SPORTSDAY

Josh Hamilton expected to be in the lineup and spent 20 minutes trying to talk manager Ron Washington into playing center today. It didn't work. He gets a day off to rest his bruised ribs and give a cortisone injection time to work its magic. Michael Young bats third, one spot ahead of David Murphy. The hope in batting Murphy second is that he will get some fastballs to hit and get more at-bats to break his 0-for-22 start to the season.

Rangers lineup

Ian Kinsler, 2b

David Murphy, lf

Michael Young, 3b

Hank Blalock, dh

Marlon Byrd, cf

Nelson Cruz, lf

Chris Davis, 1b

Jarrod Saltalamacchia, c

Elvis Andrus, ss

Orioles lineup

Brian Roberts, 2b

Adam Jones, cf

Nick Markakis, rf

Aubrey Huff, 1b

Ty Wiggington, 3b

Luke Scott, dh

Chad Moeller, c

Felix Pie, lf

Cesar Izturis, ss

-- Jeff Wilson

Alright let's give this a try.

Scott Feldman went 5 innings (4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 79 pitches). Johnald, Jon in NRH, JT and Jimbo all hit it on the nose. Jimbo had the closest line: 5 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K and 92 pitches.

Ian Kinsler was the biggest hitter, with his 2-5 and HR. Garrett, Sam, MJS, Douglas, JT, Jimbo and Jamie in Forney all had Kinsler leading the team in hits. For what it's worth, Hamilton and Salty each had two hits, and pimp c (r.i.p.), garbeau, mitch and Jon in NRH chose him.

My Oversized Libido (nice) had Holland as first out of the pen, as did Cbray, Sam, Johnald, MoretsSS, mitch, A-Dub, Douglas and JT. Four runs were given up by the pen, and only A-Dub nailed that one.

How many times you'll wonder about Holland? You'll have to answer that for yourself, but since it was on my mind his entire three innings, I'd probably need more than just my fingers and toes to count that one.

On to today...12:35 start, remember

Brandon McCarthy is our contestant.

IP: 5.2
H: 6
R: 3
ER: 3
BB: 3
K: 5
Pitches: 99

Score: Baltimore 5, Texas 4 (come on, three straight road wins?)

Ranger with the most hits: Marlon Byrd (2-4)
First reliver in the game: Jason Jennings
Runs allowed by the Texas pen: 2
Ball/strike calls that the pitch tracker shows were missed by at least two inches: 5

You're up

All four pitchers in yesterday's game are pivotal guys this season. Scott Feldman was displaced from his rotation spot in spring training, despite Ron Washington's declaration that the rotation was set. He then did not perform as hoped in the pen, and hopes couldn't have been too high going into this game, but after going 1.2, 2.1 and 2.2 innings in three relief appearances and allowing nine runs (and at least two in each stint), he looked excellent early and managed to extend himself to five innings.

Derek Holland continued to fire bullets, touching 97 again and blowing Nick Markakis away on a slider for one of his two strikeouts. The home run by Ty Wigginton exposed an issue from his first appearance: he's getting a little too much of the plate on some of his fastballs. Still, it looks more and more like the club won't be able to keep him out of the rotation for much longer unless its sole purpose for keeping him in relief is to keep his innings in check.

So in the rotation you have three spots that appear filled, with Kevin Millwood, Brandon McCarthy and Vicente Padilla. Then what do you do? Kris Benson will likely get another chance, assuming that his injury is as minor as the club has suggested. Matt Harrison appears to be running out of chances, and he does have options left. I would probably be inclined to keep Feldman in the rotation and give Harrison's spot to Benson when he comes back. That trial should be short, however, if he continues to struggle. And one way or another I would probably have to give Holland a regular turn by the end of May. The Rangers probably won't even wait that long, and of course the lack of likelihood that those top three starters all stay healthy for two or more months may make this a simpler situation.

