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Harrison praises work of batterymate Martinez

ARLINGTON -- Luis Martinez was behind the plate for Matt Harrison on Friday night. It was the second time they have worked together since Martinez was called up from Triple-A, and the combination worked well. Harrison had a no-hitter for 6 2/3 innings before giving up two singles in the Rangers' 8-0 victory over the Twins.

Martinez has never caught a no-hitter in professional career, falling one out short in a seven-inning Minor League game while with the Mets. Friday was different.

"It was awesome ... seven outs away from a no-hitter," Martinez said. "I had a great time working with Harrison. It's always great working with him. I was so excited, I didn't know what to do. I was pacing back and forth in the dugout. Everybody knew what was going on."

Martinez was also behind the plate for Harrison when he held the Yankees to one run in 6 1/3 innings in a 3-0 loss on Aug. 14 in New York.

"He was good," Harrison said. "He helped me get through seven in New York and we had some good games together in Spring Training. He calls a great game. We talked in between innings about how we wanted to pitch to guys, so we were in sync. He receives the ball well. He's a good defensive catcher. He does a great job."

Martinez was called up from Triple-A Round Rock on Aug. 11 when Mike Napoli went on the disabled list with a strained left quad muscle. Friday was his third start, but Geovany Soto was back behind the plate on Saturday.