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Rangers defeat Diamondbacks 9-8 in 12 innings

Jun 26, 2009 - 6:56 AM By ANDREW BAGNATO AP Sports Writer

PHOENIX(AP) -- Chris Davis started the Texas Rangers' Western road swing in a 1-for-11 slump.

He ended the trip - and his skid - with a flourish.

Davis matched a career high with four hits, including the winning two-run homer in the 12th, and David Murphy and Andruw Jones also homered as the Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-8 on Thursday night.

"It definitely felt good to swing the bat well, and to do it throughout the game," said Davis, who entered hitting .196.

After being swept at San Francisco and dropping the opener here, the Rangers bounced back to take the final two games against the Diamondbacks to move a half-game ahead of the idle Los Angeles Angels in the AL West.

"It's a good feeling," said Texas manager Ron Washington, whose team opens a nine-game homestand Friday night. "It was the last team standing and we were it."

With one out in the 12th, Nelson Cruz doubled to the right-field gap off Esmerling Vasquez (1-2), snapping an 0-for-18 slump. One out later, Davis nicked a 2-2 delivery, but catcher Miguel Montero dropped the foul tip.

"When I saw Montero drop it, I heard his frustration, so I kind of stepped out and took a deep breath and collected my thoughts and just got back in there," said Davis, who leads the majors with 103 strikeouts.

Given a reprieve, Davis drove a 2-2 pitch into the right-field seats for his 14th homer.

Two pitches later, Murphy followed with a shot to the same vicinity for his fourth homer.

"I think in that last inning before the game was over, I thought we swung the bats like the Texas Rangers," Washington said.

Eddie Guardado (1-1) pitched a scoreless 11th and Jason Jennings earned his first save in two chances despite yielding two runs in the 12th. Jennings gave up a two-out, two-run single to Miguel Montero before retiring Ryan Roberts to end the game.

Mark Reynolds hit a pair of two-run homers for the Diamondbacks, who dropped to 2-10-1 in home series this season. They haven't won a series at Chase Field since taking two of three from the Chicago Cubs April 27-29.

"I can't put my finger on why we're not winning more games," Reynolds said. "We just need things to click, and they're just not clicking. That's the way our whole season's been going."

Reynolds' first homer came in the first inning against Scott Feldman and gave the Diamondbacks a 2-0 lead.

With Arizona down 6-4 in the eighth, Reynolds hit a 3-2 delivery from Frank Francisco an estimated 433 feet into the left field seats to tie the game.

"He can put a team on his back and deliver some big blows," Arizona manager A.J. Hinch said of Reynolds.

It was the second time this season, and the sixth in his career, that Reynolds has homered twice in a game. He has 21 homers, fourth in the NL.

Reynolds had a chance for more heroics in the 12th, when he batted with two on and no outs in the 12th. But Reynolds struck out for the NL-leading 99th time.

NOTES: Arizona OF Eric Byrnes will require surgery after breaking his left hand and could miss four to eight weeks. Byrnes fractured the fifth metacarpal in his left hand when he was hit by a pitch from Feldman in the second inning. The 33-year-old Byrnes is hitting .216 with five homers and 24 RBIs in the second year of a three-year, $30-million contract. ... After consulting team doctors, Arizona RHP Brandon Webb plans to meet with three more doctors before deciding what to do about his injured right shoulder. Season-ending surgery is a possibility for the 2006 NL Cy Young Award winner, who has made one start. ... In the first, Texas shortstop Omar Vizquel singled for his 2,678th career hit, most by a native of Venezuela. The 42-year-old Vizquel moved ahead of Hall of Fame shortstop Luis Aparicio, who played in 107 fewer games. ... Texas OF Josh Hamilton took batting practice and said he hopes to return from abdominal surgery when the Rangers face Tampa Bay in Arlington next weekend. Manager Ron Washington said he's hoping Hamilton is back before the All-Star game.