ScottDiamond
| SEASON | CAREER |
| W10 | 11 |
| L5 | 10 |
| G19 | 26 |
| IP128.0 | 167.0 |
| BB18 | 35 |
| SO70 | 89 |
RoyOswalt
| SEASON | CAREER |
| W4 | 163 |
| L2 | 95 |
| G10 | 349 |
| IP44.2 | 2198.0 |
| BB9 | 509 |
| SO43 | 1802 |
| SEASON | CAREER |
| W10 | 11 |
| L5 | 10 |
| G19 | 26 |
| IP128.0 | 167.0 |
| BB18 | 35 |
| SO70 | 89 |
| SEASON | CAREER |
| W4 | 163 |
| L2 | 95 |
| G10 | 349 |
| IP44.2 | 2198.0 |
| BB9 | 509 |
| SO43 | 1802 |
Texas' Adrian Beltre believes he has figured out what caused his power slump over the last month.
That can't be what the Minnesota Twins want to hear.
Coming off a three-homer performance, Beltre looks to continue to feast on Minnesota pitching and help the AL West-leading Rangers beat the Twins for the sixth time in seven games in Thursday night's opener of a four-game series.
Texas (72-51) made quick work of Baltimore on Wednesday, scoring nine times in the fourth inning en route to a 12-3 victory, its fourth win in five games. Mitch Moreland hit his first grand slam while Beltre homered twice in the pivotal fourth after also going deep to lead off the second. Both players finished with five RBIs.
Beltre increased his season home run total to 22 - becoming the ninth third baseman with 10 seasons of at least 20 - after homering just once in his previous 29 contests.
"I've been kind of struggling for a couple of weeks," Beltre said. "I've been working in the cages trying to find a comfort zone with my feet and hands."The last three days I stuck with something," he added.
The three-time All-Star appears to have a good shot of building on Thursday's success in this series. Beltre has hit safely in 12 consecutive games against the Twins, batting .408 with two homers, five doubles and 13 runs scored.
The Rangers are 5-1 against Minnesota (51-72) this season. Nelson Cruz has also played a big role in that success, batting .478 with six doubles in his last five contests in the series.
Texas, which has plated at least 10 runs in three of its last seven games overall, will get its first look at Scott Diamond (10-5, 2.95 ERA), Minnesota's leader in wins and ERA.
The left-hander gave up two runs and nine hits in 6 2-3 innings Saturday at Seattle, not factoring in the decision of a 3-2 defeat.
Diamond has either received more than enough run support or far too little in his seven starts since the All-Star break. He has received 39 runs of support in three wins, but has been backed by 10 total runs in his other four outings.
It's hard to predict what kind of support he'll get when the Twins face the inconsistent Roy Oswalt (4-2, 6.04), who has 12.38 ERA in three of his starts for Texas and a 1.54 ERA in the other four.
The right-hander is taking the ball for his second straight spot start, this time replacing the injured Yu Darvish (right quadriceps tightness). Oswalt filled in for Ryan Dempster (personal issues) on Saturday, and allowed one run, two hits and two walks in 4 2-3 innings of Texas' 2-1 victory over Toronto.
Oswalt was solid in his lone start of the season against the Twins on July 8, yielding one run and five hits in 5 2-3 innings in a 4-3, 13-inning win. He could be in line for another fine showing based on the current state of Minnesota's offense.
The Twins have lost 11 of 13, and in their last six defeats they've totaled nine runs while batting .180. Minnesota had anemic showings while losing its final two games in Oakland this week, singling four times in a 4-1 loss Wednesday and finishing with three hits in Thursday's 5-1 defeat.
Joe Mauer , 4 for 20 in his last five games, is batting .227 against Texas in 2012.
| HITTERS | AB | AVG | H | HR | RBI | BB | SO | OBP | OPS | SLG |
| Sean Burroughs | 10 | .300 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .300 | .700 | .400 |
| Jamey Carroll | 8 | .250 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .400 | .775 | .375 |
| Ryan Doumit | 19 | .316 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | .350 | .771 | .421 |
| Jason Marquis | 14 | .286 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .286 | .715 | .429 |
| Joe Mauer | 7 | .286 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .375 | .661 | .286 |
| Justin Morneau | 7 | .286 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .250 | .679 | .429 |
| Josh Willingham | 20 | .300 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | .440 | .840 | .400 |
Minnesota Twins |
|||
| Date | Player | Status | Injury |
| August 12, 2012 | Denard Span | Day-to-Day | Left game - right shoulder injury |
| July 25, 2012 | Anthony Swarzak | 15-Day DL | Mild right rotator cuff strain |
| July 25, 2012 | Anthony Swarzak | 15-Day DL | Mild right rotator cuff strain |
| July 21, 2012 | Trevor Plouffe | 15-Day DL | Bruised right thumb |
| July 21, 2012 | Trevor Plouffe | 15-Day DL | Bruised right thumb |
| July 17, 2012 | Matt Capps | 15-Day DL | Right rotator cuff irritation |
Texas Rangers |
|||
| Date | Player | Status | Injury |
| August 22, 2012 | Yu Darvish | Day-to-Day | Right quad tightness |
| August 11, 2012 | Mike Napoli | 15-Day DL | Strained left quadriceps |
| August 05, 2012 | Elvis Andrus | Day-to-Day | Left game - shoulder soreness |
| July 19, 2012 | Colby Lewis | 60-Day DL | Torn flexor tendon, right elbow |
| July 06, 2012 | Josh Hamilton | Day-to-Day | Left game - Lower back spasms |
| June 26, 2012 | Mark Lowe | 15-Day DL | Strained right intercostal muscle |
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Ron Washington was in a grateful mood after his 500th win as manager of the Texas Rangers .
