Rays Fall In Texas, Lose Ground For Wild Card

The Texas Rangers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 6-5 on Monday night to open one of the bigger series this week in Major League Baseball.

Texas, winners of eight of their past 10 games, was paced by the red-hot Adrian Beltre, who made a bid to hit for the cycle for the second time in the past four days (he was a triple shy). The Rangers roughed up wins-leader David Price early, putting together rallies in both the second and third inning for five quick runs. Price had a sub-2.00 ERA in his last 12 starts but was no match for Beltre, who finished 3-3 with four RBI and a run scored.

Beltre and Nelson Cruz opened the scoring in the top of the second, going back-to-back off Price to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead. Beltre turned on the 1-1 fastball from Price and put it 10 rows deep in the left-field bleachers. One inning later, Beltre went the other way to the gap in right to score Josh Hamilton and Elvis Andrus, reclaiming the lead for Texas at 5-3.

Beltre would wrap up his big night with yet another RBI off Price in the fifth -- this one chasing the Tampa ace. With the game back to even, he once again turned on a 96 mph fastball, dropping a single down the line in front of Rays left-fielder Desmond Jennings. Andrus would easily jog home from third for what proved to be the winning run.

Derek Holland was steady on the mound for Texas, yielding three earned runs in six innings of work. Evan Longoria hit two-run shot down the left-field line in the top of the first, but Holland settled in after that to strike out five and walk just one.

Yu Darvish will now take the hill for Texas on Tuesday and try to clinch the series. James Shields will go for Joe Maddon.