Rangers 4, Orioles 3
ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers matched their 2014 win total by edging the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 Saturday night.
The win, the 67th for Texas, kept the Rangers in the No. 2 wild-card spot in the American League. The slumping Orioles have lost nine of their last 10 games.
With the game tied 3-3 in the sixth, the Orioles opted to intentionally walk Texas left fielder Will Venable to get to catcher Bobby Wilson with the go-ahead run at second base. That move backfired as Wilson looped a double to left off Mychal Givens to give the Rangers the lead for good.
Texas led 3-0 before Baltimore tied the game with three runs in the fifth off Martin Perez (2-3). First baseman Steve Pearce homered to open the inning, and shortstop Paul Janish and third baseman Manny Machado also had RBIs in the inning.
The Rangers jumped on Baltimore starter Ubaldo Jimenez (9-9) for three runs in the third. Right fielder Shin-Soo Choo brought home the game's first run with an RBI double. Two batters later third baseman Adrian Beltre drilled the 408th homer of his career -- a two-run shot -- to push the Texas lead to 3-0.
Perez was unhittable early, retiring the first 11 batters before Baltimore center fielder Adam Jones singled to left with two outs in the fourth.
Perez went 6 1/3 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits while striking out four. Shawn Tolleson worked around a leadoff single and a one-out walk in the ninth for his 28th save.
NOTES: Texas OF Josh Hamilton is able to swing a bat, but still hasn't been able to run on his sore left knee and might not come off the disabled list when the rosters expand Tuesday. ... Rangers 2B Rougned Odor was out the starting lineup Saturday. He hasn't played since Tuesday, when he injured the fingernail on his right middle finger. ... The Rangers have used 29 pitchers this season, which is the second-most in the American League. Only New York (31) has used more. ... Baltimore's priority will be to add pitching when rosters expand Sept. 1. RHP Chaz Roe, who has been on the disabled list since Aug. 10 with right shoulder tendinitis, is the only known player who will be added. ... Sunday ends a 33-game stretch of games against opponents outside the American League East for Baltimore. The Orioles play 26 of their final 32 games against AL East teams. ... With his win over Baltimore Friday, Texas LHP Cole Hamels became the second pitcher in history to win games in which he struck out at least 10 batters and allowed two or fewer hits for two teams in the same season (Rich Harden in 2008 with Oakland and the Chicago Cubs).