Arlington, TX – Adrian Beltre slugged a two-run home run and Josh Hamilton added a solo shot and two RBI as the Texas Rangers downed the Cleveland Indians, 5-2, in the second of three between the teams.
David Murphy contributed three hits for the Rangers, winners in five of their last seven.
Ryan Dempster (6-1) allowed seven hits and two runs with eight strikeouts over seven innings. Joe Nathan fanned two in a scoreless ninth for his 33rd save.
Carlos Santana and Casey Kotchman knocked in a run apiece for the Indians, who dropped their fifth in a row.
Jeanmar Gomez (5-8) was tagged in defeat for six hits and five runs over four full frames.
"He didn't have very good stuff and he couldn't locate his pitches either," Indians manager Manny Acta said about Gomez. "He's not the type of guy that can get away with not locating his pitches and they took advantage of it."
Texas put up three runs in its first turn at the plate and never looked back. Ian Kinsler hit a leadoff double, Elvis Andrus singled then Hamilton's grounder plated one run. Beltre followed with his 32nd homer of the season, a blast to left.
Hamilton's two-out solo shot pushed the hosts' edge to 4-0 in the third.
Cleveland's answer came in the fourth as Santana and Michael Brantley began the frame with back-to-back base hits and after a walk to Russ Canzler loaded the bases, a Kotchman grounder brought in Santana.
Young doubled to start the home half, moved up on a Murphy groundout and scored on a Geovany Soto fly to left for a 5-1 game.
"When you get runs early, it's got to give pitchers all the confidence in the world to go out and pound the strike zone,"Murphy said. "(Dempster) is a veteran pitcher who, when he gets a lead like he did tonight, he is going to pound the strike zone and get quick outs."
Beltre departed before the top of the fifth due to a shoulder injury sustained innings earlier when he tried to dive for a Canzler grounder, and the Tribe responded with a run on Santana's sac fly which plated Ezequiel Carrera.
Hamilton was pulled prior to the eighth inning due to left knee soreness, but it had no further effect on the outcome.
Koji Uehara retired the side in that frame, then Nathan followed suit in Cleveland's last turn at the plate.
Game Notes
Dempster improved to 11-6 overall on the year ... Nathan has converted each of his last 31 save opportunities ... Beltre was scheduled to have a precautionary MRI following the game ... Prior to the contest, the Rangers announced an extension of their affiliation agreement with Triple-A Round Rock through the 2018 season.
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