Texas snags lefty Matthews with 33rd pick

ARLINGTON -- Kevin Matthews is a 5-foot-11 left-handed pitcher from Richmond Hill (Ga.) High School who throws a fastball, slider and changeup. He can also do a 360 dunk with a basketball.

"Yeah ... I guess you can say it's been done," Matthews said.

The Rangers don't want him for his basketball skills. They think he is another high school left-hander who can join a group that already includes Robbie Erlin, Robbie Ross and Martin Perez. That's why the Rangers used the 33rd overall pick in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft to select Matthews on Monday night.

"Very athletic and a great makeup," said Rangers scouting director Kipp Fagg. "He's got a feel for pitching, and he pitches like he has a chip on his shoulder. We feel he has a big upside. He fits right in with Martin Perez, Robbie Erlin, Robbie Ross ... the kind of guys we're trying to build with."

The Rangers also believe Matthews will sign quickly, which is why they took him over some potentially tough signs like Dallas Jesuit Prep outfielder Josh Bell.

"I want to sign," Matthews said. "I want to get started as soon as I can, get used to the guys and the program. The sooner I get started, the better."

The Rangers like that part. Two years ago, they took high school left-hander Matthew Purke in the first round and were unable to sign him. The Rangers expect a quick resolution with Matthews, who won't turn 19 until Nov. 24.

"We talked about everybody out there," said general manager Jon Daniels. "There are some guys out there who were tough signs we would have taken in the right spot, but they weren't there. Some guys were there that weren't recommended by our scouts but might still be somebody we take eventually."

Both Purke and Bell remain undrafted and will still be on the board when the draft resumes Tuesday at 11 a.m. CT. Purke just finished his second season at Texas Christian and Bell is committed to the University of Texas.

Matthews, who has committed to the University of Virginia, was 4-2 with a 1.68 ERA in 10 games as a senior at Richmond Hill, a 4A school just outside Savannah. He pitched 42 innings, allowed 14 hits and 14 walks and struck out 94. He was the Region 3 Pitcher of the Year and Rangers area scout Ryan Coe worked hard on him all season.

His next stop will likely be Surprise, Ariz., to begin his professional baseball career.

"I'm really happy I got drafted by the Rangers," Matthews said. "They have a really good player-development program. I feel I can develop my changeup a little more, my slider a little more and manage the game more. They can help me with that."

The Rangers and Matthews are undeterred by his size. Perez, Erlin and Ross are all left-handed and the same height as well, and are a combined 16-3 with a 2.45 ERA this season.

"I use that to prove people wrong," Matthews said. "To me, that's never been a problem. When I go to these workouts, all the pitchers are 6-foot-6 or 6-foot-4, and I'm always the shortest guy. I don't think size matters as long as you get it done."

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RANGERS LOSE TO TIGERS 13-7

ARLINGTON -- During the course of a 162-game season, games like Monday's 13-7 loss at the hands of the Tigers are going to happen to almost every starting pitcher.

Just as the Rangers' impressive five-game winning streak on the road had been built on solid starting pitching, it was unraveled in one 3 1/3-inning, nine-run clunker turned in by Colby Lewis.

"I didn't throw the ball well," Lewis said. "I didn't do the things that I needed to do, so it didn't turn out well."

Lewis ran into trouble almost as soon as the game began. The first two batters reached on a single and a walk before Brennan Boesch slammed a 1-0 pitch into the second level in right field for a three-run homer.

After a scoreless second, Lewis again ran into trouble in the third inning, giving up another homer -- this time solo -- to Boesch, then again to Andy Dirks and Alex Avila.

"He got a lot of balls up, and their left-handers didn't miss them," said Rangers manager Ron Washington. "I thought he made a pretty good pitch to Avila, it was down, but when things aren't going your way and you make a good pitch, it gets hit too."

In games as rough as this, sometimes the most sound strategy is to keep introspection to a minimum.

"Everybody goes through it, just like I did last year in Minnesota," Lewis said. "I'm going to give it up, come back five days from now and hopefully throw the ball well, so whatever."

