advertisement

Dempster struggles in debut, but Rangers still win

ARLINGTON, Texas — Josh Hamilton drove in four runs and the Rangers offense bailed out Ryan Dempster in his Texas debut in a 15-9 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night.

The Rangers broke an 8-8 tie after six innings when they scored four runs in the seventh, including Hamilton’s two-run double, and added three in the eighth.

Dempster allowed eight runs and nine hits in 4 2/3 innings. The Rangers acquired Dempster from the Cubs minutes before Tuesday’s nonwaiver trade deadline.

Roy Oswalt (4-2) threw two scoreless innings in relief for the win.

C.J. Wilson gave up eight runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings. David Carpenter (0-1) took the loss for the Angels.

Texas leads Los Angeles by five games in the AL West.

Ian Kinsler went 3 for 5 and scored four runs and Elvis Andrus and Michael Young also had two hits and two RBIs as Texas finished with 18 hits.

Mitch Moreland and David Murphy hit back-to-back pinch-hit singles before Hamilton’s double in the seventh.

Outfielder Torii Hunter led the Angels with three hits, two RBIs and a run scored. Kendrys Morales went 2 for 5 with a homer and two RBIs. Albert Pujols, Alberto Callaspo and Howie Kendrick added two hits each for Los Angeles.

The Rangers earned a split of the four-game series after Wednesday’s night’s 11-10 win in 10 innings. It was the Rangers first time scoring in double figures in consecutive games since May 7-8.

Besides Dempster, catcher Geovany Soto and rookie first baseman Mike Olt made their Texas Rangers debuts.

Soto went 2 for 5 with two RBIs and two runs scored, and Olt, a rookie from the University of Connecticut, went 1 for 3 with a run scored.

NOTES: Mike Olt was called up from Double-A Frisco Thursday and made his major league debut at first base just hours later. Rangers manager Ron Washington said Olt will mostly start at first base and also at designated hitter against left-handed starters. Olt can also play third base when Adrian Beltre has a day off. ... Angels outfielder Mike Trout was selected A.L. Player of the Month and A.L. Rookie of the Month for July. He’s the first A.L. player to win both Player of the Month and Rookie of the Month in the same month. Trout also won the monthly rookie honor in May and June, joining Ichiro Suzuki (April, May and June 2001) as the only player to win in three straight months.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.