AL: CLEVELAND at TEXAS <div class="pre">CLEVELAND (4) VS TEXAS (8) - END 8TH - IN PROGRESS CLEVELAND ab r h rbi bb so lob avg G Sizemore cf 3 1 1 2 1 0 1 .276 F Gutierrez rf 4 0 1 0 0 2 2 .312 V Martinez c 3 0 0 0 1 1 2 .324 T Hafner dh 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 .267 J Peralta ss 4 1 0 0 0 2 2 .283 R Garko 1b 3 1 2 0 1 0 0 .321 B Francisco lf 3 1 0 0 1 0 1 .282 M Rouse 3b 2 0 0 1 1 1 1 .121 a-C Blake ph-3b 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .267 J Barfield 2b 2 0 0 1 0 1 1 .250 Totals 28 4 4 4 6 8 11 a-struck out looking for M Rouse in the 8th. BATTING: HR - G Sizemore (17, 7th inning off R Mahay 0 on, 0 Out). RBI - M Rouse (4), J Barfield (42), G Sizemore 2 (52). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - C Blake 1, J Peralta 1, F Gutierrez 1. GIDP - V Martinez. Team LOB - 7. FIELDING: E - C Lee (1, throw). TEXAS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg R Vazquez 2b 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 .258 M Young ss 4 2 2 0 0 1 0 .292 M Teixeira 1b 3 2 1 1 1 0 0 .306 S Sosa dh 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 .239 F Catalanotto pr-dh 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .228 a-A Melhuse ph-dh 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 .266 M Byrd cf 4 1 2 5 0 1 2 .346 B Wilkerson lf 4 1 1 1 0 0 1 .222 G Laird c 4 0 1 1 0 1 1 .233 J Hairston Jr rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 .199 T Metcalf 3b 4 0 0 0 0 2 1 .194 Totals 33 8 9 8 2 7 8 a-walked for F Catalanotto in the 7th. BATTING: 2B - M Teixeira (22, C Lee); M Byrd (11, C Lee); G Laird (10, C Lee). 3B - M Byrd (4, T Mastny). RBI - M Teixeira (47), M Byrd 5 (33), B Wilkerson (43), G Laird (32). 2-out RBI - M Byrd 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Byrd 1, B Wilkerson 1, G Laird 1, T Metcalf 1. Team LOB - 4. FIELDING: E - T Metcalf (2, ground ball). DP: 1 (M Young-R Vazquez-M Teixeira). ---------------------------------------------------- CLEVELAND - 000 300 10 -- 4 TEXAS - 500 000 30 -- 8 ---------------------------------------------------- CLEVELAND ip h r er bb so hr era C Lee 6 2/3 8 7 7 1 5 0 5.95 T Mastny 1 1/3 1 1 1 1 2 0 4.54 TEXAS ip h r er bb so hr era J Wright 3 1/3 1 3 1 6 1 0 4.15 R Mahay 2 2/3 2 1 1 0 5 1 2.17 J Benoit 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 2.92 R Mahay pitched to 1 batter in the 7th. WP - C Lee 2. HBP - S Sosa (by C Lee); J Barfield (by J Wright). Pitches-strikes: C Lee 114-75; T Mastny 19-13; J Wright 82-38; R Mahay 39-25; J Benoit 33-20. Ground balls-fly balls: C Lee 1-14; T Mastny 1-1; J Wright 6-3; R Mahay 2-1; J Benoit 3-1. Batters faced: C Lee 30; T Mastny 6; J Wright 18; R Mahay 10; J Benoit 7. UMPIRES: HP--Hunter Wendelstedt. 1B--Randy Marsh. 2B--Bob Davidson. 3B--Sam Holbrook. (Plus ceremonies delay totaling 6 minutes in the 1st). Weather: 87 degrees, clear. Wind: 13 mph, in from right.</div>
AL: CLEVELAND at TEXAS <div class="pre">AL AT TEXAS - MID INNING UPDATE PLAY: B Wilkerson in right field. SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS CURRENT SCORE: CLEVELAND 4 TEXAS 8 TOP, 9TH DUE UP FOR CLEVELAND: J Barfield (.250, 0-FOR-2, RBI)</div>
AL: CLEVELAND at TEXAS <div class="pre">AL AT TEXAS - MID INNING UPDATE PLAY: D Relaford in left field. SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS CURRENT SCORE: CLEVELAND 4 TEXAS 8 TOP, 9TH DUE UP FOR CLEVELAND: J Barfield (.250, 0-FOR-2, RBI)</div>
AL: CLEVELAND at TEXAS <div class="pre">AL AT TEXAS - PITCHING CHANGE TEX: ERIC GAGNE (2-0, 1.23) STARTING THE 9TH CURRENT SCORE: CLEVELAND 4, TEXAS 8 DUE UP FOR CLEVELAND: J BARFIELD (.250, 0-FOR-2, RBI)</div>
