ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers provided the expected Saturday as Josh Hamilton clobbered his ninth home run of the week.
But it was the small ball that proved to be the difference for the Los Angeles Angels as they doubled up Texas 4-2.
Los Angeles broke open a 2-2 game by scoring twice in the seventh by getting a pair of bunts to go along with an infield single and a walk. Two sacrifice flies brought home both of the runs. The runs certainly weren't as sexy as Hamilton's sixth-inning homer that tied the game at two but proved to be more beneficial.
"You've just got to give the credit to the Angels," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "They come up there and did what they had to do in those situations. (Kendry) Morales got the ball to the outfield and (Mike) Trout got the ball to the outfield. That's the game right there."
It certainly was an anticlimactic way for the game to be won in front of a sellout crowd at Rangers Ballpark in which both clubs were wearing throwback jerseys. Former Rangers ace C.J. Wilson started for the second-consecutive day and appeared to be in line to atone for a tough outing Friday by keeping the Rangers off the board through four innings.
But Texas got to Wilson in the fifth on an RBI single from Craig Gentry and Hamilton tied the game with his 18th homer of the year.
Matt Harrison (4-3) opened the seventh by getting ahead of Mark Trumbo 1-2 but Trumbo came back to draw a walk. Howie Kendrick followed with a bunt single to the left side and Peter Bourjos did the same. That was the end of the day for Harrison but Alexi Ogando couldn't keep the Angels from scoring as Morales flew out to left and Trout to right to plate two runs.
Harrison put himself in a bad situation with the walk. It was one of two he issued Saturday and both scored as Torii Hunter drew a two-out walk in the fourth inning and Trumbo followed with a home run.
"I've got to get the leadoff guy," Harrison said. "It's tough to watch. They were playing small ball there and they executed to a tee. You've got to give credit to them too. Unfortunately it led to two runs that inning – the walk and the bunt – and sometimes that's just the way it happens."
Harrison gave up just four hits over his six innings and struck out four.
The Kendrick bunt came as a surprise. Third baseman Michael Young was playing in for the bunt to start the at-bat but once Kendrick got a strike, Young moved back. Kendrick then put down the perfect bunt, one of just six hits the Angels had in the game.
"I didn't think he'd bunt with a strike," Young said. "He couldn't have rolled it out there any better. It was a well-played game. It was a well-pitched game, especially."
Wilson, who retired just one batter in Friday's 10-3 loss before the game was delayed for nearly two hours, worked out of first-inning trouble and found his groove. He retired 10-consecutive batters before he hit Mike Napoli with two outs in the fifth inning.
The Rangers expected Wilson to be good, just like he was for the Rangers the last two seasons. The Los Angeles bullpen, which has been dreadful this season, picked him up by allowing no hits over the final 3 1/3 innings and striking out five.
Saturday marked just the second time this month the Rangers have been held to two runs or less.
"C.J. was C.J.," said Washington, whose team was limited to five hits. "He's going to battle you. He's going to make pitches when he has to make pitches. He's going to try and make you hit his pitch. It was a pretty good ballclub. They just took it in the seventh inning on execution."
