--RHP Brandon McCarthy allowed three homers in the first six innings, but he pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning for his longest outing of the season. The Rangers won a game in which the starter allowed at least three homers for the first time since June 8, 2007, and only the third time in the last five seasons.
--CF Josh Hamilton homered for the second consecutive game since returning from a two-week stint on the disabled list with a strained ribcage muscle. Hamilton also took three walks. It was only the second time in his tenure with the Rangers that he's accepted as many as three unintentional walks. The last was on April 15, 2008, against Los Angeles. --LHP Derek Holland earned the first win of his major league career Tuesday by pitching 1 2/3 innings of perfect relief behind RHP Scott Feldman. Holland came in with a runner on second base and the score tied in the seventh, and he retired Yuniesky Betancourt and Wladimir Balentien on groundballs. Holland has pitched in relief of Feldman four times already in the three weeks since he was called up; the Rangers have won three of those games.
BY THE NUMBERS: .204 -- DH Hank Blalock's average for 54 at-bats with runners on base this season, through May 10. He was hitting .309 with nobody on base.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "When your bell cow has success with something, I think everybody is more willing to follow. You work fast and you throw strikes, you get your defense more involved. Good defense can make a medium pitcher a good pitcher and a good pitcher into a great one." -- Pitching coach Mike Maddux, on the overall success the starting rotation has enjoyed since RHP Kevin Millwood quickened his pace on the mound to start the season. Since then, the others have followed.
