Desmond's blast lifts Rangers over Astros

[June 08, 2016]  ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers haven't needed any extra motivation in racing to the American League's best record in the first part of 2016.

And neither did Ian Desmond.

But together they both got a little extra inspiration on Tuesday and cashed in on yet another victory over the Houston Astros.

Desmond's two-run homer off Dallas Keuchel sent Texas to yet another victory over Houston, 4-3 on Tuesday night.

With the victory, Texas is 8-0 against Houston this year and has won 12 consecutive games over the Astros at Globe Life Park in Arlington, including the first two of this four-game series.

"He's locked in," manager Jeff Banister said. "He's been there before in those situations. They're not new to him. He's got a lot to prove in his mind and that makes him a dangerous player. We're lucky to have him. He's come up with some huge home runs, big hits -- up and down the game -- but there have been some special ones late in the ballgame."

Desmond went 2-for-4 and Jurickson Profar extended his hitting streak to 11 games, matching the club's season high. Profar, making his professional debut at first base, also was 2-for-4, including a base hit in the eighth preceding Desmond's home run.

Jake Diekman (1-1), who struck out two in an inning of relief in the eighth, earned the victory in support of Cole Hamels, who gave up two runs on four hits and four walks while striking out four over seven innings.

Carlos Gomez had a home run off the Texas left-hander, a two-run shot in the second, while Marwin Gonzalez had a single and double. Gomez's home run was the 10th given up by Hamels in his last 10 starts.

Right-hander Sam Dyson gave up a one-out, run-scoring single to Luis Valbuena in the top of the ninth, but with the tying run on third, struck out pinch-hitter Tony Kemp and George Springer to end the game and earn his eighth save for Texas, which is 11-2 in its last 13 games and owners of the American League's best record at 36-22.

Since taking over the closer's job on May 18, Dyson has converted six of six save opportunities and has a 2.53 ERA.

Desmond, left unsigned during free agency after a poor 2015 with the Washington Nationals, continued to swing one of the major's hottest bats. He has hits in 13 of his last 15 games and is hitting .412 during that span. In his last 44 games, the Texas center fielder is hitting .361 with eight home runs, 15 doubles and 36 RBIs after starting a frigid .109.

He and his teammates got an extra push from Houston in the form of bulletin-board material out of the Astros' clubhouse, where reliever Ken Giles vented after another loss to Texas on Monday.

In the Rangers clubhouse before the game were Giles' words for all to see: "We have more talent than this team (Rangers) does. ... We're gonna have to go out there tomorrow and just put them to the ground."

Desmond simply said "next," while declining to say whether he was thinking about those words as he came up in the eighth. Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus was slightly incredulous, saying just "shut up and play."

"To be quite honest, they don't need any bulletin board material they way they've against us," manager A.J. Hinch said. "If we don't like it, we've got to play better and find a way to score one more run than they do.

"I think the emotions run high in these games. You can see the rivalry that's developed. They've handed it to us over the course of this season and most of last season. I don't really care about the bulletin-board material. I don't really care if they take something out of it. I care about us playing our style of baseball and finding a way to beat them."

 Rangers center fielder Ian Desmond (20) celebrates hitting a two run home run against the Houston Astros during the eighth inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Rangers defeat the Astros 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

A lot of teams are having trouble finding a way to beat Texas these days.

The Rangers improved to 12-4 in one-run games, second-best in the majors behind Philadelphia, and 9-0 in such games at home.

On Tuesday, the double play was Hamels' friend. He induced three of them, including a 6-4-3 that erased Astros runners at the corners with one out in the seventh and the game tied at 2-2. The Rangers have turned a league-leading 81 double plays.

"The four walks were a little uncharacteristic," Banister said, "but he found a way to work his way out of some jams. He's a veteran pitcher with exceptional stuff."

Keuchel (3-8) suffered the loss, giving up all four Texas runs on 10 hits and a wild pitch while matching a season-high in strikeouts with eight. His eight losses match his total for all of 2015 when he won the AL Cy Young Award.

The Astros, who entered winners of eight of their last 10, have lost two straight.

For Texas, Ryan Rua had an RBI double and Bobby Wilson broke an 0-for-14 skid with a single and a solo home run in the fifth that tied the game. Defensively, Profar was good, recording eight putouts and one assist off a hard hit ball he knocked down on a backhand. He calmly recovered and flipped to Hamels covering.

"I tell myself when I go up there 'you're prepared.' If you're prepared for the at-bat then the rest will take care of itself," Desmond said. "You worry about yourself, your at-bats, your job. Everybody on the team if everybody takes care of No. 1, you get a really good Texas Rangers team."

NOTES: Texas RHP A.J. Griffin (shoulder soreness) will begin a rehabilitation assignment Thursday at Double-A Frisco. He will throw 45-to-50 pitches. ... Rangers 1B Mitch Moreland was out of the lineup for a second consecutive game while battling a 5-for-56 skid. Jurickson Profar made his first start at any level at first for Texas. ... The Rangers' rotation was 7-0 with a 2.96 ERA during in the previous nine games entering Tuesday. ... Houston's Jose Altuve remained the leading vote-getter among AL second baseman for the All-Star Game, according to updates released Tuesday. Altuve had 893,332 votes to Kansas City's Omar Infante (622,683). Texas SS Elvis Andrus was the only Rangers player ranked in the top five at his position. He was fifth, behind leader Xander Bogaerts of Boston.

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