Texas Rangers

Reporting from Milwaukee — Houston will be pushed from the National League Central to the American League West in 2013, a move Major League Baseball announced Thursday in conjunction with its unanimous approval of Jim Crane as the Astros' new owner. Also coming soon, perhaps as early as next season, is a second wild-card team to each league, meaning 10 of 30 teams would make the playoffs. Commissioner Bud Selig, acting on the advice of a special committee for on-field matters, said the two wild-card teams from each league probably will play a one-game playoff to advance to the postseason with the three division winners.

ARLINGTON, Texas — This wasn't what slugger Mark Trumbo meant Saturday when he said the Angels need to "come out a little angry" and play with a "figurative chip on our shoulder. " Ace Jered Weaver took that suggestion to the extreme Sunday night, flying into a rage upon returning to the dugout after giving up a third-inning grand slam to Nelson Cruz, which helped power the Texas Rangers to a 13-6 romp of the Angels at the Ballpark in Arlington. "We had a chance to win the series, and I let the team down," said Weaver, who fell to 5-1 with a 2.83 earned-run average but is 2-7 with a 5.21 ERA in 14 career starts in the Rangers' hitter-friendly park.

at Baltimore 5, Texas 4: Melvin Mora homered and drove in three runs and rookie Brian Matusz earned his third straight win for the Orioles. David Murphy homered for the Rangers, denied their first five-game winning streak since July 19-24. Detroit 8, at Tampa Bay 6: Pinch-hitter Marcus Thames came through with a tiebreaking single during a two-run eighth inning, and Alex Avila had a two-run homer to lead the streaking Tigers past the Rays. Minnesota 4, at Cleveland 1: Scott Baker won his seventh straight decision and extended his mastery of the Indians.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Designated hitter Kendrys Morales, who missed a year and a half because of a broken left ankle, is experiencing soreness in his left Achilles' tendon and is not in the lineup for Friday night's game against the Texas Rangers at the Ballpark in Arlington. Morales, who played in one of the team's previous three games, said the Achilles' tendon has bothered him for three or four days. He grew so concerned about it Friday that he placed a call to Colorado to speak to Dr. Thomas Clanton, who performed the second surgery on his ankle in May 2011.

Reporting from St. Louis -- Ron Washington rolled the dice again. Only this time, the Texas manager may have come up with snake eyes. Washington has challenged convention throughout the World Series, but since he emptied his bullpen by using eight pitchers in Game 6 on Thursday, his already fatigued relievers would appear to have little to give in the decisive seventh game Friday. Left-hander Derek Holland , who came within two outs of a two-hit shutout in Game 4, would have been a candidate to start Game 7. But he pitched two innings Thursday, leaving left-hander Matt Harrison as Washington's only option.

"Texas Rangers," a western starring Dylan McDermott and James Van Der Beek, also opens today in general release. Because Dimension Films did not make the film available for screenings, The Times' review will appear Monday.

As good as the Angels have been since June 11 -- their 41-16 record is the best in baseball in that span -- they have been unable to shake the Texas Rangers, who are 4 1/2 games back in the American League West. And that, Torii Hunter said, may not be such a bad thing. "That's good," the Angels center fielder said. "You want that push. You don't want a 20-game lead and to be so comfortable that you get to the playoffs and lose your mojo. "You want to be pushed to the end, and I tell you what, Texas is not going an-y-where.

Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth has given his personal stamp of approval to a group of Texans, headed by the President's son, George W. Bush, trying to buy the Texas Rangers from Eddie Chiles. Bush, the President's eldest son, and Edward Rose met with Ueberroth on Thursday, but Chiles said he has not talked with the commissioner about the deal. Others in the partnership include Ft. Worth businessman Richard Rainwater, the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram reported today.

SCHEDULE Tonight: Texas (Todd Stottlemyre, 5-3) at New York (David Wells, 18-4), 5 p.m., Channel 11. Wednesday: Texas (Rick Helling, 20-7) at New York (Andy Pettitte, 16-11), 5 p.m., Channel 4. Friday: New York (David Cone, 20-7) at Texas (Aaron Sele, 19-11), 5 p.m., Channel 4. Saturday: New York (Orlando Hernandez, 12-4) at Texas (John Burkett, 9-13), TBA, if necessary. Sunday: Texas (Stottlemyre) at New York (Wells), TBA, if necessary. YANKEES AT A GLANCE Lineup *--* 2B Chuck Knoblauch .

