Arlington, TX – Mitch Moreland provided a go-ahead, pinch-hit single as part of a four-run seventh inning to lift the Rangers over the Angels, 15-9, in the finale of a four-game set on Thursday.
With the game locked at 8-8, Michael Young singled off David Carpenter (1-2) to start the seventh before finding second on a groundout. Moreland then delivered a single into shallow center to plate Young for a one-run lead.
After Jerome Williams entered and walked Ian Kinsler to load the bases, Elvis Andrus singled to plate Moreland, but Daniel Murphy was gunned down at home for the second out.
Hisanori Takahashi entered from the bullpen and Josh Hamilton drilled a ground-rule double into center field to cap the four-run frame.
Roy Oswalt (4-2) earned the victory after tossing a pair of scoreless innings in relief after Texas starter Ryan Dempster, who the club acquired from the Chicago Cubs at Tuesday's deadline, was shelled for eight runs on nine hits and three walks over 4 2/3 innings in his first American League start.
Hamilton knocked in four runs and Kinsler recorded three hits, including a solo home run, to go with two RBI and four runs scored to help the Rangers take the final two games of the series.
"That's quite a team over there. They don't quit, they keep coming," said Texas manager Ron Washington of the Angels. "They're tough throughout that lineup, but we rose to the occasion. We got challenged and we answered. I'm pretty happy with what we did in this series."
Mark Trumbo, Kendrys Morales and Alberto Callaspo each homered in the setback, as the Angels fell five games back of the Rangers atop the AL West.
"There were a ton of positives to take away from this (series) overall," said Trumbo. "Not exactly what we wanted, but I think we made a pretty good impression."
The Angels wasted little time welcoming Dempster to the AL as Mike Trout clubbed a leadoff double to get things started, moved to third on a bunt and then scored on Albert Pujols' sacrifice fly to right field.
Trumbo then delivered an opposite field blast that barely cleared the wall in right, but Kinsler trimmed the margin in the bottom half as he launched a leadoff homer over the wall in left-center field to make it a 2-1 contest.
After Geovany Soto singled to start the second, Mike Olt got his major league career off to a nice start with a screaming line-drive into left field.
Craig Gentry was then plunked to load the bases and Kinsler followed with a single to left to knot the game at 2-2. Two batters later, Hamilton delivered a two-run single to right as the Rangers grabbed a 4-2 lead.
Beltre walked to reload the bases and Young followed two batters later with a two-run single into center to extend the margin to 6-2.
The Angels battled back in the third as Torii Hunter and Pujols stroked consecutive doubles to bring LA within three before Morales drove a homer deep into the upper deck in right to start the fourth, cutting the margin to 6-4.
Callaspo then walked and Howard Kendrick followed with a base hit before both runners moved up on a bunt. Callaspo then scored on a ground out from Bobby Wilson to make it a one-run contest.
After Trout walked and stole second, Hunter ripped a base hit off the base of the wall in left to score a pair as the Angels jumped in front for a 7-6 lead.
Nelson Cruz tied the game in the bottom half when he lifted a two-out, line- drive shot over the wall in center, but LA responded in the fifth on Morales' RBI double into center field to provide the Halos with an 8-7 lead.
Kinsler stroked a leadoff double into the left-field corner before a balk from Angels starter C.J. Wilson moved him to third. Andrus then slapped a double down the first-base line to tie the game at 8-8.
Soto stroked a two-run double in the eighth and Moreland followed with a run- scoring double of his own to make it a seven-run difference before Callaspo homered in the ninth to account for the final margin.
Game Notes
Wilson, who pitched the first seven years of his career in Arlington, was tagged for a career-high tying eight runs on 10 hits and three walks over 5 1/3 innings and is now winless in his last seven starts...Dempster was drafted in the third round by the Rangers back in 1995...Soto and Dempster were teammates in Chicago and had teamed up for seven starts already this year...Olt was recalled from Double-A Frisco and first baseman Brandon Snyder was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock.
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