Rangers 5, Brewers 4
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Ian Kinsler's two-run single completed a three-run seventh inning and helped the Texas Rangers earn a 5-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night.
The teams split the two-game series.
The Rangers loaded the bases in the pivotal seventh with no outs on a leadoff single by Craig Gentry and back-to-back walks.
Elvis Andrus' one-out single drove in Gentry, cutting Milwaukee's lead to 4-3. Kinsler's liner to left field put Texas on top.
The Rangers (70-51) won for the ninth time in 10 games. They secured a split of the four-game season series with Milwaukee, the first meeting between the clubs since 2010.
The Brewers (52-68) ended a nine-game road trip with a 5-4 record. They return home Thursday to face the Cincinnati Reds at the start of a seven-game homestand.
Milwaukee starter Tyler Thornburg completed six innings, giving up two runs (one earned) and five hits, departing with a 4-2 lead. However, the bullpen left him with a no-decision, as Michael Gonzalez and John Axford combined to give up three earned runs in the seventh.
Texas starter Matt Garza was picked up by his offense and avoided just his second loss in a home start this season. Garza pitched 5 2/3 innings, ending a stretch of 10 consecutive games in which he completed six. He gave up four runs on eight hits.
Jason Frasor (4-2) threw a scoreless seventh inning for the win. Tanner Scheppers blanked the Brewers in the eighth, and Joe Nathan earned his 36th save of the season with a 1-2-3 ninth.
Juan Francisco provided the majority of Milwaukee's offense, driving in all four runs in his second multi-homer game of the season -- the first coming as a member of the Atlanta Braves.
Texas, which went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position the night before, capitalized on its opportunities early in the game.
Adrian Beltre followed up Kinsler's two-out double off the wall with a single to shallow right field that opened up scoring in the first.
After Francisco tied the game up with a solo homer in the second, Andrus snapped a 0-for-13 skid with a hard-hit single up the middle to score David Murphy and give Texas a 2-1 advantage.
However, Francisco answered the Texas run with his second shot of the game. This time with two runners on, the first basemen sent the first pitch of the at-bat to right for a three-run homer to give Milwaukee a 4-2 lead.
NOTES: The Brewers and Rangers were delayed for a second consecutive night due to rain, this time when a 37-minute delay halted the start of the Wednesday's game. ... Texas RHP Alexi Ogando underwent a CT scan on his right shoulder after complaining about soreness following his Tuesday start. The Rangers said they would not know the results until Thursday. ... Texas' 70-51 record is the third-best mark in club history after 121 games.
