Orioles 3, Rangers 1
BALTIMORE -- Miguel Gonzalez picked up the win with his seventh consecutive quality start, and Chris Davis smashed his league-leading 34th home run as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Texas Rangers 3-1 Thursday night.
With the victory, Baltimore salvaged a split in the four-game series.
Gonzalez (7-3) allowed just one run on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks over 6 2/3 innings.
Davis snapped out of a 1-for-24 skid by hitting a solo home run to center field for a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Davis also set career highs for home runs (34) and RBIs (86) in a season.
Baltimore second baseman Brian Roberts increased the lead to 2-0 when he led off the third with a homer to right field. It was his first home run at Oriole Park since Opening Day 2011.
Gonzalez had allowed just two hits before giving up a solo homer to Kinsler to lead off the sixth that cut the Orioles lead to 2-1.
Ross Wolf made a spot start for the Rangers after Yu Darvish was forced to go on the disabled list with a mild strain to his upper right back. Wolf (1-2) allowed just two runs on the Davis and Roberts homers in six innings. He limited Baltimore to three hits and one walk while striking out three.
The Rangers threatened in the eighth when Leonys Martin led off with a walk and then took second when Davis could not handle a pick-off throw by Troy Patton. Darren O'Day replaced Patton and ended the threat by getting Kinsler to ground out before inducing popups from Elvis Andrus and Nelson Cruz.
Nate McLouth added an insurance run with an RBI single in the eighth. Jim Johnson picked up his league-leading 31st save with a scoreless ninth, despite allowing two hits.
NOTES: Texas optioned RHP Josh Lindblom to Triple-A Round Rock. LHP Joseph Ortiz and RHP Wilmer Font were recalled from the Triple-A affiliate after Darvish was placed on the 15-day disabled list. ... Darvish was examined by the team physician in Dallas and there was no further damage with the mild strain in his upper right back. Darvish was replaced Thursday by Tampa Bay LHP Matt Moore on the American League All-Star roster. ... Baltimore DH Chris Dickerson was expected to avoid a trip to the disabled list after he was a late scratch from Wednesday's game because of a strained left shoulder he suffered in batting practice. ... Davis tied Boog Powell with the most RBIs by an Orioles player before the All-Star break.