The final damage for Lewis was four home runs and 10 hits, raising his ERA from 3.48 to 4.37. He also snapped an 18 2/3-inning scoreless streak by Rangers pitchers, along with a three-game streak in which starters went 7 2/3 innings or more and gave up two runs or fewer.

It obscured a good night for the Rangers' offense.

"They definitely did their job tonight. They put up seven runs," Lewis said. "I didn't do my part. If I do my part, we win the ballgame. It's tough to see seven runs go to waste, but that's what happened tonight."

The Rangers scored five runs between the third and fourth innings alone, and finished that frame just down by four.

"That's what the team's going to do, we're going to battle," said second baseman Ian Kinsler, who had three hits and two RBIs, including a triple to get the Rangers on the board. "We know what Colby's capable of, and at any point he can turn it around and give us a bunch of zeroes on the board, so we know offensively that as long as we stay there and battle, we have a good opportunity to win."

But the Tigers kept on scoring, putting four more runs on the board to put the game out of reach.

"We stayed in the fight," Washington said. "We kept trying, we just couldn't stop them."

Nelson Cruz continued his hitting streak, now at 10 games, with two home runs -- the second of which registered as the fourth-longest in the history of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

But the most promising performance was that of Kinsler, who busted out of an ugly 1-for-22 road trip. Kinsler is now batting .327 at home, compared to .123 on the road. "I guess it's pretty unusual. They seem to fall in here, and there I can't get much," Kinsler said. "I'm just trying to get on base any way I can, and help this team try to score runs."

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TCU WINS GAME 1 10-2 OVERS ORU

FORT WORTH--TCU jumped on top of Oral Roberts early and rode a brilliant pitching performance by freshman righthander Andrew Mitchell to a 10-2 victory over the Golden Eagles Friday in Game 2 of the NCAA Fort Worth Regional at Lupton Stadium.

The top-seeded Horned Frogs improved to 43-17 on the season while advancing to play No. 3 seed Dallas Baptist in Saturday's winner's bracket contest at 7 p.m. ORU, the regional's No. 4 seed, will play No. 2 Oklahoma Saturday at 2 p.m. in the loser's bracket after falling to 36-21 overall.

TCU plated five runs in the opening two innings to put the early pressure on the Golden Eagles, then Mitchell erased any thoughts of an ORU comeback. Mitchell turned in one of the best outings of his young career, pitching seven scoreless innings while allowing only two hits and one walk. No baserunner was even able to reach second base against the Houston native.

As focused as Mitchell proved to be on the mound, the Frogs appeared to be just as sharp at the plate. The squad reached double figures in runs for the 13th time this season while registering 12 hits. Four players had at least two RBI, including sophomore third baseman Jantzen Witte, who went 3-for-4 while knocking in three runs.

Senior first baseman Joe Weik, junior designated hitter Zac Jordan and freshman Brett Johnsonadded a pair of RBI each for TCU, with Johnson's coming on an eighth-inning pinch-hit home run, TCU's first of the season.

TCU took control of the contest early, moving out to a 5-0 lead following just two innings of play. AfterJoe Weik drove home Kyle Von Tungeln on a single to right center with one out in the bottom of the first inning, the Frogs exploded for four more runs in the second. The Frogs sent nine batters to the plate in the frame, totaling six singles and four runs.

Featherston got things started, beating out an infield hit to shortstop, then came around to score to a single to left by Jordan. Jordan came home on a single by Jerome Pena and ensuing error by ORU right fielder Nick Baligod, while Witte later plated Pena with another hit through the hole on the right side of the infield. Weik finished off the Frogs' big inning with yet another single, this one to left center, to plate Witte.

TCU added to its lead in the sixth inning, manufacturing three more runs off two hits, a walk and a hit batsman. Featherston led off the inning with a bloop single to right center, then advanced to second base on a balk by ORU righthander Dan Martony. After a sacrifice bunt by Rivera, Jordan plated Featherston on a sac fly to right for the first run. Pena and Von Tungeln followed by reaching base on a hit by pitch and walk, respectively, and Witte later scored both runners on a single to center.

