Darvish Dazzles In Rangers 5-0 Win Over Twins

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Yu Darvish allowed just four hits over eight sharp innings and the Texas Rangers beat Minnesota 5-0 on Saturday, handing the Twins their fifth straight loss.

Darvish (8-4) allowed only one hit and one walk after the second inning in lowering his earned run average to 2.42 and his home ERA to 1.83. With 10 strikeouts, he hit double digits for the fifth in his last eight starts.

Adrian Beltre had three hits for the Rangers and scored Texas' first run, which proved to be all the Rangers needed, in the second inning. Shin-Soo Chin and Leonys Martin added two hits each.

The Twins have lost nine consecutive road games. Phil Hughes (8-4) lost for only the second time in eight road starts this season, allowing all five runs on 11 hits in 7 2/3 innings.

Nel Cotts finished for Texas in a non-save situation and retired the side in order.

The Rangers have won the first two of the three-game weekend series with the Twins following a season-long eight-game losing streak.

The shutout was Texas' 14 of the season, tops in the American League and one short of the St. Louis Cardinals' major league leading total.

Beltre scored on a double by Chris Gimenez on a fly to straight-away center that sailed just beyond the reach of Sam Fuld. The Rangers added a second run in the third inning when Rougned Odor singled, stole second, advanced on an out and scored on a dribbler back to the mound by Elvis Andrus.

Texas added three insurance runs in the eighth to chase Hughes, who went into the game with a 1.52 ERA in five previous career appearances at Globe Life Park.

Darvish's strong outing followed a quality start by Nick Tepesch on Friday night to give Texas consecutive quality starts for the first time since June 14-15.

One of Minnesota's hits was a first-inning single by Joe Mauer that extended his hitting streak to a season-high nine games.

The Twins put runners at second and third in the second inning on singles by Oswaldo Arcia and Chris Parmelee. No. 9 batter Pedro Florimon, hitless in his previous 18 at-bats, flied out to center with two away to end what proved to be Minnesota's only threat of the game.

Darvish has thrown one shutout in his three big-league seasons. He blanked the Miami Marlins this season on June 11 before enduring two consecutive losses, a streak that ended Saturday.

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