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Rangers' late rally helps Padilla beat Nationals

Jun 22, 2008 - 10:37 PM By Tim Hipps PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- The high-scoring Texas Rangers have a secret weapon in rookie Brandon Boggs.

Boggs homered and used his legs to set up the go-ahead run as the Texas Rangers edged the Washington Nationals, 5-3, on Sunday.

With the game tied at 3-3 in the eighth, Boggs drew a leadoff walk on four pitches from Luis Ayala (1-4). Boggs then stole second and, after a walk to Marlon Byrd, advanced to third on a wild pitch. Frank Catalanotto belted the first pitch he saw from Joel Hanrahan into left field for a single and 4-3 lead.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia followed with an RBI single to center that plated Byrd for a two-run edge. But it was Boggs, who broke a scoreless tie with a leadoff home run in the fourth, proved to be the difference.

"He's our secret weapon," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "Every time we put him in the ballgame, he does something - he really does."

"You just can't come in that late in the game, with the game on the line, and be walking guys," Washington manager Manny Acta said. "This is our bullpen. It's not going to change. So they've got to keep working, get out there and get after it. They're going to have good days and bad days, and we're just going to have deal with it."

Eddie Guardado threw a perfect eighth and C.J. Wilson worked around a one-out single to record his 15th save in 17 chances.

The late rally helped Vicente Padilla (10-3) win his third straight start. The righthander cruised through six innings, but yielded a game-tying, two-run homer to Ronnie Belliard in the seventh. Padilla allowed three runs and five hits - including two solo homers - in seven innings with five strikeouts and two walks.

"What Belliard did, I've seen him do to other people before, so I wasn't what you might call shocked that he was able to do that," Washington said. "But the team responded, came back, put up some runs, and it turned out to be another win."

"He's (Padilla) been giving us everything we felt like he was capable of giving, especially since Day One of spring training," Washington said. "He's just been out there hanging in there. When you give yourself a chance in this game, I keep saying, 'you get rewarded'. He certainly gave us a chance today."

Boggs snapped a scoreless tie in the fourth with a leadoff home run off Nationals starter John Lannan and Kinsler blasted the first pitch of the sixth inning into the Rangers' bullpen in left-center for a 2-0 lead. The homer was Kinsler's 12th of the season and second in as many days.

"Kinsler was the key today, also, getting us ahead 2-0," Washington said.

Meanwhile, Lannan, who has not won since May 18, allowed two runs on four hits - both solo homers - in six innings with six strikeouts and four walks. The lefthander has allowed two runs or less in 11 of his 14 starts.

Pinch-hitter Willie Harris hit a bomb to straight-away center for his third homer of the season in the sixth that cut the deficit to 2-1. Ramon Vazquez, who delivered a three-run double in the Rangers' seven-run seventh on Saturday night, scored Byrd with a pinch-hit single to right in the seventh inning that gave Texas a short-lived 3-1 lead.

After the game, Lannan underwent X-rays of a contusion on his right wrist sustained while fielding a comebacker off the bat of Saltalamacchia in the fifth inning. The X-rays came back negative and Lannan will be evaluated on Monday.

"I was worried at the end of the game with the X-rays and all that, but we saw pretty clear the ball just hit him on the end of the hand," Acta said. "We're not anticipating any problems, especially it being the glove hand."

Lannan confirmed that he was OK.