Johnson's pinch-hit blast in the eighth inning concluded the scoring for TCU, bringing home Rivera, who was hit by a pitch from ORU senior righthander Jason Stacy to open the frame.

The Frogs held ORU off the scoreboard until the ninth inning, as the Golden Eagles plated a pair of runs off four walks and one base hit. Junior shortstop Cam Schiller drove in senior center fielder Joey Winiecki with a base hit for the first tally, while senior left fielder Chris Elder later scored after being forced in on a walk drawn by freshman third baseman T.J. Bennett.

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RANGERS WIN 3-0 OVER RAYS

ST. PETERSBURG -- Colby Lewis allowed four hits over eight innings in pitching the Rangers to a 3-0 victory over the Rays at Tropicana Field on Wednesday.

The victory allowed the Rangers to take two of three from the Rays for their first road series win since taking two of three from the Orioles on April 8-10.

Lewis, battling All-Star left-hander David Price, is now 5-5 with a 3.48 ERA in 13 starts. He walked two and struck out eight. Neftali Feliz pitched the ninth and earned his 11th save.

Price dropped to 6-5 with a 3.52 ERA after allowing three runs in eight innings. He allowed five hits, walked one and struck out eight.

The Rangers took a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning against Price when Adrian Beltre led off with a double and scored on a single by Nelson Cruz.

Price then retired 11 straight hitters until Craig Gentry doubled with two out in the eighth. Ian Kinsler then drew a walk, and the pair worked a successful double-steal on the first pitch to Elvis Andrus to put runners on second and third. Andrus rewarded their audacity by grounding a single past first baseman Sean Rodriguez to bring home two big runs.

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RANGERS LOSE TO RAYS 4-5

ST. PETERSBURG -- Manager Ron Washington said he deserved the blame for this loss. Starter C.J. Wilson disagreed, saying he basically cost the Rangers the game.

"I take it hard, too," reliever Arthur Rhodes said. "We should have won that game."

The Rangers did not. Matt Joyce hit a two-run home run off Wilson in the seventh, and Evan Longoria hit a two-run shot off Rhodes in the eighth to give the Rays a 5-4 victory over the Rangers at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night.

Both home runs came with two outs, as did a home run by Sean Rodriguez off Wilson in the third inning. All five of the Rays' runs also came in the bottom of the inning after the Rangers had scored in the top of the frame to take a lead.

"It's tough to get two-out RBIs, and tonight they got them each time they needed it," Washington said.

The Rangers had a 3-1 lead with nine outs to go and a 4-3 lead with six outs to go. But they could not get the ball in the hands of closer Neftali Feliz, and the Rangers' bullpen is now tied with the Angels for the most blown saves in the league.

Rhodes took the loss by giving up the two-run home run to Longoria, but Washington was blaming himself after the game for not having Feliz ready to pitch in that situation.

"My job is to make sure I have the right people in the right place," Washington said. "I should have had Neftali ready."

Wilson was still seething over the two-run home run that he allowed to Joyce, a left-handed hitter. Wilson had given up just eight home runs in 597 career at-bats against left-handers and just one in 213 at-bats as a starter over the past two seasons. He was ahead of Joyce 0-1 and then missed over the plate with a fastball.

Joyce hit it into the right-field seats, erasing a 3-1 lead that the Rangers had taken in the top of the seventh on RBI singles by Ian Kinsler and Michael Young.

"I'm disappointed the game got away like that," Wilson said. "I felt like I lost it for us. We had the momentum. ... I threw the ball over the middle of the plate. I missed my spot. If I don't miss my spot, he doesn't do anything with the pitch."

Wilson then walked Kelly Shoppach and that was the end of his night. Washington's night was just getting interesting as he went to the bullpen for right-hander Mark Lowe.