It was redemption day on the mound on Saturday, as Guillermo Moscoso, Michael Main and Cliff Springston all looked to rebound from very tough starts.

Triple-A: Oklahoma City and Omaha were rained out.

Double-A: Corpus Christi 3, Frisco 1 -- Reliever Joe Torres allowed the winning runs in his first appearance for the organization, while three Astros farm hands limited Frisco to the one run. Roughriders were 0-13 with runners in scoring position.

On the mound: Moscosco did bounce back in his second start, going six innings and limiting the Hooks to one run. He allowed seven hits, walked two and struck out three. Andrew Laughter rebounded a bit himself, retiring the last four batters without allowing a baserunner.

At the plate: Red hot Manny Pina singled and doubled in four trips to raise his season line to .487/.535/.692. Justin Smoak continued his quiet improvement with two more hits. The power still isn't quite there, but Smoak's on base ability looks just fine at this point: .293/.400. Jose Vallejo and Johnny Whittleman each had a hit, and Chad Tracy walked twice.

Here's highlights of the Rangers' victory Saturday night over the Orioles in Baltimore.

Another throwing error by Elvis Andrus, his fifth of the season and fourth this week, jump-started a three-run Orioles rally in the ninth, but Frank Francisco retired Nick Markakis and Aubrey Huff to preserve 6-5 Rangers victory.

Scott Feldman won his 2009 debut in the rotation, and he will start against Thursday. Beyond that, though, the bullpen is his likely destination. He's heard that before, mainly through the second half of last season. It would be tough to take out of the rotation if he has another start as good as the one he had tonight (five innings, one run, four hits).

Derek Holland was good, too, allowing one run in three innings of relief. Manager Ron Washington was quick to dismiss the notion of Holland getting a start in the near future. "Our plan is to use Derek out of the bullpen, and that's what we'll do until we decide otherwise," Washington said.

-- Jeff Wilson

Derek Holland has come back out in the eighth to begin a third inning of work. He allowed a solo homer to Ty Wiggington in the sixth inning and pitched out of trouble in the seventh. The first two Orioles hitters in the eighth are the same two he faced to start the sixth -- the left-handed-hitting Nick Markakis and Aubrey Huff. Rangers lead 6-2.

-- Jeff Wilson

Discomfort in his bruised ribs while running the bases in the fifth inning caused Josh Hamilton to leave the games. He suffered the injury to his left ribcage Tuesday in Toronto after crashing into the wall.

Derek Holland is trotting in from the bullpen to pitch the bottom of the sixth.

-- Jeff Wilson

Josh Hamilton, who beat out an infield single in the fifth, has left the game. He asked for time after running out the hit, and appeared to be holding his left arm against his bruised ribs. He scored in the inning to make it 6-1, but Marlon Byrd is now in center and David Murphy is in left and will bat third.

-- Jeff Wilson

Somehow, the bulk of the bad weather circled around Camden Yards even though lightning is easily seen just above the old warehouses in right field. It is sprinkling, and the wind seems to be blowing from the direction of the biggest storm cell, but that game hasn't come close to being halted. That's not a complaint, but it is odd that Camden Yards has dodged the rain.

As for the game, Mark Hendrickson actually struck out Ian Kinsler, and the Orioles scored once with two outs in the fourth inning. Barely, though, as Nick Markakis just beat the throw from Josh Hamilton on a single to center field. Rangers lead 5-1 entering the fifth.

-- Jeff Wilson

Ian Kinsler has two homers, and Chris Davis and Andruw Jones have hit solo shots to stake the Rangers to a 5-0 lead. Scott Feldman has allowed only one hit in three innings. That's the good news.

The bad news is that rain, potentially heavy rain, is about to unleash itself on Camden Yards. Several flashes of lightning have wowed the crowd, but most of them seem undeterred by the approaching moisture and are still in their seats.

