ARLINGTON, Texas (Ticker) -- Chone Figgins gave the Anaheim Angels a huge lift in the tight American League West Division race.

Figgins tripled and scored in the eighth inning and Bartolo Colon allowed three hits in eight innings as the Angels rallied for a 5-3 victory over the Texas Rangers .

"Figgins has been doing it all year long," Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia said. "You can see the explosive player he is. He's basically in scoring position when he's in the batters' box."

After hitting a line drive just foul down the left field line with two outs in the eighth, Figgins plated David Eckstein with a bloop triple to right on the next pitch from Texas starter Kenny Rogers (17-9) to even the score, 3-3.

"He kept pitching me away and I thought he was going to come inside," Figgins said. "He came away again and I was just trying to make sure I stayed on the ball."

Figgins scored the go-ahead run one batter later on a sharp grounder to first by Darin Erstad , narrowly avoiding catcher Ken Huckaby 's tag.

"If it was hit to the right side I knew I was going," Figgins said. "I made it look like I was going to come straight in and I slid around him. That's the best way to do it in that situation."

Figgins provided the Angels with some breathing room with a run-scoring single in the ninth.

The Rangers did not get a hit off Colon until David Dellucci singled with two outs in the fourth, but Kevin Mench followed with a two-run homer to left that gave Texas a 3-1 lead.

"He had good stuff tonight," Dellucci said. "He could spot his fastball just about anywhere. When you're throwing that at 96, it's tough."

Colon did not allow another hit until the ninth, when Hank Blalock and Michael Young led off with consecutive singles. Mark Teixeira singled off closer Troy Percival to load the bases with nobody out, but Percival got Dellucci and Mench to pop out and struck out Brian Jordan for his 31st save in 36 chances.

"I expect to get the job done in that situation," Percival said. "That's the way it's supposed to happen. Let your starter go as long as he can when he's pitching well, and then it's my job to come out and stop it."

"(Blalock) and those guys are up there to get on base or hit a home run," Mench said. "Those guys did what they needed to do and got Colon out of there. Me and (Dellucci) and (Jordan) just couldn't get the job done."

It was Colon's fourth win in five starts and he improved to 6-0 against the Rangers this season.

"It means a lot to the ballclub, especially to be able to take the ball and pitch well against teams in the division," Colon said. "Because every time you beat that team, you're gaining ground on them."

Rogers allowed four runs and six hits in 7 1/3 innings in his bid for his career-high 18th win.

Anaheim remained one game behind the Oakland Athletics in the AL West while Texas dropped three games out. Oakland defeated last-place Seattle, 6-5, on Monday.

The Rangers have lost three of four since sweeping the Athletics to get back into the pennant race.

"This is a three-team race," Scioscia said. "The season isn't made or over with tonight's game. The challenge is still ahead of us and I know in the other clubhouse they're feeling the same way."