AL: CLEVELAND at TEXAS <div class="pre">AL AT TEXAS - MID INNING UPDATE PLAY: E Gagne relieved J Benoit. SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS CURRENT SCORE: CLEVELAND 4 TEXAS 8 TOP, 9TH DUE UP FOR CLEVELAND: J Barfield (.250, 0-FOR-2, RBI)</div>
AL: CLEVELAND at TEXAS <div class="pre">AL AT TEXAS - MID INNING UPDATE PLAY: T Nixon hit for F Gutierrez. SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, J BARFIELD ON FIRST, 1 OUT CURRENT SCORE: CLEVELAND 4 TEXAS 8 TOP, 9TH DUE UP FOR CLEVELAND: T Nixon (.243, 3 HR, 30 RBI)</div>
AL: CLEVELAND at TEXAS <div class="pre">AL AT TEXAS - SCORING UPDATE GROUND OUT BY VICTOR MARTINEZ SCORED JOSH BARFIELD. SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, T NIXON ON THIRD, 2 OUT CURRENT SCORE: CLEVELAND 5 TEXAS 8 TOP, 9TH DUE UP FOR CLEVELAND: T HAFNER (.267, 0-FOR-3, BB)</div>
AL: CLEVELAND at TEXAS <div class="pre">AL FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - CLEVELAND 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 1 5 5 1 TEXAS 5 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 x 8 9 1 (FINAL) BATTERIES: CLE - CLIFF LEE, TOM MASTNY (7TH) AND VICTOR MARTINEZ TEX - JAMEY WRIGHT, RON MAHAY (4TH), JOAQUIN BENOIT (7TH), ERIC GAGNE (9TH) AND GERALD LAIRD HOME RUNS: CLE - GRADY SIZEMORE (17) OFF RON MAHAY IN THE 7TH, 0 ON TEX - NONE</div>
AL: CLEVELAND at TEXAS <div class="pre">AL FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - CLEVELAND 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 1 5 5 1 TEXAS 5 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 x 8 9 1 (FINAL) BATTERIES: CLE - CLIFF LEE, TOM MASTNY (7TH) AND VICTOR MARTINEZ TEX - JAMEY WRIGHT, RON MAHAY (4TH), JOAQUIN BENOIT (7TH), ERIC GAGNE (9TH) AND GERALD LAIRD WP - RON MAHAY (2-0) LP - CLIFF LEE (5-7) SAVE - NONE HOME RUNS: CLE - GRADY SIZEMORE (17) OFF RON MAHAY IN THE 7TH, 0 ON TEX - NONE TIME: 3:10 ATT: 44,554 PROBABLES: CLE - PAUL BYRD (7-4, 4.50) TEX - ROBINSON TEJEDA (5-8, 6.68)</div>
AL: CLEVELAND at TEXAS <div class="pre">CLEVELAND (5) VS TEXAS (8) - FINAL CLEVELAND ab r h rbi bb so lob avg G Sizemore cf 4 1 1 2 1 0 2 .275 F Gutierrez rf 4 0 1 0 0 2 2 .312 b-T Nixon ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .246 V Martinez c 4 0 0 1 1 1 4 .323 T Hafner dh 4 0 0 0 1 1 1 .266 J Peralta ss 4 1 0 0 0 2 2 .283 R Garko 1b 3 1 2 0 1 0 0 .321 B Francisco lf 3 1 0 0 1 0 1 .282 M Rouse 3b 2 0 0 1 1 1 1 .121 a-C Blake ph-3b 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .267 J Barfield 2b 2 1 0 1 1 1 1 .250 Totals 32 5 5 5 7 9 15 a-struck out looking for M Rouse in the 8th; b-singled to center for F Gutierrez in the 9th. BATTING: HR - G Sizemore (17, 7th inning off R Mahay 0 on, 0 Out). RBI - M Rouse (4), J Barfield (42), G Sizemore 2 (52), V Martinez (75). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - T Hafner 1, C Blake 1, J Peralta 1, F Gutierrez 1. GIDP - V Martinez. Team LOB - 8. FIELDING: E - C Lee (1, throw). TEXAS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg R Vazquez 2b 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 .258 M Young ss 4 2 2 0 0 1 0 .292 M Teixeira 1b 3 2 1 1 1 0 0 .306 S Sosa dh 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 .239 F Catalanotto pr-dh 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .228 a-A Melhuse ph-dh 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 .266 M Byrd cf 4 1 2 5 0 1 2 .346 B Wilkerson lf-rf 4 1 1 1 0 0 1 .222 G Laird c 4 0 1 1 0 1 1 .233 J Hairston Jr rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 .199 D Relaford lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .130 T Metcalf 3b 4 0 0 0 0 2 1 .194 Totals 33 8 9 8 2 7 8 a-walked for F Catalanotto in the 7th. BATTING: 2B - M Teixeira (22, C Lee); M Byrd (11, C Lee); G Laird (10, C Lee). 3B - M Byrd (4, T Mastny). RBI - M Teixeira (47), M Byrd 5 (33), B Wilkerson (43), G Laird (32). 