Tommy Hunter gets help from Josh Hamilton and Vladimir Guerrero to get win No. 10
Tommy Hunter rebounded after two poor outings in a row to defeat the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 on Sunday to earn win No. 10 since getting called up in June.
His performance Sunday was much like his first start for the team on 5 June against the Tampa Bay Rays. He pitched a complete game then giving up five hits and one earned run with four strikeouts; Sunday against the Orioles he lasted eight innings giving up five hits and three earned runs with no strikeouts. Hunter had only lasted three innings in his previous two starts giving up six hits and four earned runs in each.
Hunter got plenty of help from AL MVP candidate Josh Hamilton and a former AL MVP in Vladimir Guerrero. Hamilton continued to make his case for the honor this season with home run No. 28 to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead in the first innings. Guerrero, who won the award in 2004 when he played with the Anaheim Angels, added another home run in the fifth to make the score 6-1.
Hamilton has made a strong case to win the AL MVP. His batting average is the best in both the American and National League by far at .357 (second place belongs to Miguel Cabrera with .341); his 28 home runs are fourth in the American League and his 88 RBIs rank sixth. Since 1 June he has hit well over .400.
Texas had been having a tough time during the current road trip having been swept in a three game series with Tampa Bay and losing two of four to the lowly Baltimore Orioles.
Neftali Feliz continued to make his case for AL Rookie of the Year honors with save No. 31 in 34 chances to preserve the win for the Rangers.
The win improved Texas to 69-54 on the season, and with both the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angles losing Sunday their lead in the AL West increased to eight games.
Texas will return home on Monday for a seven game home stand starting with the Minnesota Twins and finishing off with a weekend series against the Oakland Athletics. Rich Harden is scheduled to start the first of a four game series for the Rangers on Monday against Nick Blackburn for the Twins. It will be the first start for Harden since going on the disabled list 7 August with tendinitis in his right shoulder.
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