-- Jeff Wilson

Ian Kinsler started the game with a solo homer and added a two-run shot in the second as the Rangers have streaked into a 4-0 lead heading to the third inning.

Mark Hendrickson might have to give the NBA another shot (thanks for the line, Victor Rojas) if he keeps pitching for Kinsler. Hendrickson was the starter April 15, when Kinsler hit for the cycle. He had a double, homer and single against the 6-foot-9 left-hander.

Chris Davis is in the lineup against Orioles left-hander Mark Hendrickson, who was the starter April 15 when Ian Kinsler hit for the cycle. Hank Blalock gets a night off, and Andruw Jones is the designated hitter.

Rangers lineup

Ian Kinsler, 2b
Michael Young, 3b
Josh Hamilton, cf
Andruw Jones, dh
Marlon Byrd, lf
Nelson Cruz, rf
Chris Davis, 1b
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, c
Elvis Andrus, ss

Orioles lineup

Brian Roberts, 2b
Adam Jones, cf
Nick Markakis, rf
Aubrey Huff, 1b
Ty Wiggington, 3b
Luke Scott, dh
Gregg Zaun, c
Felix Pie, lf
Cesar Izturis, ss

Michael Young is the first player in major-league history to hit three ninth-inning home runs in a five-game span that either tied the game or put his team ahead. Research provided to the Rangers by SABR showed that Young is the 11th player to hit three ninth-inning homers in five days, but none of the previous 10 players -- a list that includes Joe DiMaggio and Henry Aaron -- did what Young has done.

Players with three ninth-inning homers in a five-game span

Harry Heilmann (Detroit), 1923
Chet Laabs (St. Louis (AL)), 1942
Joe DiMaggio (New York (AL)), 1948
Ken Boyer (St. Louis (NL)), 1956
Henry Aaron (Atlanta), 1966
Don Baylor (New York (AL)), 1984
Howard Johnson (New York (NL)),1988
Gary Gaetti (Minnesota), 1989
Mel Hall (New York (AL)), 1991
Jay Bell (Arizona), 1999
Michael Young (Rangers), 2009*

* Only player in major-league history whose three ninth-inning homers over a five-game span either tied the game or put his team ahead.

Vicente Padilla pitched 6 2/3 innings on Friday, something that two of you -- Paris Ron and Brandon -- predicted would happen. Padilla's line: 6 2/3 IP, 7 H, 4R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 Ks, 104 pitches. Brandon is the big winner with his line: 6 2/3 IP, 7H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 Ks, 97 pitches. Paris Ron had 4 ER, 3 BB and 2 Ks with 108 pitches. Solid efforts both of you. A shout out to Ranger Yammer, who had Padilla at 6 1/3 IP (so he didn't qualify for the big prize), but did have 3 BB, 4 Ks and 105 pitches.

John was the only one who had Jarrod Saltalamacchia as the top hitter. And John was exactly right at three hits. Bobby D, pimp c and trip had Eddie Guardado as the first reliever out of the bullpen. Daniel in Waco, Ryan, mcCool, jeff and Rett Davis had the bullpen not giving up a run. I'm not sure exactly how hard Padilla threw, but somewhere around 94-95 mph. So Pabloesque, Daniel in Waco, Jamie in Forney, Bobby D, trip and Ranger Yammer got that one right.

Tonight's contestant: Scott Feldman

IP: 6
H: 8
R: 4
ER: 4
BB: 3
K: 3
Pitches: 101

Ranger with the most hits: Josh Hamilton (3-for-4, HR...he's going to break out)
First Ranger reliever in the game: Jason Jennings
Runs given up by Ranger bullpen: 1
Number of times you'll wonder how Derek Holland would do in the rotation: 4

Your turn.

Forgive me for just throwing some things out there, but I have a few thoughts on various Rangers topics after watching Friday's game and wanted to share them.

