's groundout. Young then grounded one back to Floyd for the second out, but Cruz broke home on his throw to first. Adam Dunn then one-hopped the throw to the plate as Cruz slid in safely. making it a 2-0 game.
"As a runner on third base, you want to come down that line as deep as you possibly can and you have to make a decision, either you go or you don't," Rangers manager Ron Washington said about the play. "He made a decision to go and Dunn had to rush. He made a bad throw."
Chicago did not advance a runner past first for the remainder of the game.
Game Notes
The White Sox were searching for their first road sweep of the Rangers since Sept. 5-8, 1985...Hamilton hit fifth in the batting order for the first time since July 28, 2010...Texas improved to 3-6 against the White Sox this season.
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