2-out RBI - M Byrd 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Byrd 1, B Wilkerson 1, G Laird 1, T Metcalf 1. Team LOB - 4. FIELDING: E - T Metcalf (2, ground ball). DP: 1 (M Young-R Vazquez-M Teixeira). ---------------------------------------------------- CLEVELAND - 000 300 101 -- 5 TEXAS - 500 000 30x -- 8 ---------------------------------------------------- CLEVELAND ip h r er bb so hr era C Lee (L, 5-7) 6 2/3 8 7 7 1 5 0 5.95 T Mastny 1 1/3 1 1 1 1 2 0 4.54 TEXAS ip h r er bb so hr era J Wright 3 1/3 1 3 1 6 1 0 4.15 R Mahay (W, 2-0) 2 2/3 2 1 1 0 5 1 2.17 J Benoit (H, 12) 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 2.92 E Gagne 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1.48 R Mahay pitched to 1 batter in the 7th. WP - C Lee 2, E Gagne. HBP - S Sosa (by C Lee); J Barfield (by J Wright). Pitches-strikes: C Lee 114-75; T Mastny 19-13; J Wright 82-38; R Mahay 39-25; J Benoit 33-20; E Gagne 25-15. Ground balls-fly balls: C Lee 1-14; T Mastny 1-1; J Wright 6-3; R Mahay 2-1; J Benoit 3-1; E Gagne 1-1. Batters faced: C Lee 30; T Mastny 6; J Wright 18; R Mahay 10; J Benoit 7; E Gagne 5. UMPIRES: HP--Hunter Wendelstedt. 1B--Randy Marsh. 2B--Bob Davidson. 3B--Sam Holbrook. T--3:10. (Plus ceremonies delay totaling 6 minutes in the 1st). Att--44,554. Weather: 87 degrees, clear. Wind: 13 mph, in from right.</div>
AL: CLEVELAND at TEXAS <div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CLEVELAND (5) AT TEXAS (8) - HOW THEY SCORED ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TEXAS 1ST: R Vazquez singled to right. M Young singled to right, R Vazquez to second. M Teixeira doubled to left, R Vazquez scored, M Young to third. S Sosa struck out looking. M Byrd doubled to deep right center, M Young and M Teixeira scored. B Wilkerson singled to left, M Byrd scored. G Laird doubled to deep left, B Wilkerson scored. G Laird to third on wild pitch by C Lee. J Hairston Jr fouled out to catcher. T Metcalf struck out looking. (5 Runs, 6 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 0, TEXAS 5. CLEVELAND 4TH: T Hafner grounded out to pitcher. J Peralta safe at first on error by third baseman T Metcalf. R Garko walked, J Peralta to second. B Francisco walked, J Peralta to third, R Garko to second. M Rouse walked, J Peralta scored, R Garko to third, B Francisco to second. J Barfield hit by pitch, R Garko scored, B Francisco to third, M Rouse to second. R Mahay relieved J Wright. G Sizemore grounded into fielder's choice to second, B Francisco scored, J Barfield out at second, M Rouse to third. F Gutierrez struck out swinging. (3 Runs, 0 Hits, 1 Error) CLEVELAND 3, TEXAS 5. CLEVELAND 7TH: G Sizemore homered to right. J Benoit relieved R Mahay. F Gutierrez struck out swinging. V Martinez popped out to shortstop. T Hafner grounded out to shortstop. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 4, TEXAS 5. TEXAS 7TH: T Metcalf popped out to second. R Vazquez grounded out to shortstop. M Young singled to right. M Teixeira walked, M Young to second. A Melhuse hit for F Catalanotto. T Mastny relieved C Lee. A Melhuse walked, M Young to third, M Teixeira to second. M Byrd tripled to deep center, M Young, M Teixeira and A Melhuse scored. B Wilkerson bunt grounded out to pitcher. (3 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 4, TEXAS 8. CLEVELAND 9TH: B Wilkerson in right field. D Relaford in left field. E Gagne relieved J Benoit. J Barfield walked. G Sizemore flied out to center. T Nixon hit for F Gutierrez. T Nixon singled to center, J Barfield to second. J Barfield to third, T Nixon to second on wild pitch by E Gagne. V Martinez grounded out to first, J Barfield scored, T Nixon to third. T Hafner struck out swinging. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 5, TEXAS 8.</div>
