Major League Baseball

Harrison, Rangers gut out win vs. Braves

Published Jun. 18, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

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Eight years after he was drafted by Atlanta and four years after he was traded to Texas, Matt Harrison wouldn't let a rain delay decide when he was going to leave his first game against the Braves.

Harrison remained in the game following a delay of 2 hours, 16 minutes, Adrian Beltre drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI single in the 10th inning and the Rangers beat the Braves 5-4 on Saturday.

The Rangers were previously 1-11 in one-run road games before winning this one after blowing an early 4-0 lead.

The delay came with two outs in the bottom of the fifth.

Harrison made an impression on both dugouts when he returned to pitch into the seventh inning.

''He wasn't going to give up the ball until he had to give it up,'' Texas manager Ron Washington said.

Harrison said he threw every 20 minutes in the indoor hitting cage.

''I was able to stay loose and keep my body going through the long rain delay,'' said Harrison, who said he had never before returned after a delay longer than 45 minutes.

''I wanted to make sure if I got stiff I was coming out of the game,'' he said.

Washington said Harrison ''said he was feeling good'' and then proved it by taking pressure off the bullpen.

''You saw he didn't lose much,'' Washington said. ''Very gritty.''

Following the delay, pitching coach Mike Maddux stood behind the mound as Harrison made his warm-up throws.

''I've never really seen anybody come back,'' Atlanta's Dan Uggla said of Harrison. ''He showed a lot of what he's made of tonight.''

Harrison gave up a sixth-inning homer to Brian McCann for the only earned run he allowed. The right-hander gave up three runs, one earned, on three hits in 6 1-3 innings. He left with a 4-3 lead.

The Braves tied it in the eighth. Left-hander Darren Oliver made a wild throw to first for an error after fielding Jordan Schafer's bunt, allowing Schafer to race to second.

Uggla, who had a run-scoring double in the third, followed with a tying RBI double off the top of the wall in center, only inches shy of a go-ahead home run.

Ian Kinsler led off the 10th with a double off Scott Proctor (1-1), who was pitching in his third straight game. Kinsler stayed at second on a groundout by Elvis Andrus, who had three hits. Proctor issued an intentional walk to Josh Hamilton before Beltre lined the run-scoring single to center.

Mark Lowe (2-1) struck out the side in the ninth. Neftali Feliz pitched a perfect 10th for his 14th save.

The Rangers' only other road win in a one-run game this season was a 5-4 decision in 11 innings at Kansas City on May 18.

The Braves have lost five of six, including the first two games of the series.

The Braves, who had three errors in Friday night's 6-2 loss to Texas, added two fielding miscues in the first inning Saturday, helping the Rangers score two runs.

Kinsler led off with a single and scored from first when a hit-and-run single to right field by Andrus skipped past Jason Heyward for the first error.

Andrus scored when Hamilton's grounder bounced off first baseman Freddie Freeman's glove for another error.

The Rangers pushed the lead to 4-0 in the third. Andrus singled and scored from third on a double-steal. Michael Young's single drove in Hamilton, who reached on a fielder's choice grounder.

Harrison recorded eight straight outs before Derek Lowe's double over right fielder Mitch Moreland's head with two outs in the third. Left fielder Nelson Cruz dropped Schafer's line drive for an error, allowing Lowe to score. Uggla's double drove in Schafer to cut the Texas lead to 4-2.

Lowe gave up seven hits and four runs, three earned, in five innings. He made his eighth straight start without a win.

Notes: Less than half the crowd of 44,600 stayed through the rain delay. ... OF Wilkin Ramirez, recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett, started in left field. RHP Randall Delgado was optioned to Double-A Mississippi after making one fill-in start in Friday night's loss to the Rangers. ... Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said OF Nate McLouth probably will return from his left oblique injury on Sunday. McLouth has been on the disabled list since May 23.

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