Pujols homers twice off Unit, but Giants hold off Cardinals
Randy Johnson won his third straight decision and 303rd of his career despite surrendering two home runs to Albert Pujols in …

Byrd leads homer barrage in victory
Byrd leads homer barrage in victory Marlon Byrd hit two of Texas’ season-high five home runs and drove in five runs to lead the Rangers to a 9-5 victory over the Angels on Tuesday.

Angels make it 6 in row with win at Texas (PA SportsTicker)
By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Sports Writer

Manny drops to seventh among OFs in NL All-Star voting
Manny Ramirez dropped one spot to seventh place in All-Star voting among NL outfielders with four days remaining in balloting for starters.

Hamilton expects to be back in Texas lineup soon (AP)

All-Star center fielder Josh Hamilton expects to return to the Texas Rangers lineup this weekend after a trip to Iowa for at least one more rehab game. “That's been my target the whole time, to get back some time during the homestand,” Hamilton said Tuesday after working out with the Rangers.

Red Sox’s Lowell has fluid drained, hip injection
Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell had fluid drained from his ailing right hip Monday in Boston, and received an injection that might relieve inflammation in his surgically repaired joint.

Rangers promote Borbon for major league debut (AP)
The Texas Rangers promoted outfielder Julio Borbon to bolster a short bench, and put him in the lineup Monday night for his major league debut. Right-handed Willie Eyre was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City. The Rangers had eight relievers with only three players on the bench before the move. Borbon, who was hitting .298 in 71 games at Triple-A Oklahoma City, was set to play as the Rangers opened a…

Rangers’ OPS dip leads to struggles
Rangers’ OPS dip leads to struggles Judging by OPS, first base has been a big offensive problem for the Rangers this season. First base is just one of the positions to see a large dip this season.

Rays ruin Halladay’s return and top Blue Jays
Carl Crawford and Pat Burrell homered and the Tampa Bays Rays ruined Roy Halladay’s return with their sixth straight victory, 4-1 over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night.

Rangers ink second-rounder Mendonca
Second-rounder Mendonca inks with Texas The Rangers signed Tommy Mendonca, their second-round pick in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, on Monday.

Sater honored as ‘All-Star Among Us’
Sater honored as ‘All-Star Among Us’ Texas’ “All-Star” is Ben Sater of Plano, Tex., who was chosen by fans across the nation for engaging young people around the world in initiatives.

Gaudin’s 8 scoreless IP lead Padres over Rangers (AP)

Chad Gaudin is suddenly pitching like an ace for a battered San Diego pitching staff that can use the boost. Gaudin allowed one hit over eight scoreless innings, the first opposing pitcher to do that at Rangers Ballpark, and the Padres beat the stumbling Texas Rangers 2-0 on Sunday night to win their first series in a month.

Rangers Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

Outfielder Nelson Cruz hasn’t been playing much lately, but manager Ron Washington insists Cruz hasn’t been benched. Cruz was out of the lineup for the second consecutive game Sunday and the third time in the past five games.

“I just think a couple of days off will do him some good,” Washington said. “When we came back late from that long road trip, he looked a little fatigued. I was playing him every day for weeks at a time. He’s trying hard out there and I don’t want him to try too hard.”

Cruz is hitting just .173 in June, which ranks 115th among the 120 AL batting qualifiers. Over the last 20 days, it’s just .138. He snapped a 0-for-18 slump during the series at Arizona.

But the time off isn’t the only step Washington has taken.

Borbon called up for big league debut
Borbon called up for big league debut The Rangers, looking for something to get their offense going, have brought up outfielder Julio Borbon from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Rangers have plan for Hamilton’s return from DL (AP)
Texas Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton will begin his comeback from abdominal surgery as the designated hitter for Double-A Frisco. Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said Hamilton, who last played May 31, will lead off and get as many at-bats as possible for the RoughRiders on Monday night in their last game before the Double-A All-Star break.

Texas Rangers News: Josh Hamilton May Return From Injury Before All-Star Break

OK, let’s all take a deep breath. Josh Hamilton could return from injury sooner than expected.

Lannan, Dunn help carry Nats over Orioles
John Lannan took a four-hitter into the eighth inning, Adam Dunn hit a colossal home run, and the Washington Nationals defeated …

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Manny goes 2-for-2, homers in Class A for Inland Empire
Manny Ramirez homered in his first at-bat as the designated hitter for the Single A Inland Empire 66ers as the Los Angeles Dodgers …

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Rangers have a leak that requires fixing

The fall from first place resumed Saturday night. On an evening when 25,410 fans mostly sat in steamy silence, the only steady breeze seemed to come from the Texas Rangers‘ bats.

Rangers‘ Byrd not hiding connection to Conte

Byrd confirmed Friday that this is the second season he has taken supplements from Conte, the founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative. BALCO was at the center of a wide-ranging scandal that enveloped several top-level athletes, including Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery and Barry Bonds .

Rangers have plan for Hamilton’s return from DL (AP)
Texas Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton will begin his comeback from abdominal surgery as the designated hitter for Double-A Frisco. Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said Hamilton, who last played May 31, will lead off and get as many at-bats as possible for the RoughRiders on Monday night in their last game before the Double-A All-Star break.

Burnett dominates as Yankees one-hit Mets in Subway Series
A.J. Burnett combined with two relievers on a one-hitter, Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada made Citi Field seem small with opposite-field …

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Blanks leads Padres past Rangers 7-3 (AP)

Even without much help from slugger Adrian Gonzalez, the San Diego Padres had one of their best offensive games of 2009. Rookie Kyle Blanks drove in three runs and the Padres had a season-high 16 hits, beating the Texas Rangers 7-3 Saturday night. The Nos. 5-9 hitters were 12 for 22 and scored six runs for San Diego.