AL: CLEVELAND at TEXAS <div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CLEVELAND (5) AT TEXAS (8) - EVENT LOG ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cleveland Starting Lineups -- G Sizemore CF, F Gutierrez RF, V Martinez C, T Hafner DH, J Peralta SS, R Garko 1B, B Francisco LF, M Rouse 3B, J Barfield 2B, C Lee LHP. Texas Starting Lineups -- R Vazquez 2B, M Young SS, M Teixeira 1B, S Sosa DH, M Byrd CF, B Wilkerson LF, G Laird C, J Hairston Jr RF, T Metcalf 3B, J Wright RHP. Umpires -- Hunter Wendelstedt (HP), Randy Marsh (1B), Bob Davidson (2B), Sam Holbrook (3B). Gametime Weather: 87 degrees, Clear, wind in from right at 13 mph. CLEVELAND 1ST: G Sizemore grounded out to first. F Gutierrez flied out to center. V Martinez walked. T Hafner walked, V Martinez to second. J Peralta struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 0, TEXAS 0. TEXAS 1ST: R Vazquez singled to right. M Young singled to right, R Vazquez to second. M Teixeira doubled to left, R Vazquez scored, M Young to third. S Sosa struck out looking. M Byrd doubled to deep right center, M Young and M Teixeira scored. B Wilkerson singled to left, M Byrd scored. G Laird doubled to deep left, B Wilkerson scored. G Laird to third on wild pitch by C Lee. J Hairston Jr fouled out to catcher. T Metcalf struck out looking. (5 Runs, 6 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 0, TEXAS 5. CLEVELAND 2ND: R Garko flied out to right. B Francisco grounded out to second. M Rouse fouled out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 0, TEXAS 5. TEXAS 2ND: R Vazquez popped out to second. M Young flied out to right. M Teixeira flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 0, TEXAS 5. CLEVELAND 3RD: J Barfield grounded out to third. G Sizemore walked. F Gutierrez singled to left, G Sizemore to second. V Martinez grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, F Gutierrez out at second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 0, TEXAS 5. TEXAS 3RD: S Sosa hit by pitch. F Catalanotto ran for S Sosa. M Byrd struck out swinging. F Catalanotto to second on wild pitch by C Lee. B Wilkerson flied out to right, F Catalanotto to third. G Laird flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 0, TEXAS 5. CLEVELAND 4TH: T Hafner grounded out to pitcher. J Peralta safe at first on error by third baseman T Metcalf. R Garko walked, J Peralta to second. B Francisco walked, J Peralta to third, R Garko to second. M Rouse walked, J Peralta scored, R Garko to third, B Francisco to second. J Barfield hit by pitch, R Garko scored, B Francisco to third, M Rouse to second. R Mahay relieved J Wright. G Sizemore grounded into fielder's choice to second, B Francisco scored, J Barfield out at second, M Rouse to third. F Gutierrez struck out swinging. (3 Runs, 0 Hits, 1 Error) CLEVELAND 3, TEXAS 5. TEXAS 4TH: J Hairston Jr flied out to left. T Metcalf popped out to shortstop. R Vazquez flied out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 3, TEXAS 5. CLEVELAND 5TH: V Martinez struck out swinging. T Hafner lined out to right. J Peralta struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 3, TEXAS 5. TEXAS 5TH: M Young struck out swinging. M Teixeira flied out to center. F Catalanotto reached on infield single to pitcher, F Catalanotto to second on throwing error by pitcher C Lee. M Byrd flied out to left. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 1 Error) CLEVELAND 3, TEXAS 5. CLEVELAND 6TH: R Garko singled to left. B Francisco grounded into fielder's choice to third, R Garko out at second. M Rouse struck out swinging. J Barfield struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 3, TEXAS 5. TEXAS 6TH: B Wilkerson flied out to right. G Laird struck out swinging. J Hairston Jr flied out to right. