Rangers dust Indians

8/14/2009

CLEVELAND - The Indians got an up-close look this week at just how good the Texas Rangers' young, power arms can be. They had few answers in dropping the final two of a three-game series at Progressive Field.

Right-hander Scott Feldman gave up one run in six innings, and Josh Hamilton went 4-for-4 as Texas won, 4-1, yesterday.

The Rangers (64-49), chasing the Angels in the AL West, improved to 5-1 against the Indians.

The Tribe, its post-selloff rampage having hit a pothole, slipped to 49-65.

Feldman (12-4, 3.90 ERA) and two relievers gave up eight hits and fanned 12. Tribe batters went 20-for-92 with 17 singles and three doubles in the series.

The Indians have not homered in six games at Progressive Field, their longest such streak at home since May 2-16, 1992.

"I was really impressed with their pitching the entire series," Tribe manager Eric Wedge said. "We didn't take advantage of some opportunities, but their pitching was very good."

The Indians essentially lost yesterday when they put runners on first and second with none out in the third and fourth but failed to score. Although Feldman gets some of the credit for quality pitches in those tight spots, Tribe batters bailed him out with poor swings.

Shin-Soo Choo's sacrifice fly gave the Indians a 1-0 lead in the first. With one out, Jamey Carroll singled and moved to third on Asdrubal Cabrera's single. Choo popped to shallow left as his bat shattered, the barrel flying into the stands. Carroll barely beat David Murphy's throw.

The Rangers scored twice in the third on Hamilton's two-out, two-run double. They added runs in the fourth and sixth.

Feldman, as solid as he was, proved to be a warm-up act for flame-throwing reliever Neftali Feliz.

Feliz, 21, a rookie from the Dominican Republic, struck out the side in the seventh. He set down Chris Gimenez (looking), Grady Sizemore (swinging), and Carroll (looking). The 6-3 right-hander whiffed the first two batters in the eighth, Cabrera (swinging) and Choo (swinging), before Jhonny Peralta spoiled the fun with a grounder to short.