ARLINGTON, Texas - At least when the Texas Rangers were bad Monday night, they paved the way for some history.
Cleveland's Lonnie Chisenhall was a one-man wrecking crew against a hapless pitching staff, smacking three homers, driving in nine and going 5 for 5. He's the fourth player in big-league history to have a five hit, three homer, nine-RBI game in the majors since RBI became a tracked statistic in 1920.
By the time Chisenhall and the Indians quit hitting, they were putting the finishing touches on a 17-7 victory over the Rangers. The Rangers have now lost three straight games for the first time since May 13 and have failed to win any of their last seven home series.
Monday night Chisenhall drove in more runs than the Rangers and capped a series in which he went 10 for 17 with four home runs and 13 RBI.
"He's swinging the bat," Rangers manager Ron Washington said of Chisenhall, who's the first hitter to reach the three homers, five hit and nine-RBI mark since Fred Lynn in 1975. "He just wasn't missing. Breaking balls. Fastballs. It didn't matter. He wasn't missing."
It started innocently enough for Chisenhall as his RBI single to right in the first was part of a three-run first for the Indians off Texas rookie righty Nick Martinez. He started flexing his power muscles in the second, crushing a two-run homer to right just inside the foul pole as part of a five-run frame that put the Indians up 8-1 and ended the night for Martinez.
Chisenhall was far from done though as he victimized long man Scott Baker for two more homers. In the fourth he hit a two-run shot into the Texas bullpen and then in the eighth, a liner to right found the seats.
Chisenhall also doubled off Baker in the sixth to drive in another run. His three homers traveled an estimated 1,084 feet and helped him tie the Cleveland club record for RBI (Chris James, May 4, 1991) and become just the second visiting player to have nine RBI against the Rangers (Bill Mueller, July 29, 2003).
"It's a rare feat," said Chisenhall, who became the first three-homer Cleveland player since Shin-Soo Choo (Sept. 17, 2010). "I'm happy to have accomplished it. I know a day like today is kind of a once-in-a-lifetime thing."
The Rangers have to hope opponents don't have nights like that again. Martinez was tagged for eight runs, and Baker took the other nine in the loss on a night when the Indians pounded out 18 hits. The runs allowed were career highs for both Martinez and Baker.
The plan the pitchers had for Chisenhall didn't work.
"You just want to execute pitches," said Martinez, whose ERA jumped from 3.22 to 4.63. He's allowed at least four earned runs in three-straight starts. "The pitch I made was down but it was still over the plate. He's hot right now and you have to be extra fine with him. He got the better of me there."
Baker, whose ERA went from 5.79 to 7.62, shared the same fate twice.
"I think you're aware coming into the series that right now he's probably their hottest hitter," Baker said. "It just comes down to making pitches. It was just a tough night. It happens."