Josh Hamilton had five RBIs and Mitch Moreland doubled in the go-ahead run during a six-run eighth inning that carried Texas to a 10-6 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday night.
"I think you have to give a lot of credit to the organization, the players, the coaches and everyone," said Washington, in his sixth season as a manager - all with the Rangers. "We got there fast. I didn't get there alone.
"I just hope I can be here and win 500 more."
Adrian Beltre had three hits, including his fourth homer in two days, and scored the tiebreaking run on Moreland's drive to left-center.
Minnesota starter Scott Diamond was ejected in the third by plate umpire Wally Bell after throwing a pitch behind Hamilton's head. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire also was tossed after immediately protesting Bell's decision.
"Anytime in an umpire's judgment they go in the head area, we have to take care of business. I felt at the time that he had to be ejected for it," Bell said.
Rangers starter Roy Oswalt had hit slugger Joe Mauer in the back in the preceding half-inning.
"I'm not going to get into that," Gardenhire said. "Everybody saw that, so I don't have to say anything about it.
"I've never seen it happen like that before."
A pair of Twins errors led to five unearned runs in the eighth as the AL West leaders sent 11 batters to the plate to break a 4-all tie. Geovany Soto , Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus also had RBIs in the inning.
Moreland entered in the sixth to replace designated hitter Michael Young , who left to witness the birth of his third son.
Beltre is hitting .529 with four home runs, two doubles and six RBIs in his last four games. He homered three times Wednesday night, twice in a nine-run fourth inning, and had five RBIs during a 12-3 victory over Baltimore.
Jared Burton (1-1) took the loss after giving up six runs on three hits and two walks in two-thirds of an inning.
Mike Adams (3-3) worked a scoreless eighth for the win. Joe Nathan entered in the ninth after Tanner Scheppers gave up two runs with two outs and converted his 22nd consecutive save opportunity and 25th of the season.
Minnesota left 14 runners on base.
Andrus' error on Denard Span 's grounder to shortstop let in the first runs the Rangers' bullpen had given up in 18 innings.
Beltre hit a one-out double in the eighth and Nelson Cruz reached on third baseman Trevor Plouffe 's error, setting the stage for Moreland's clutch hit.
David Murphy was intentionally walked to bring up Soto, who hit a grounder that shortstop Pedro Florimon bobbled for an error. Soto was credited with an RBI.
Kinsler drew a bases-loaded walk, Andrus knocked in a run with an infield single and Hamilton added a two-run single.
Oswalt started in place of Yu Darvish , skipped because of tightness in his right quadriceps. The right-hander gave up four runs and seven hits over 5 1-3 innings.
Diamond worked 2 1-3 innings, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks.
The Rangers took a 4-2 lead in the fifth on Beltre's 23rd home run and Hamilton's RBI single that scored Kinsler.
Oswalt was pulled after giving up successive hits to Matt Carson and Plouffe in the sixth.
Rangers reliever Michael Kirkman , who had retired 10 consecutive batters over his past three appearances, couldn't keep Oswalt's runners from scoring.
Carson came home on Florimon's groundout and Span tied it with a single.
Hamilton's double in the first scored Kinsler and Andrus to give Texas a 2-1 lead. The 2010 AL MVP is hitting .345 with 17 RBIs in the past 16 games.
"Down the stretch, he is our horse," Washington said. "So is Beltre, so is Moreland, so is Murphy. We've got a pretty good team."
NOTES: Span was back in the lineup after missing the previous nine games with a sore right shoulder sustained while diving for a ball in center field on Aug. 12 against Tampa Bay. ... Minnesota DH Josh Willingham was scratched because of a stiff neck. ... Washington said he doesn't expect catcher Mike Napoli back until Sept. 1. Napoli is on the disabled list with a strained left quadriceps.