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 3, TEXAS 5. CLEVELAND 7TH: G Sizemore homered to right. J Benoit relieved R Mahay. F Gutierrez struck out swinging. V Martinez popped out to shortstop. T Hafner grounded out to shortstop. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 4, TEXAS 5. TEXAS 7TH: T Metcalf popped out to second. R Vazquez grounded out to shortstop. M Young singled to right. M Teixeira walked, M Young to second. A Melhuse hit for F Catalanotto. T Mastny relieved C Lee. A Melhuse walked, M Young to third, M Teixeira to second. M Byrd tripled to deep center, M Young, M Teixeira and A Melhuse scored. B Wilkerson bunt grounded out to pitcher. (3 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 4, TEXAS 8. CLEVELAND 8TH: J Peralta grounded out to third. R Garko singled to left. B Francisco grounded out to first, R Garko to second. C Blake hit for M Rouse. C Blake struck out looking. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 4, TEXAS 8. TEXAS 8TH: C Blake at third base. G Laird flied out to center. J Hairston Jr struck out looking. T Metcalf struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 4, TEXAS 8. CLEVELAND 9TH: B Wilkerson in right field. D Relaford in left field. E Gagne relieved J Benoit. J Barfield walked. G Sizemore flied out to center. T Nixon hit for F Gutierrez. T Nixon singled to center, J Barfield to second. J Barfield to third, T Nixon to second on wild pitch by E Gagne. V Martinez grounded out to first, J Barfield scored, T Nixon to third. T Hafner struck out swinging. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CLEVELAND 5, TEXAS 8.</div>
Rangers ride big first inning to win over Indians <h3>TEXAS 8, CLEVELAND 5</h3>ARLINGTON, Texas - After two consecutive ninth-inning ralliesfell just short, the Texas Rangers used a different tacticSaturday night to snap a three-game losing streak: a big firstinning. Texas scored five runs in the first inning and Marlon Byrd hadfive RBI to lead the Rangers to an 8-5 victory over theCleveland Indians. It was Texas' first win over the Indians in five meetings thisseason and seventh overall dating to last year. Cleveland hadwon the two previous nights, 7-5 and 3-2, each time securing thefinal out in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded. The Indians' loss, coupled with Detroit's victory over KansasCity, leaves the Tribe two games back in the hotly contestedAmerican League Central Division. The Rangers jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning offCleveland starter Cliff Lee (5-7) and never looked back. RamonVazquez and Michael Young each singled and Mark Teixeira doubledto drive in Vazquez for the game's first run. After Sammy Sosa struck out, Byrd doubled into center field toscore Young and Teixeira, and Brad Wilkerson followed withanother RBI single. Gerald Laird then launched a blast high offthe wall in left field for another double that broughtWilkerson home. It was the second time this season that Texas scored as many asfive runs in the first inning. Lee settled down after that, retiring 13 of the next 14 Rangersand allowing only two more hits, but the damage alreadyinflicted was enough to send the lefthander to his thirdstraight loss. He was pulled with two outs in the seventh afterYoung singled and Teixeira walked. He was charged with seven runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 inningswhile walking one and striking out five. Tom Mastny came in and walked pinch hitter Adam Melhuse to loadthe bases before Byrd drilled a line drive into the gap inleft-center for a three-run triple. The five RBI for Byrd, who snapped a 1-for-12 slump, matched hiscareer