Rangers Add to Oriole Woes

Ivan Rodriguez capped a five-run fourth inning with a three-run homer Sunday to lead the Texas Rangers over the Baltimore Orioles, 11-7, at Arlington, Tex.

Rodriguez went four for five, and Juan Gonzalez had four runs batted in to take over the American League lead with 22. The Rangers, who took an 11-1 lead into the ninth, won for the sixth time in seven games.

Ranger starter Bobby Witt (2-0) gave up three runs and eight hits in eight-plus innings. He walked three and struck out one.

Texas won twice during the three-game series after going 1-10 against Baltimore last season. Roberto Alomar and Harold Baines had two hits each for the Orioles, who have lost four of five.

Texas took a 4-0 lead in the second off Jimmy Key (2-1) on Kevin Elster’s RBI double, Bill Haselman’s run-scoring single and Juan Gonzalez’s two-run single.

Baltimore cut the deficit to 4-1 in the fourth on B.J. Surhoff’s RBI single.

But Texas added a five-run fourth, with Key walking two and balking in a run during the inning. Key loaded the bases on two hits and a walk, then balked in Haselman from third. Later in the inning, Key issued another walk and Will Clark doubled in a run to end Key’s start.

Rodriguez followed with his third homer, a drive off Terry Matthews, that made it 9-1. Gonzalez hit a two-run homer in the eighth, his fourth, to make the score 11-1.

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