• Maybe it's a mere coincidence, but isn't it interesting how even more clutch Michael Young has become since Omar Vizquel pinch-hit for him with the bases loaded in a blowout game on April 17? Young, who thrives in those situations, has simply shown how valuable he really is with the game on the line. He's 8-for-26 (.307) with three homers and 5 RBIs since he was pinch-hit for that night. All three homers were hit in the ninth to tie, win or give the club to go-ahead runs (which led to a win last night). As Jamey Newberg noted, Young is hitting .636 (7-for-11) with three homers in the eighth and ninth innings this season.

• Manager Ron Washington wanted to show some confidence in Chris Davis by leaving him in against a lefty with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth.

"Chris is going to be somebody we're going to be depending on to produce for us, and I'm just trying to build his confidence," Washington said. "You never know even if I send Andruw up there what's going to happen. But I just felt in my heart that I had to let Chris take a shot right there."

Part of me can understand that. But Davis, who is struggling right now, will get more chances to hit against tough lefties as the season goes along. Right now, in a close game on the road, why not go to your bench, play the percentages and pinch-hit Andruw Jones, who is swinging the bat well this season? It cost $6 million to put Jones on the 25-man roster and he's supposed to be batting against tough lefties in those situations. Washington did pinch hit for Davis in a similar situation on Thursday. I'm surprised he didn't do the same Friday, but I did understand his reasoning.

• For those questioning whether Jones was just thrown in at first base on Thursday, he has been working out at that position off and on since spring training. Jones told Washington he wanted to get some ground balls at first to make himself a little more valuable and help the team out there if needed. I saw him out there taking grounders during the last homestand. So putting him at first on Thursday wasn't a complete surprise. I don't think it will happen often.

Here's highlights of the Rangers' ninth-inning rally to defeat the Orioles on Friday night in Baltimore.

Michael Young has struck again when the Rangers needed it most. He just hit a two-out, two-run homer to move the Rangers into a 5-4 lead in the ninth inning. Ian Kinsler preceded Young's fifth homer of the season and third in the ninth inning since Sunday with a gutsy at-bat that resulted in a single.

The Orioles' Nos. 2, 3 and 4 hitters -- Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and Aubrey Huff -- are due up in the bottom of the inning against Frank Francisco.

Chris Davis just struck out to end a bases-loaded, two-out threat in the eighth against Orioles closer George Sherrill. It was a lefty-lefty matchup that Davis, who leads the majors in strikeouts, lost as the right-handed-hitting Andruw Jones sat on the bench.

Jones pinch-hit for Davis in a similar position Thursday, but tonight he would have been facing a lefty. Why didn't Ron Washington go to Jones tonight?

Vicente Padilla gave the Rangers his longest and strongest outing of the season, allowing four runs in 6 2/3 innings. His 105th and final pitch plunked Nick Markakis in the thigh. Eddie Guardado was summoned to get Aubrey Huff but walked him. Darren O'Day came in and got Ty Wiggington to end the seventh.

The Rangers got a solo homer from Hank Blalock in the top of the inning and have the top of the order coming up in the eighth.

Vicente Padilla had faced the minimum through three innings and got Brian Roberts to start the fourth. But consecutive singles followed by a two-run double by Aubrey Huff gave Baltimore a 2-1 lead, and Huff scored on a two-out balk to make it 3-1. Eight Orioles batted in the inning, and what looked like a breakthrough start for Vicente Padilla is now looking like it could be another long night.

Here's what catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia did in the third inning: doubled, advanced to third on a flyball to right, scored on Ian Kinsler's single, chased down a Gregg Zaun bunt and threw a rocket to first for the out, and threw out would-be base-stealer Felix Pie at second to end the inning. Saltalamacchia is definitely a better catcher than he was last year. Credit a desire to get better and consistent playing to time to ply his trade.

Ian Kinsler's two-out single scored Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who had doubled, to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead going to the bottom of the third. The question: Will Vicente Padilla hold the advantage? He hasn't done very well with leads so far this season.

