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Rangers hit the road to battle White Sox

May 16, 2011 - 2:46 PM (Sports Network) - The defending American League champions take to the road and will try to remain within striking distance of a division lead tonight when the Texas Rangers visit U.S. Cellular Field for the first of two games with the Chicago White Sox.

The Rangers, who reached the World Series before falling to the San Francisco Giants last fall, climbed within a half-game of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim atop the AL's West Division with a 5-4 defeat of the visiting Angels on Sunday in Texas.

Chris Davis homered and drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning for the Rangers.

Los Angeles had won Saturday's game, 3-2, thanks to a Maicer Izturis RBI single in the ninth. But on Sunday, it was Texas' turn to pull out the win with late-inning heroics.

Angels reliever Rich Thompson (1-2) began the eighth by walking Adrian Beltre and David Murphy, and Mike Napoli singled to load the bases. Hisanori Takahashi came in to replace the ineffective Thompson and faced Davis, who singled to right to plate Beltre.

Despite still having the bases loaded and nobody out, the Rangers didn't score more runs. Takahashi used a force out at the plate, a pop-up to third and a fly ball to left to keep it a 5-4 game.

But the Angels couldn't plate the tying run against Neftali Feliz in the ninth. Howie Kendrick, who walked with one away, was caught stealing as Alberto Callaspo struck out.

Feliz earned his eighth save for Texas, while Beltre slugged a three-run homer and Ian Kinsler had four hits.

The Rangers open the series with the White Sox with right-hander Colby Lewis, who looks for a second straight win in his eighth start of the season.

The 31-year-old was 2-5 after a 3-1 loss at Seattle on May 5, but rallied with a 7-2 triumph at home against Oakland in his most recent mound trip on May 10.

Lewis has made seven career appearances against the White Sox, starting five times while compiling a 1-3 record and a 7.59 earned run average across 32 innings.

He's lasted at least six innings in five of seven starts in 2011 and given up three runs or less four times.

For the White Sox, righty Edwin Jackson also gets a chance to win a second straight decision.

The 27-year-old won two straight in his initial two outings of the season on April 2 and 7, then went 0-4 in five starts between April 12 and May 3.

He got back to winning on May 9 in Anaheim, where he defeated the Angels, 8-0, with seven innings of five-hit ball with a walk and five strikeouts.

The win lowered his season's ERA from 4.98 to 4.29.

He's 2-2 in six career starts against Texas with a 3.67 ERA.

On Sunday in Oakland, Alexei Ramirez hit a solo home run in the fourth and drove in the game-winner in the seventh to help the White Sox edge the Athletics, 4-3, in the finale of a three-game set.

Carlos Quentin drove in a run while Omar Vizquel added two hits and a run scored for the White Sox, who have won three of their last four. Mark Buehrle (3-3) got the win as he gave up three runs on seven hits with three walks and six strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings.

Texas won five of its nine meetings with the White Sox in 2010.