high, set in August 2004 with Philadelphia. The Indians got back into the game with a big fourth, scoringthree runs off Texas starter Jamey Wright without the benefit ofa hit. With one out, Jhonny Peralta's grounder got past rookiethird baseman Mike Rouse for an error. Wright walked the nextthree batters to force in a run. After Wright hit Josh Barfield on the hand to force in anotherrun, he was replaced by Ron Mahay. Grady Sizemore barely beatout what would have been an inning-ending double play to bringhome one more run. Wright lasted 3 1/3 innings, his shortest outing since he went 22/3 in his first start of the season on April 10. He gave upthree runs - just one earned - and just one hit, but only 38 ofhis 82 pitches were strikes as he walked six and hit a batter. Mahay (2-0) threw 2 2/3 innings in relief for the victory,despite surrendering a seventh-inning home run to Sizemore thatbrought the Indians within 5-4. Joaquin Benoit tossed two scoreless frames before handing theball to Eric Gange, who allowed a run in the non-save situation. Rangers designated hitter Sosa left the game in the third inningafter Lee hit him in the head with a pitch. The ball appearedto skim off Sosa's shoulder before catching him flush on theleft side of his head. After spending about two minutes down on one knee, Sosa walkedoff under his own power and did not return. The club announced that he was taken out of the game for"precautionary reasons" and was examined by their team doctor.He is listed as day-to-day.
Rangers ride big first inning to win over Indians <h3>TEXAS 8, CLEVELAND 5</h3>ARLINGTON, Texas (Ticker) - After two consecutive ninth-inningrallies fell just short, the Texas Rangers used a differenttactic Saturday night to snap a three-game losing streak: a bigfirst inning. Texas scored five runs in the first inning and Marlon Byrd hadfive RBI to lead the Rangers to an 8-5 victory over theCleveland Indians. It was Texas' first win over the Indians in five meetings thisseason and seven overall dating to last year. Cleveland had wonthe two previous nights, 7-5 and 3-2, each time securing thefinal out in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded. "It's big to get a win period, especially when it was rightthere last night and a base hit could have made a difference,"Texas manager Ron Washington said. "We've been playing goodbaseball. We've been right there." The Indians' loss, coupled with Detroit's victory over KansasCity, leaves the Tribe two games back in the hotly contestedAmerican League Central Division. The Rangers jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning offCleveland starter Cliff Lee (5-7) and never looked back. RamonVazquez and Michael Young each singled and Mark Teixeira doubledto drive in Vazquez for the game's first run. After Sammy Sosa struck out, Byrd doubled into center field toscore Young and Teixeira, and Brad Wilkerson followed withanother RBI single. Gerald Laird then launched a blast high offthe wall in left field for another double that broughtWilkerson home. It was the second time this season that Texas scored as many asfive runs in the first inning. "They were hitting everything (in the first)," Indians catcherVictor Martinez said. "After that, (Lee) was able to make hisoff-speed pitches when he fell behind in the count. He just hada really tough first inning, but he was able to battle to keepus in the game." Lee settled down after that, retiring 13 of the next 14 Rangersand allowing only two more hits, but the damage alreadyinflicted was enough to send the lefthander to his thirdstraight loss. He was pulled with two outs in the seventh afterYoung singled and Teixeira walked. He was charged with seven runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 