The Texas Ranger, crippled and able only to inch along the living room using a cane, eased himself stiffly into one of the comfortable rocking chairs of the ranch house. He was in pain with the infirmities of age, yet he had taken great care with his clothing--his Texas Ranger tie clasp, a replica of the circled star badge he once wore, the Ranger belt buckle given to him at retirement, and the boots that must have been an agony to pull on.

Stan Kasten still wears the massive World Series ring he won 17 years ago as president of the Atlanta Braves, and he says there has rarely been a day when someone hasn't wanted to touch or hold it. "I take it off every day," he said Wednesday. "Because I'm asked by a fan, by a staffer, by a player to see it. And I want them to see it. This is why we're here. " Kasten, 60, was standing in front of home plate at Dodger Stadium wearing a crisp white Dodgers home jersey over a blue tie as he spoke about how he, as team president, planned to turn the Dodgers into consistent winners — just as he had done in Atlanta.

Writers from around Tribune Co. discuss which Major League Baseball teams have been the most surprising in the first few weeks of the season. Check back throughout the day for more responses and join the conversation with a comment of your own. Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times The Chicago White Sox might be the biggest surprise, since management appears to vacillate between keeping an old team together and rebuilding, which usually ensures...

Reporting from Tempe, Ariz. -- Angels Manager Mike Scioscia was noncommittal Wednesday when asked about plans to keep C.J. Wilson in his regular spot in the spring training rotation. If he continues pitching every fifth day, Wilson would face the Texas Rangers on Sunday. That's the team he helped pitch to the World Series last year, and which he left for a five-year, $77.5-million deal with the Angels this winter. Teams usually shy away from sending a regular-season starter to pitch against a division rival such as  the Rangers of the American League West.

John Blake, the head of communications for the Texas Rangers, worked for the Boston Red Sox when Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched his first spring training game for them in 2007. Looking around the packed press box at Peoria Stadium on Wednesday, Blake said, "There's more interest for this game than there was for Matsuzaka's first game. " Yu Darvish, the Rangers' high-priced import from Japan, will make his Cactus League debut against the San Diego Padres at 1 p.m. Three television stations will simultaneously broadcast the game live in Japan.

Reporting from Peoria, Ariz. — Seated at a table on the far end of an auxiliary locker room that was turned into a makeshift interview room, Yu Darvish clasped his hands. He twiddled his thumbs. He looked at his interpreter, at the ceiling, even at the tape recorders placed in front of him, but almost never at the person asking him a question. The high-priced Japanese free agent had pitched two scoreless innings in his first game for the Texas Rangers, but didn't smile once. He spoke softly and said little.

Don Mincher, a 13-year veteran of the major leagues who played with the 1972 World Series champion Oakland Athletics and had stints with the Angels, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Seattle Pilots and Washington Senators, died Sunday at his home in Huntsville, Ala., after a long illness. He was 73. Mincher later served as general manager, broadcaster and owner of the Class AA Huntsville Stars, a Southern League franchise, and was president of the Southern League from 2000 until retiring last October.

The Texas Rangers agreed to terms with pitcher Reid Ryan, the son of Nolan Ryan, and two other players they chose earlier last week in the amateur draft. Ryan, a right-hander from Texas Christian, was the club's 17th-round pick. . . . Former Atlanta outfielder Ron Gant has been examined by doctors from the Cincinnati Reds and met with Jim Bowden, the club's general manager, but has not been offered a contract.

Gaylord Broadcasting Co. will pay Eddie Chiles $50 million for his controlling interest in the Texas Rangers baseball team, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Sunday. The newspaper quoted sources as saying the money will be paid over a 10-year period, with Chiles getting $5 million up front and $375,000 a month for 10 years. Chiles refused to disclose the sale price on Thursday, when he announced he was selling his two-thirds interest in the team. Gaylord Broadcasting Co.

The owner of the reigning NBA champions will not be the next owner of the Dodgers. Mark Cuban was eliminated from the Dodgers' ownership sweepstakes Friday, along with baseball executive and former agent Dennis Gilbert, according to two people familiar with the process but not authorized to discuss it. At least eight bidders advanced to the second round Friday, including a group led by Magic Johnson and veteran baseball executive Stan Kasten...

Clay Daniel remembers the first time he saw Yu Darvish in person. It was at a 2002 tryout on an island off the coast of Japan, when the lanky right-hander, who signed a six-year, $60-million deal with the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, was only 16. "He was a fungo bat, about 6 feet 4 and 160 pounds, and he was only throwing 85-88 mph," said Daniel, then the Angels' international scouting director. "He was still a baby, but you could tell he had a chance to be something special. " Dodgers special advisor Tom Lasorda had a similar reaction when he saw Darvish in the 2004 Koshien National High School Baseball Championships as a senior in 2004.