Lowe retired Sam Fuld on a fly to left to end the inning. The Rangers then regained the lead in the eighth when Nelson Cruz scored on reliever Joel Peralta's wild pitch. But they couldn't hold that 4-3 lead.

Ben Zobrist flied out and Rodriguez struck out against Lowe. That brought up Johnny Damon, and Washington brought in Rhodes for a lefty-vs.-lefty matchup. Rhodes did get Damon to hit a weak popup into shallow left field, but shortstop Elvis Andrus couldn't make the catch.

Andrus, who had just entered the game after pinch-hitting for Andres Blanco in the top of the inning, raced out into left, but the ball glanced off his glove for a hit.

"I was a little upset missing one like that," Andrus said. "I lost the ball a little bit in the roof. I thought I was going to have to dive for it, but as I saw the ball for a second time, I knew I had a chance to catch the ball without diving. I tried to do my best, but the ball hit off my glove."

That brought up Longoria with B.J. Upton on deck. Both are right-handed hitters. Washington let Rhodes face Longoria, who was 3-for-18 against lefties this season prior to that at-bat. Longoria also entered the game hitting .209 with one home run in his last 18 games.

That was the point where Washington said afterward that he should have had Feliz ready. Feliz was not. He did not start warming up until after Rhodes started pitching to Longoria.

"I felt Arthur could make a pitch and keep it in the ballpark," Washington said. "Longoria had been having trouble with lefties. I never thought he would leave the yard.

"If I brought a right-hander in there, it would have been Neftali. I should have had him ready. When Arthur first went against Damon, I should have had him ready. I thought about it but didn't act on it. I'll take the blame for it all. I should have had him going with Arthur."

Rhodes fell behind 3-1 in the count to Longoria and threw a changeup. Longoria hit it high and deep to left, and Josh Hamilton tracked it to the wall. But it landed one row into the bleachers, and that was enough to ruin the Rangers' night.

"I just threw a changeup and left it up," Rhodes said. "I was trying to get him to pop it up or roll it over."

Washington said Feliz's recent struggles had nothing to do with why he did not have him ready for Longoria.

"I do have confidence in him," Washington said. "I should have had him ready. If Longoria gets Feliz, I don't feel so bad."

Actually, that might have been a bigger story. But this ending wasn't any better for the Rangers.

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RANGERS WIN 11-5 OVER RAYS

ST. PETERSBURG -- This was a good way for the Rangers to celebrate Memorial Day: start turning around some dreadful road numbers.

They need to because Monday night's game against the Rays marked the beginning of a stretch where the Rangers play 17 of 20 away from Arlington. The Rangers started it off right by jumping on starter Wade Davis for seven runs in the first three innings and holding on for an 11-5 victory at Tropicana Field.

The Rangers were 9-14 on the road coming into this game but scored two in the first and five in the third inning to give starter Derek Holland a 7-0 lead. They totaled 20 hits, four of them homers, two by Mike Napoli, plus five doubles.

With their sixth win in their last eight games, the first-place Rangers remain one game in front of the Angels in the American League West.

"It was just great to swing the bats and get a nice lead and give Holland a cushion to work with," outfielder David Murphy said. "To win a game against a solid team ... we're going to be on the road a bunch and we haven't played well on the road. It's great to build some momentum in the right direction."

The win snapped the Rangers' four-game regular-season losing streak at Tropicana Field. But they actually have a four-game winning streak here after taking all three games played at Tropicana during the American League Division Series last October.

"They just outplayed us tonight," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "They played well. They hit the ball well. Their starting pitcher got them deeper into the game."

The Rangers' four more home runs gave them 15 in their last four games. Prior to that, they had hit three in 10 games. They have also hit at least four home runs in three straight games for the first time in club history.

All four home runs came from the bottom of the Rangers order as Mitch Moreland, Napoli and Endy Chavez combined to go 8-for-15 with seven runs scored and eight RBIs.

"Wow, we looked like the top of the lineup tonight," Chavez said.

