Major League Baseball

Treanor's pinch hit makes the difference

Published Jun. 16, 2010 5:05 a.m. ET

foxsports

Matt Treanor had to wait until the ninth inning to get a chance against his former team.

The payoff was well worth it.

His pinch-hit, two-run triple in the ninth inning lifted the Texas Rangers to a 3-2 win over the Florida Marlins on Tuesday night.

"I had feelings," said Treanor, who played five seasons with the Marlins from 2004-2008. "I think anybody that has a chance to play their former team, their always wanting to show them that 'Hey, I'm a quality player and I feel I deserve to be here.'''

Josh Hamilton led off the ninth with a single and stole second before Justin Smoak popped up and David Murphy advanced him on a groundout. Julio Borbon walked before Treanor's hit off Leo Nunez (2-1) gave the Rangers their sixth win in seven games.

He didn't want to use the word revenge, though.

"I'm not a journalist, but I'd say 'elated,''' Treanor said.

Manager Ron Washington elected to go with Treanor although he had a left-handed bat on the bench to face Nunez, a righty.

"I think Treanor was the better hitter,'' Washington said. "I wasn't worried about right versus right or left versus right, I was worried about getting the best hitter in the box and I thought Treanor was it. He went up there and proved us right.''

Neftali Feliz pitched a scoreless ninth for his 16th save in 18 opportunities.

Alexi Ogando (1-0), a 26-year old right-hander, pitched a scoreless eighth inning to win in his major league debut.

It was Nunez's (2-1) third blown save in 16 chances.

"Leo's been really good,'' Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "It happens.''

Hanley Ramirez hit a two-run homer off starter C.J. Wilson in the sixth inning to give the Marlins a 2-1 lead. Wilson threw six innings, allowed two runs and two hits.

"I don't give up a lot of home runs,'' Wilson said. "That was a sinker down in the zone and he just murdered it. I haven't had a guy hit a ball like that to center field off me that I can ever remember.''

Marlins' ace Josh Johnson was in line for the win after allowing one run, four hits, and striking out seven. He is 4-1 with a 0.55 ERA in his last seven starts.

The Marlins managed just three hits, but drew a season-high eight walks including three apiece by Dan Uggla and Gaby Sanchez.

A pair of Rangers players extended their hitting streaks with singles in the first. Hamilton's RBI base hit to center gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead and gave him a career-long 11-game hitting streak. Before to Hamilton's at-bat, Guerrero stretched his hitting streak to 12 games.

Notes: Ramirez homered at Sun Life Stadium for just the second time in his last 18 games. ... Florida's highly-touted rookie OF Mike Stanton made his home debut and received a standing ovation before his first at-bat. He went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. ... Johnson has made 12 consecutive quality starts and lowered his home ERA to 1.48. ... Wilson made his first plate appearance at any professional level and went 0 for 2. ... Treanor's last triple was the first since April 8, 2007, for the Marlins against Philadelphia.