Cardinals acquire infielder DeRosa from Indians
The Cleveland Indians traded infielder Mark DeRosa to the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night for reliever Chris Perez and …

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Phillies confirm player involved in confrontation with fan in Tampa
The World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies confirmed one of their players was involved in a confrontation with a fan following …

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SlumpBot .200: Where Johan Santana has been falling short (Yahoo! Sports)
Using the best technology available to us, SlumpBot .200 identifies a few players who are currently having a bit…

Rangers‘ bats emerging from rare slump
Texas’ bats emerging from rare slump The Rangers opened a crucial nine-game homestand Friday night hoping that they are finally over their offensive doldrums.

Hamels ejected as Blue Jays shut down Phillies again
Ricky Romero held Philadelphia hitless for six innings and Aaron Hill hit a two-run double in the Toronto Blue Jays’ 6-1 victory …

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Farm Crop: Rangers top 20 prospects
Farm Crop: Rangers top 20 prospects With the short-season leagues under way, Jamey Newberg presents his top 20 prospects in the Rangers‘ system in his latest Farm Crop.

Feliz selected for Futures Game
Feliz selected for Futures Game Neftali Feliz, the 21-year-old Dominican who can throw 98 mph, will represent the Rangers on the International team at the Futures Game.

Rangers Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

It’s looking more and more realistic that outfielder Josh Hamilton could return to the lineup in time to play in the All-Star Game if he maintains his slim position among the AL starters.

Hamilton, who had abdominal surgery June 9, took batting practice on the field for the first time on Thursday and also ran at “100 percent.”

If Hamilton has no issues Friday, he should run the bases and slide this weekend. He could begin a rehab assignment some time next week.

Manager Ron Washington thought Hamilton would need a minimum of three or four games of rehab work before returning to the lineup. Nevertheless, the Rangers seem to have legitimate hope that he could be back in time for a road trip to Anaheim and Seattle that begins July 6.

Washington said he would…

Feliz selected for Futures Game
Feliz selected for Futures Game Neftali Feliz, the 21-year-old Dominican who can throw 98 mph, will represent the Rangers on the International team at the Futures Game.

Wilson, Francisco in any order suits Texas
Wilson, Francisco in any order suits Texas Whether Frank Francisco sets up C.J. Wilson, or vice versa, the Rangers have a duo to be reckoned with at the back end of the bullpen.

Rangers defeat Diamondbacks 2-1 (AP)

After losing five straight games, Texas was in danger of dropping out of first place in the AL West for the first time since May 5. Thanks to Vicente Padilla and some timely hits, the Rangers still own a share of the division lead. Padilla pitched seven sharp innings, Taylor Teagarden and David Murphy drove in a run each and the Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-1 on Wednesday night to…

Farm Crop: Rangers top 20 prospects
Farm Crop: Rangers top 20 prospects With the short-season leagues under way, Jamey Newberg presents his top 20 prospects in the Rangers‘ system in his latest Farm Crop.

Rangers‘ Byrd using products from Conte
Rangers‘ Byrd using products from Conte Rangers center fielder Marlon Byrd said Wednesday he has been using supplements supplied by Victor Conte, the founder and former president of the Bay Area Co-Operative Laboratory (BALCO).

Vizquel eyes Venezuelan hits mark
Vizquel eyes Venezuelan hits mark Omar Vizquel goes into Thursday’s game needing one hit to become the all-time Major League leader in hits for a native of Venezuela.

Struggling Cruz gets a breather
Struggling Cruz gets a breather Rangers manager Ron Washington gave Nelson Cruz a breather on Wednesday in hopes of helping the outfielder break out of his recent funk.

Progress may have Hamilton back soon
Progress may have Hamilton back soon Josh Hamilton has made significant progress in recent days, and the injured Rangers outfielder is eager to return to action.

Vizquel becomes all-time Venezuelan hits leader (AP)
Texas Rangers shortstop Omar Vizquel singled in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks for his 2,678th career hit, the most ever by a native of Venezuela. The 42-year-old Vizquel moved ahead of Hall of Fame shortstop Luis Aparacio, who played in 107 fewer games. Vizquel, an 11-time Gold Glover, is a utilityman for the Rangers.

Live local Yankees games to be available on Web
The Yankees are hoping for some Web gems.New York will become the first Major League Baseball team to offer its television broadcasts …

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Closers: Phils’ Lidge on the mend, Marlins‘ Lindstom on DL
The Philadelphia Phillies are getting their closer back. The Florida Marlins just lost theirs.

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Rays even Series rematch with Phillies
Matt Garza shut down Philadelphia’s offense and ex-Phillies slugger Pat Burrell homered for the first time in over two months …

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Nats good, bad and ugly: but young rotation provides hope
Fairly or not, the need to assign blame for the Washington Nationals’ 16-46 start still hovered over manager Manny Acta, even …

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Diamondbacks defeat Rangers 8-2 (AP)

As Justin Upton slumped in April, critics suggested that he would be an ideal No. 3 hitter — at Triple-A Reno. The 21-year-old outfielder has emerged from his early struggles to become one of the more potent three-hole hitters in the major leagues. Upton homered, doubled and drove in three runs, and Max Scherzer won his third straight start as the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated Texas 8-2 on Tuesday…

Baseball union chief Fehr leaves a damaged game behind him
Now that baseball union chief Don Fehr is leaving, would it be too much to ask him to take baseball commissioner Bud Selig with …

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Sandberg: Sosa doesn’t deserve Hall of Fame
Former Chicago Cubs star Ryne Sandberg says Sammy Sosa doesn’t belong in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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