Rangers 5, Rays 3
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas Rangers left fielder Josh Hamilton had a home run and drove in two runs, including the go-ahead run in the Rangers' two-run eighth inning, to help the Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 victory on Friday night.
Shortstop Elvis Andrus also had a run-scoring single in the inning for Texas, which snapped the Rays' four-game win streak.
Right-handed reliever Sam Dyson (4-4) earned the victory with an inning of work in the eighth. Right-hander Shawn Tolleson picked up his 22nd save with a scoreless ninth for the Rangers (57-57).
Rays left-hander Jake McGee (1-2) suffered the loss.
Left fielder Desmond Jennings, who was reinstated off the 60-day disabled list on Friday, and shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera each went 3-for-4 for Tampa Bay (58-57). Third baseman Evan Longoria had two RBIs and Jennings one.
Tampa Bay's Nos. 5 through 9 hitters had 10 of the Rays' 12 hits. The Rays went 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
Texas had only two hits in the game until center fielder Delino DeShields tied the game in the seventh with his first career home run, a solo blast to left.
In the Rangers' eighth, third baseman Adrian Beltre started the decisive rally with a one-out base hit and advanced to third on first baseman Mitch Moreland's single. Beltre scored the game-winning run on Hamilton's sacrifice fly to center.
Hamilton also had solo home run in the second.
Both starting pitchers took no-decisions.
Tampa Bay right-hander Nathan Karns, who grew up in Arlington and leads all rookies with 125 strikeouts, had trouble with his command in 4 2/3 innings of work, giving up two runs on two hits and walking five.
Texas starter Martin Perez gave up three runs on eight hits and a walk over six innings. One run was unearned and came after Perez's errant pickoff throw in the second allowed Cabrera to advance to third and later score on Jennings' single.
Texas designated hitter Prince Fielder had his five-game hitting streak snapped, though he was robbed of a two-run home run by a leaping catch by center fielder Kevin Kiermaier in the fifth.
Jennings' RBI single in the second inning tied the game at 1-1.
Hamilton put Texas ahead 2-1 with a solo home run in the bottom of the second.
In the third, the Rays took their first lead when Longoria's double to left-center scored catcher Curt Casali and right fielder Brandon Guyer. That put Tampa Bay ahead 3-2.
Karns entered the game with a 7.86 ERA in the first inning this season, and it appeared that trend would continue. But he managed to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the frame with minimal damage.
After Karns hit DeShields and walked right fielder Shin-Soo Choo and Fielder to load the bases with no outs, Beltre bailed him out with a grounder to third. Tampa third baseman Longoria stepped on third for the force out and threw across the diamond for the double play.
DeShields scored on the play, but after Moreland popped out to end the inning, Karns was only behind 1-0.
NOTES: Rays OF Desmond Jennings was reinstated from the 60-day disabled list on Friday and started in left field. ... Rangers LHP Cole Hamels, who skipped his last start because of a sore left groin, completed a bullpen with no issues on Friday. He will be re-evaluated Saturday. ... An MRI on the left knee of Texas OF Josh Hamilton showed no structural damage. He was back in the lineup on Friday against Tampa Bay after missing the past two games.