Napoli, starting at catcher, had a three-run home run in the second inning and a solo shot in the sixth. He also had an RBI double in the eighth and is now 7-for-12 with four home runs and eight RBIs in his last three games. This all came after he went 14 starts with no home runs and just four RBIs.

"I just threw all the mechanics out. ... Just seeing the ball and hitting it," Napoli said. "I have been going up there thinking about getting my foot down or getting my hands up rather than playing the game. I'm trying to get my mind right and keep it clear."

The Rangers came into the game with the lowest slugging percentage on the road in the American League and finished with the nine extra-base hits.

"We know the results haven't been good on the road lately, but we're taking the same approach," Michael Young said. "At the same time, we do need to make some adjustments and play better on the road. But if we just stay after it and play the game hard, things will bounce our way."

Elvis Andrus began a three-hit night with a leadoff double in the first and scored on a one-out double by Josh Hamilton off of Davis. Singles by Young and Adrian Beltre brought home Hamilton and made it 2-0.

Napoli's three-run home run in the third inning made it 5-0 and Chavez followed that with a home run to right field. It was his second home run in three days. He entered the season with 19 in 2,237 Major League at-bats.

Moreland hit his seventh home run of the season in the fourth. He finished 2-for-4 and is now hitting .349 in his last 19 games. Napoli's second home run came in the sixth, giving him five multihomer games in his career.

"One through nine, I can't say enough about what we all did," Moreland said. "It seemed like everybody stepped up at some point and got a key hit. This lineup gets going like this, we're going to be tough to stop."

Holland ended up going just 5 2/3 innings, allowing five runs on five hits and five walks while striking out seven. He threw 112 pitches and four of the five walks came after he was given the 7-0 lead. Holland had gone six straight starts without a decision before earning his first victory since April 22. He is now 4-1 with a 4.96 ERA on the season.

"To be honest, I'm OK with the outcome, but I'm upset with the walks," Holland said. "Too many free passes. I'm a better pitcher than that and I can execute better than that. I shouldn't have that many walks. I wasn't getting lackadaisical, I was just falling behind hitters and throwing too many pitches."

Holland left with two out in the sixth after giving up a solo home run to Ben Zobrist and a two-out, three-run shot to Justin Ruggiano that cut the Rangers lead to 9-5. Mark Lowe took over and the Rays loaded the bases on two infield singles and a walk. That brought up B.J. Upton, the Rays cleanup hitter, as the tying run, but Lowe struck him out to end the threat.

RANGERS WIN

THE RANGERS WON 6-7 OVER THE ROYALS. A wild ninth inning helped the Rangers win in dramatic fashion, 7-6, over the Royals in Sunday's rubber game at Rangers Ballpark.
After Royals second baseman Chris Getz scored the go-ahead run in the ninth after reaching third on a double and a Nelson Cruz error to lead off, it seemed that the Rangers' magic had run out.
But Cruz atoned by leading off the ninth with a home run to tie it, setting the stage for a thrilling comeback. After Mike Napoli singled to left, Elvis Andrus executed a perfect hit-and-run. Powering around the bases from first, Napoli was sent home and appeared to be out by several steps, but catcher Brayan Pena's tag was too high, and Napoli was ruled safe by Mike Estabrook.
In the eighth, Michael Young hit a two-run home run to tie the game at 5 and spare Alexi Ogando from his first career loss.
Neftali Feliz also avoided the loss after he allowed the Royals to take the lead in the ninth. It was the second consecutive outing that Feliz has struggled, as he gave up the game-tying home run in his last outing in Friday's eventual 12-7 loss in 14 innings.
Ogando pitched well, other than a nightmarish fourth inning in which five of the first six Royals reached base, capped by Pena's three-run home run in the second deck in right field.
Pena has three home runs on the season, all in Rangers Ballpark, and all of the three-run variety.
The Rangers jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but it was to no avail. Napoli doubled home Young in the second inning, and Ian Kinsler hit a solo home run in the third.
Kinsler was ejected in the fifth inning by Estabrook for protesting a check swing that was called strike three.