Kris Benson was with the Baltimore Orioles from 2004 to 2006, and he still has ties to the community. He and his wife, Anna, were part of a pregame ceremony in which they, along with the Orioles Charitable Foundation, donated $125,000 to five area charties. The Bensons will give more Sunday, presenting $125,000 to the Baltimore police department.

The Bensons created Benson's Battalion Foundation shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks while he was a member of the New York Mets. The Foundation's goal is to help purchase equipment local police and fire departments need to combat terrrorism. The donations this weekend were arranged when Benson was traded to Baltimore.

This Rangers lineup is nothing new, and the Orioles have their normal lineup vs. right-handers.

Rangers lineup

Ian Kinsler, 2b
Michael Young, 3b
Josh Hamilton, cf
Hank Blalock, dh
Marlon Byrd, lf
Nelson Cruz, rf
Chris Davis, 1b
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, c
Elvis Andrus, ss

Orioles lineup

Brian Roberts, 2b
Adam Jones, cf
Nick Markakis, rf
Aubrey Huff, 1b
Ty Wiggington, 3b
Luke Scott, dh
Gregg Zaun, c
Felix Pie, lf
Cesar Izturis, ss

The Rangers are back in the United States and ready to face Baltimore in a four-game set tonight through Monday.

Jamie in Forney, Jimbo, pimp c and me had Kevin Millwood going 7 innings. But all of us had him allowing two or fewer runs. His line: 7 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 116 pitches. So I'll give the grand prize to both Jamie in Forney and pimp c. They had two runs allowed and were close on the pitches. Jamie in Forney, Jason, Jimbo, Kent, Paul, tcat75, yash and me had Jason Jennings as the first reliver in the game. Buck, El Cassidy, jeff, pimp c., MoretsShowerShoe and me had either Josh Hamilton or Nelson Cruz as the top hitter. Jimbo, Kent, Daniel in Waco, Adam and tcat75 had the bullpen giving up a run. Anyone know how many times TV cut to a shot of Derek Holland?

Tonight's contestant: Vicente Padilla

IP: 5 2/3
H: 9
R: 4
ER: 4
BB: 3
K: 3
Pitches: 98

Ranger with the most hits: Chris Davis (2-for-4)
First Ranger reliever in the game: Derek Holland
Runs allowed by Rangers bullpen: 1
The highest mph of any Padilla fastball tonight: 93

Your turn.

Won't the next two nights gives us a better sense of the answer to that question?

Vicente Padilla starts tonight for the Rangers. GM Jon Daniels said Monday that he isn't concerned about Padilla's velocity, despite it being a couple of mph off his normal speed. And when you're throwing in the high 80s and low 90s instead of mid 90s, that's a big difference. Hopefully, Padilla is just experiencing a "dead arm" period that many pitchers go through in spring training.

But what if Padilla's velocity is down again tonight? Would that indicate a more serious problem? Do you just keep putting Padilla out there if he's not throwing at his normal rate?

Then there's Scott Feldman as the starter on Saturday. Feldman was 6-8 with a 5.18 ERA in 25 starts last season and he gave this club innings. But he's struggled out of the bullpen this season, giving up nine runs on 11 hits in 6 2/3 innings (12.15 ERA). Maybe starting better suits him. We'll find out.

But if Feldman struggles and Padilla's velocity is still a concern, does that change bump up the timetable for Holland's arrival in the starting rotation? I've been quick to say that Holland should get the chance to ease into the majors and get some more chances in the bullpen first. But after watching him the other night, I don't know that he needs that many more appearances in the bullpen before he can give the rotation a try. He's going to struggle at some point. Everyone knows that. Is there a difference (mentally) hitting those bumps in the bullpen rather than as a starter? I'm not sure there is.

So do you insert Holland in the rotation if things don't go well for both Padilla and Feldman? When do you make Holland a starter?