Rangers rake, swat 4 HRs to support Yu

ARLINGTON -- The Rangers had another long day at the ballpark but jumped out quickly against the Tigers and held on for an 8-5 victory at Globe Life Park on Friday. Rangers starter Yu Darvish allowed four runs, two earned, in 6 2/3 innings to get his first victory since June 3.
After the game was delayed at the beginning for two hours and 45 minutes because of rain, the Rangers jumped on Tigers starter Aníbal Sánchez for eight runs in four-plus innings. The Rangers hit four home runs, including two by Jonathan Lucroy, to take an 8-1 lead after five.
"I feel good the team won and I pitched well," Darvish said. "I don't think the delay affected me. I didn't throw in the bullpen [before the delay], so I just got up and got ready to go."
The eight runs allowed are tied for the second most allowed by Sanchez in a start after he allowed nine in an April 13 start against the White Sox last season. It's the first time he has allowed four home runs, and he is now 1-4 with a 6.81 ERA in seven starts since returning to the rotation at the the beginning of July.
"Sanchez just didn't have it tonight," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said.
The Tigers trailed, 8-1, going into seventh, but James McCann hit a two-run home run off Darvish and Tyler Collins did the same off reliever Tony Barnette.
"Big inning," McCann said. "Really, it's just a testament to who we are as a team. Down, 8-1, with one of the best pitchers in the game on the mound, we found a way to scratch a few runs and make it a ballgame."
• McCann making noise as offensive threat
The Rangers, who played over four hours in 100-plus degree heat on Thursday afternoon, have now won 11 of their last 15 games and lead the Mariners and the Astros by 7 1/2 games in the American League West. The Tigers have now lost five straight and are five games behind the Indians in the AL Central and 1 1/2 games behind the Red Sox in the Wild Card race.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Moreland reaches 20 homers: Moreland followed Lucroy's second home run of the night with one of his own that just got over the glove of Tigers right fielder J.D. Martinez. It was Moreland's second homer in as many games and the second game in a row he was on the back end of back-to-back home runs. Moreland now has 20 home runs this season, marking the third time in his career he's reached that mark and the first time in his seven-year career that he's done it in back-to-back seasons.
"It was a good one to get out of the way," Moreland said. "Obviously, I didn't hit it great, but I got enough and it worked out."

Aggressive send puts Tigers on scoreboard: Texas' Nomar Mazara has a half-dozen outfield assists this season, but with J.D. Martinez at full stream and Andrew Romine on deck, third-base coach Dave Clark tested the Rangers' rookie left fielder by sending Martinez on James McCann's double off the left-field wall. The relay arrived in time for Lucroy to try a tag, but Martinez slid around the swipe, earning Detroit a second-inning tally. McCann added a two-run homer in seventh inning, doubling his extra-base output against right-handed pitching this season.

Chasing Pudge: When Lucroy hit his second homer, it marked the 37th time in Rangers history that a catcher has hit at least two in a game. This is the second time for Lucroy. Ivan Rodriguez had 17 multihomer games, and hit three on Sept. 11, 1997, against the Twins.
"I'm fortunate that I've had some success on pitches up in the zone and I've been able to put some good swings on them," Lucroy said. "This ain't over with. I've got a lot of work left to do, and we've got a lot of games left to win." More >

Collins closes gap: After McCann's two-run homer in the seventh brought the Tigers closer, Ian Kinsler's double to left extended the rally for Collins, who greeted Barnette by jumping his first pitch and sending it out to right field for his fourth home run of the season. The home run snapped Barnette's streak of 17 1/3 scoreless innings.
QUOTABLE
"He went to the mound and asked me how I felt. I think I told him my ligament is about to tear." -- Darvish, on joking around during a seventh-inning mound visit by manager Jeff Banister
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Adrián Beltré's RBI single to right field in the first inning gave him 1,540 career RBIs, tying him at No. 45 on the all-time list with Hall of Famer Willie Stargell and former Tigers outfielder Harry Heilmann. Next on Beltre's climb up the all-time RBI list is Fred McGriff, with 1,550.

UPON FURTHER REVIEW
Tigers manager Brad Ausmus lost his challenge in the bottom of the first on a close play following a ground ball from Ian Desmond. Kinsler ranged toward the middle and fired a jump-throw to first baseman Miguel Cabrera that looked to get Desmond, but first-base umpire Tom Hallion ruled that Cabrera's foot was off the bag. After a review, the call stood, and Desmond was credited with a single.

The Rangers won a challenge in the eighth after Victor Martinez led off the inning with a walk. Justin Upton followed with a grounder to second baseman Rougned Odor, who flipped to shortstop Elvis Andrus. But Andrus dropped the ball, and Martinez was ruled safe. The Rangers challenged, saying that Andrus dropped the ball while taking it out of his glove, and the call was overturned.

WHAT'S NEXT
Tigers:Matt Boyd gets the start trying to stop Detroit's losing streak in the middle game of the series on Saturday at 8:05 p.m. ET. Boyd is unbeaten in his last five starts, but he gave up six runs over 2 2/3 innings in his last meeting with Texas last September.
Rangers:Cole Hamels will start the second game of the three-game series with the Tigers at 7:05 p.m. CT on Saturday. Hamels is 3-1 with a 1.83 ERA in five starts since the All-Star break.
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