inningswhile walking one and striking out five. "He was up a little in the first inning, but after that, he wasdown in the zone and was more aggressive," Cleveland managerEric Wedge said. "It isn't often that your starter struggleslike that in the first and then gets you to the seventh. Cliffwas disappointed with that first inning, but maybe somethingclicked inside him after that. The way he pitched the last sixwas the guy we've been looking for." Tom Mastny came in and walked pinch hitter Adam Melhuse to loadthe bases before Byrd drilled a line drive into the gap inleft-center for a three-run triple. "We finally put some runs on the board and put it out of reach,"Washington said. "That at-bat that Melhuse gave us was the keyright there, got Marlon up there. Mel did a good job ofworking him to get on the bag, got Marlon up there and Marlongot the blow. It definitely gave us some breathing room." The five RBI for Byrd, who snapped a 1-for-12 slump, matched hiscareer high, set in August 2004 with Philadelphia. "The big difference tonight was that the pitches that I got tohit, I actually put them in play, got good wood on them," Byrdsaid. "In the past couple of games, I fouled them off. It'sjust getting the right pitch and not missing." "Tonight he came up big," Washington said. "The double in thefirst and then that triple was huge. When pitchers makemistakes, he hasn't been missing." The Indians got back into the game with a big fourth, scoringthree runs off Texas starter Jamey Wright without the benefit ofa hit. With one out, Jhonny Peralta's grounder got past rookiethird baseman Travis Metcalf for an error. Wright walked thenext three batters to force in a run. After Wright hit Josh Barfield on the hand to force in anotherrun, he was replaced by Ron Mahay. Grady Sizemore barely beatout what would have been an inning-ending double play to bringhome one more run. Wright lasted 3 1/3 innings, his shortest outing since he went 22/3 in his first start of the season on April 10. He gave upthree runs - just one earned - and just one hit, but only 38 ofhis 82 pitches were strikes as he walked six and hit a batter. "It seemed like everything I did to try to correct it made itworse," Wright said. "I just didn't have it from the firstpitch on. Just battling out there trying to throw the ballright down the middle and couldn't do it. "Pretty embarrassing. I'm just trying to figure it out. It'sdefinitely a little easier to stomach since we won the game. Ifwe lost that game, it would have been tough." Mahay (2-0) threw 2 2/3 innings in relief for the victory,despite surrendering a seventh-inning home run to Sizemore thatbrought the Indians within 5-4. "I never thought we were out of it," Wedge said. "Our guys aregoing to keep battling and give us every opportunity to comeback." Joaquin Benoit tossed two scoreless frames before handing theball to Eric Gagne, who allowed a run in the non-save situation. "It was a good win," said Teixeira, who scored two runs. "Ateam effort, the bullpen was great, coming in and holding thelead. And then Marlon's triple to kind of make sure we had alittle cushion going into the ninth, was nice." Rangers designated hitter Sosa left the game in the third inningafter Lee hit him in the head with a pitch. The ball appearedto skim off Sosa's shoulder before catching him flush on theleft side of his head. After spending about two minutes down on one knee, Sosa walkedoff under his own power and did not return. The club announced that he was taken out of the game for"precautionary reasons" and was examined by their team doctor.He is listed as day-to-day. "He's fine," Washington said. "He checked out good, he wasmoving around in the clubhouse. We'll just wait and see how hefeels tomorrow."
