A 5-3 win over Los Angeles Thursday assured them of at least a wild card spot and eliminated the Angels from the West. Any Rangers win or Houston loss over the final three days of the season will give Texas its sixth AL West title; it’s first since 2010. Los Angeles lost Wednesday and is in third place and three games back of Texas. The Angels are also tied with the Minnesota Twins. The Astros are off Thursday before three games this weekend at Arizona. With two outs, Ross Ohlendorf walked No. 9 hitter Johnny Giavotella and then allowed a run-scoring single to Erick Aybar.
Advertisement
Adrian Beltre’s bases-loaded double was the key hit in a four-run fifth inning and Derek Holland pitched the Rangers into the seventh inning before the bullpen locked things down. Tyler Wilson (2-2, 3.60) makes his fifth career start in a game moved to 12:05 p.m. EDT from 7:05 due to the threat of rain. After a one-out walk by Robinson Chirinos, Delino DeShields delivered a double to left to tie the game. He doubled and scored the first run in the second.
Shin-Soo Choo, who singled and scored before Beltre’s homer in the first, has an eight-game hitting streak and is batting. He then walked Choo on the next pitch. While Texas has won six of nine to hold a three-game advantage over Los Angeles, the latter had claimed seven victories in a row before a season-high four errors led to its undoing in an 8-7 setback to Oakland on Wednesday.
Angels: Manager Mike Scioscia said closer Huston Street (groin) was still unavailable.
Texas got even in the bottom of the first on Beltre’s 17th homer, a shot to left-center field.
Detroit Tigers’ Andrew Romine walks back to the dugout after striking out in the fifth inning of …
Advertisement
As it turned out, he started anyway, because he pulled Heaney after the Beltre double, bringing in another lefty, Jose Alvarez, for just three batters. Hamilton’s double in the second was his first extra-base hit since a homer on August 14. Left fielder Josh Hamilton made an over the shoulder catch before banging into the wall on the sac fly. J. Hamilton hit a sacrifice fly to center fielder Trout, Beltre scored.
