(AP) Profar’s pinch HR in 9th leads Rangers over Angels
By SCHUYLER DIXON
AP Sports Writer
ARLINGTON, Texas
Pinch-hitter Jurickson Profar homered leading off the ninth inning, and the Texas Rangers overcame a four-error inning to beat the Los Angeles Angels 6-5 on Thursday night to keep pace in the playoff chase.
The Rangers stayed one game behind Cleveland for the second wild-card spot in the American League, and two games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the first wild-card spot.
It was the fourth straight time the Rangers have beaten the Angels on a walk-off homer at home. They did it each time in a three-game sweep in late July.
Joe Nathan (6-2) got the win after striking out two with a runner at third and one out in the top of the ninth.
Profar’s sixth homer came off Michael Kohn (1-4).
Josh Hamilton, back in Texas with a chance to damage the postseason hopes of a team he helped lead to consecutive World Series in 2010 and 2011, went 1 for 3 with two walks. He was on third in the ninth when Mark Trumbo struck out to end the inning.
Trumbo snapped an 0-for-25 skid with three hits, including a tying single in the seventh that drove home Kole Calhoun, who had a leadoff triple off Tanner Scheppers.
An inning earlier, Leonys Martin put Texas ahead with a big double for the second straight night. Martin’s two-out double into the gap in right-center scored Craig Gentry, who had three singles, and pinch-runner Adam Rosales for a 5-4 Texas lead.
The Angels scored three unearned runs for a 4-3 lead in the second when the Rangers set a club record with a four-error inning.
There were two outs with the bases empty when first baseman Mitch Moreland booted a ground ball from Andrew Romine.
After a single by J.B. Shuck, second baseman Ian Kinsler let a routine grounder from Erick Aybar get past him into shallow right field. Romine scored easily from second, and Kinsler got another error when his throw hit Shuck in the back at third, allowing Aybar to take second.
Adrian Beltre’s throwing error on an infield single by Mike Trout allowed Aybar to score the third unearned run.
Texas starter Matt Garza kept the game close in the fifth, with a little help from his defense. After consecutive singles from Howie Kendrick and Calhoun, Kendrick was thrown out at home by Gentry on a single to left by Trumbo.
After Chris Iannetta walked to load the bases with one out, Garza got Romine on a fly ball to shallow right and Shuck on a soft liner to Moreland.
Garza gave up 11 hits in just 5 1-3 innings, but allowed just one earned run.
NOTES: Shuck, the Angels’ left fielder, left the game in the fifth with a sprained right ankle. … The Rangers’ previous club record for errors in an inning was three, done 14 times. The most recent was Sept. 15, 2005, at home against Seattle. … The Angels missed a chance to get within a game of .500 for the first time since they were 2-3 on April 6 after a win at Rangers Ballpark. … The crowd of 26,198 pushed the Rangers past 3 million in attendance for the second straight year.
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