• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Choo, Darvish help Rangers down Tigers

May 23, 2014 - 12:09 AM Detroit, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Shin-Soo Choo clubbed a two-run homer and Yu Darvish continued his dominance of the Detroit Tigers to lead the Texas Rangers to a 9-2 win Thursday in the opener of a four-game series at Comerica Park.

Adrian Beltre and Michael Choice each drove in two runs in support of Darvish (4-2), who held the Tigers to two runs on six hits and three walks with six strikeouts over seven strong frames. In five career starts against Detroit, Darvish is a perfect a 5-0.

"For seven innings he did a good job and held them to two runs," Rangers manager Ron Washington said of Darvish stifling Detroit's potent offense. "That's a pretty good feat right there."

Chris Gimenez supplied four of Texas' 14 hits and also drove in a run, while Alex Rios registered an RBI and scored twice for the Rangers, who have won three of their last four games.

Detroit starter Robbie Ray (1-1) surrendered seven runs on nine hits and four walks over 3 1/3 innings to absorb the loss.

"I didn't really have command of my fastball and when you don't have that, you're other pitches aren't going to work," Ray admitted. "It was just a rough day all around."

Miguel Cabrera collected two hits, an RBI and a run scored for the Tigers, who have lost four straight on the heels of a six-game win streak.

The Rangers jumped on Ray in the second, as Beltre worked a leadoff walk and scored on Rios' double into the gap in left-center field. After moving to third on Mitch Moreland's flyout, Rios scored on Gimenez's single to right.

Texas tacked on three more in the third before blowing the game open with a four-run fourth.

Elvis Andrus opened the third with a single and Choo walked before Beltre ripped a double to left to score both runners for a 4-0 advantage.

Following a Rios groundout, Moreland smacked a chopper toward first that skipped past Cabrera and into shallow right field. Former Ranger and current Detroit second baseman Ian Kinsler, who was backing up the play, then booted the ball toward the right-field line. Beltre never stopped running on the play and slid across the plate just ahead of Kinsler's throw. Detroit manager Brad Ausmus challenged the ruling, but the call on the field was upheld.

Choo's two-run shot to left-center field with one out in the fourth made it 7-0 and ended Ray's outing, as Evan Reed entered from the bullpen.

After Beltre flied out, Rios and Gimenez sandwiched singles around a Moreland walk to load the bases for Choice, who plated a pair with a single to center for a 9-0 lead.

Detroit finally got to Darvish in the sixth, as Torii Hunter and Cabrera opened the frame with back-to-back doubles to get the Tigers on the board. Don Kelly singled two batters later to score Cabrera and trim the margin to 9-2.

Jason Frasor replaced Darvish to start the eighth and spun a scoreless frame before Detroit utilityman Danny Worth came in to pitch the top of the ninth.

Worth, who made his professional pitching debut, used a filthy knuckleball to fan a pair of hitters in a blank inning of work.

Game Notes

Worth became the first Detroit position player to pitch at least one full inning since Willie Smith on Sept. 25, 1963 ... Texas center fielder Daniel Robertson left the game with a head injury in the third inning after colliding with Rios in the outfield ... After spending his first eight seasons in Texas, Kinsler faced his former team for the first time since being shipped to Detroit in the offseason for Prince Fielder, whose return to Detroit was put on hold as he missed his fourth straight game with an ailing neck. The team announced after the game that Fielder is slated to undergo season-ending surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck ... The Tigers went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.