AMERICAN LEAGUE

Rangers remain in playoff chase

Texas Rangers' Jurickson Profar, second from left, arrives home to teammates celebrating his walk-off home run off Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Michael Kohn during the ninth inning of a baseball game, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers won 6-5. (AP Photo/Jim Cowsert)
Texas Rangers' Jurickson Profar, second from left, arrives home to teammates celebrating his walk-off home run off Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Michael Kohn during the ninth inning of a baseball game, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers won 6-5. (AP Photo/Jim Cowsert)

ARLINGTON, Texas - Pinch-hitter Jurickson Profar homered leading off the ninth inning, and the Texas Rangers overcame a four-error inning to beat the Los Angeles Angels 6-5 on Thursday night to keep pace in the playoff chase.

The Rangers started the day a game behind Cleveland for the second wild-card spot in the American League. The Indians beat Minnesota 6-5 on Thursday.

It was the fourth consecutive time the Rangers have beaten the Angels on a walkoff home run at home. Theydid it each time in a three game sweep in late July.

Texas Manager Ron Washington said he was just looking for a leadoff hit when he went with Profar after sending Lance Berkman to the on deck circle in the bottom of the eighth.

“And he gave me the opposite of what I was looking for,” Washington said. “But it was huge.”

The Rangers swept the Angels in late July with consecutive walk-off home runs from Geovany Soto, Leonys Martin and Adrian Beltre.

Profar’s sixth home run landed about 10 rows into the stands down the right-field line. It was off Michael Kohn (1-4), who also gave up Beltre’s winning blast on July 31.

“It’s definitely weird, four walkoffs in a row,” Kohn said. “It’s not the ballpark. It’s just a matter of executing pitches.”

Joe Nathan (6-2) got the victory after striking out two with a runner at third and one out in the top of the ninth.

“We’re alive another day,” said Texas starter Matt Garza, who gave up 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings but allowed just 1 earned run because of the defensive meltdown behind him. “That’s what we’re playing for right now. We’re just playing to get in any way we can do it.”

Josh Hamilton, back in Texas with a chance to damage the postseason hopes of a team he helped lead to consecutive World Series in 2010 and 2011, went 1 for 3 with two walks. He was on third in the ninth when Mark Trumbo struck out to end the inning.

Trumbo snapped an 0-for-25 skid with three hits, including a tying single in the seventh that drove home Kole Calhoun, who had a leadoff triple off Tanner Scheppers.

An inning earlier, Leonys Martin put Texas ahead with a big double for the second consecutive night. Martin’s two-out double into the gap in right-center scored Craig Gentry (Arkansas, Fort Smith), who had three singles, and pinch-runner Adam Rosales for a 5-4 Texas lead.

The Angels scored three unearned runs for a 4-3 lead in the second when the Rangers set a club record with a four-error inning.

There were two outs with the bases empty when first baseman Mitch Moreland booted a ground ball from Andrew Romine.

After a single by J.B. Shuck, second baseman Ian Kinsler let a routine grounder from Erick Aybar get past him into shallow right field. Romine scored easily from second, and Kinsler got another error when his throw hit Shuck in the back at third, allowing Aybar to take second.

Adrian Beltre’s throwing error on an infield single by Mike Trout allowed Aybar to score the third unearned run.

Garza kept the game close in the fifth, with a little help from his defense. After consecutive singles from Howie Kendrick and Calhoun, Kendrick was thrown out at homeby Gentry on a single to left by Trumbo.

After Chris Iannetta walked to load the bases with one out, Garza got Romine on a fly ball to shallow right and Shuck on a soft liner to Moreland.

Angels starter Jerome Williams gave up 9 hits and 3 runs in 5 innings and left with a chance to match his career high with a win in five consecutive starts. He did it his rookie year in 2003.

ORIOLES 3, BLUE JAYS 2 Miguel Gonzalez pitched seven innings of two-hit ball, Matt Wieters homered and drove in two runs, and host Baltimore beat Toronto. Nick Markakis had two hits and an RBI for the Orioles, who won the season series 10-9.

ROYALS 3, WHITE SOX 2 Jeremy Guthrie pitched seven strong innings and David Lough hit a two-run home run to lead visiting Kansas City to a victory over Chicago. One day after being eliminated from the postseason, the Royals earned their 84th victory, their most since 1993. Guthrie (15-12) became the Royals’ third 15-game winner since 1997. He gave up 2 runs and 4 hits, striking out 4 and allowing 1 walk.

RAYS 4, YANKEES 0 Mariano Rivera, baseball’s most acclaimed relief pitcher, made an emotional exit in his final appearance in the Yankees’ home pinstripes when captain Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte came to the mound to remove him with two outs in the ninth inning of a 4-0 loss to Tampa Bay. The Rays won their seventh consecutive and lead the AL wild-card race.

INDIANS 6, TWINS 5 Reliever Joe Smith struck out pinch-hitter Oswaldo Arcia to end a ninth-inning rally and Cleveland won its seventh consecutive game, holding off Minnesota to keep its edge in the AL wild-card race.

NATIONAL LEAGUE BRAVES 7, PHILLIES 1 Jason Heyward had a career-high five hits, including a leadoff home run, and Atlanta rode a five-run first inning to a victory over visiting Philadelphia. The victory pulled the Braves even with idle St. Louis at 94-65. Rookie David Hale (1-0) got his first major league win in his second career start, allowing 1 run in 6 innings while striking out 5.

PADRES 3, DIAMONDBACKS 2 Alexi Amarista hit an RBI single in the 11th inning, lifting host San Diego over Arizona. Josh Collementer (5-5) intentionally walked Nick Hundley to load the bases, and Amarista slapped a single through a drawn-in infield.

BREWERS 4, METS 2 Scooter Gennett capped a four-run second inning with a two-run single and visiting Milwaukee overcame some wild pitching that included the beaning of David Wright for a victory over New York.

Wright was hit in the helmet by a pitch from Thursday’s games NATIONAL LEAGUE San Diego 3, Arizona 2, 11 innings Milwaukee 4, NY Mets 2 Atlanta 7, Philadelphia 1 LA Dodgers at San Francisco, (n) AMERICAN LEAGUE Tampa Bay 4, NY Yankees 0 Baltimore 3, Toronto 2 Texas 6, LA Angels 5 Cleveland 6, Minnesota 5 Kansas City 3, Chicago White Sox 2

Sports, Pages 17 on 09/27/2013

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