Darvish Leads Rangers To 6th Straight Win
SAN DIEGO (AP) – Yu Darvish settled down to hold San Diego to five hits over eight innings and got his first major league hit to help the Texas Rangers beat the San Diego Padres 4-2 on Wednesday for their sixth straight win.
Darvish (9-4), who struck out eight and walked three, leads all big league rookies with nine victories. He pitched for Japan at Petco Park in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
Yorvit Torrealba, who was with the Padres in 2010, drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the sixth to bring in Josh Hamilton with the go-ahead run. The Rangers swept the three-game series and improved to 12-3 in interleague play, the best in the majors this year.
The Padres have lost five of six since their only three-game sweep of the season, at Seattle last week. San Diego (24-46) has the worst record in the majors.
Joe Nathan pitched the ninth for his 15th save in 16 chances.
Darvish allowed multiple baserunners in the first two innings. He walked consecutive batters with one out in the first before getting Chase Headley to line out to second baseman Ian Kinsler, who doubled Cameron Maybin off second to end the inning.
After Alexi Amarista's double down the left field line was interfered with by a fan, putting runners on second and third with two outs in the first, Padres starter Anthony Bass singled just inside first base to give the Padres a 2-0 lead. Bass then stole the first base of his career.
Darvish hit a broken-bat single in the third for his first big league hit. He was promptly doubled off first after Amarista, the second baseman, caught Kinsler's liner, ending the inning.
Alberto Gonzalez, who was with San Diego last year, singled with two outs in the fifth to bring in David Murphy, who walked and stole second.
Bass (2-8) left with inflammation in his right shoulder after allowing one run and three hits in five innings. He struck out two and walked one.
The Rangers went ahead in the sixth with two runs on two hits and three walks off three relievers. With one out, Michael Young singled, Hamilton doubled and Adrian Beltre walked to load the bases against Dale Thayer (0-3). Nelson Cruz grounded to Headley at third base. Rather than going for the bag and then throwing to second, Headley threw to second for the second out but Amarista's throw to first didn't get Cruz, and Young scored.
Alex Hinshaw came on and walked pinch-hitter Craig Gentry. Brad Boxberger came on and walked Torrealba to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead.
Young hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
