SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Padres
are keeping their fingers crossed that right-hander Anthony Bass'
injury isn't more than just inflammation in his pitching shoulder.
"Hopefully, it's just that," manager Bud Black said after Bass left after five innings of the Padres' 4-2 loss to the Texas Rangers on Wednesday.
Yu
Darvish settled down to hold San Diego to five hits over eight innings
and got his first major league hit to help the Texas to their sixth
straight win.
Darvish (9-4), who struck out eight and walked
three, leads all big league rookies with nine victories. He pitched for
Japan at Petco Park in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
Yorvit Torrealba, who was with the Padres
in 2010, drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the sixth to bring
in Josh Hamilton with the go-ahead run. The Rangers swept the three-game
series and improved to 12-3 in interleague play, the best in the majors
this year.
The Padres have lost five of
six since their only three-game sweep of the season, at Seattle last
week. San Diego (24-46) has the worst record in the majors.
Bass allowed one run and three hits in five innings. He struck out two and walked one.
"He's
been relatively strong all year," Black said. "This is the first time
that it's popped up during the game. It just came up in the fifth.
Overall, the ball just wasn't coming out" correctly.
San Diego has had seven pitchers go on the disabled list, including five starters. Four of the seven have gone on the 60-day DL.
Joe Nathan pitched the ninth for his 15th save in 16 chances.
Darvish
allowed multiple baserunners in the first two innings. He walked
consecutive batters with one out in the first before getting Chase
Headley to line out to second baseman Ian Kinsler, who doubled Cameron
Maybin off second to end the inning.
After Alexi Amarista's double
down the left field line was interfered with by a fan, putting runners
on second and third with two outs in the first. Bass singled just inside
first base to give the Padres a 2-0 lead. Bass then stole the first base of his career.
Darvish
hit a broken-bat single in the third for his first big league hit. He
was promptly doubled off first after Amarista, the second baseman,
caught Kinsler's liner, ending the inning.
Alberto Gonzalez, who
was with San Diego last year, singled with two outs in the fifth to
bring in David Murphy, who walked and stole second.
Darvish settled down after the second.
"I
thought he got sharper as the game went on," Headley said. "We put some
heat on him early and took some good swings and had him on the ropes.
But, unfortunately, we hit some balls right at them. That got him out of
innings.
"He started to settle down and make his pitches. I thought he really pitched pretty well from the third-fourth innings on."
The
Rangers went ahead in the sixth with two runs on two hits and three
walks off three relievers. With one out, Michael Young singled, Hamilton
doubled and Adrian Beltre walked to load the bases against Dale Thayer
(0-2). Nelson Cruz grounded to Headley at third base. Rather than going
for the bag and then throwing to second, Headley threw to second for the
second out but Amarista's throw to first didn't get Cruz, and Young
scored.
Alex Hinshaw came on and walked pinch-hitter Craig Gentry.
Brad Boxberger came on and walked Torrealba to give the Rangers a 3-2
lead.
Young hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
NOTES:
Darvish ended a four-start road losing streak. ... He was 5-for-36
batting in Japan. ... Everth Cabrera had three hits for the Padres,
who are on a 5-game home losing streak. .... Roy Oswalt will make his
debut for the Rangers at home against the Colorado Rockies on Friday
night. He started four minor league games since signing with Texas on
May 29. Oswalt's last major league appearance was with Philadelphia in a
Game 4 loss to St. Louis in the NL Division Series. Oswalt said
Wednesday he didn't have as much soreness as he expected after his last
minor league start, when he threw 100 pitches and allowed six hits and
two runs in six innings Sunday for Triple-A Round Rock. He said he was
regaining command of his curveball. ... The Padres
are off Thursday and open a three-game series against the Seattle
Mariners on Friday night. They tweaked the rotation so lefty Clayton
Richard (4-7, 3.94 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday instead of Ross
Ohlendorf. Jason Marquis is scheduled to start Saturday and Edinson
Volquez on Sunday. Ohlendorf's turn will be skipped. ... The Padres swept three games from the Mariners at Seattle last week.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.