Friday, September 27, 1996

Rangers clinch tie for AL West playoff spot
By DENNE H. FREEMAN
Associated Press

ARLINGTON - The Texas Rangers took advantage of shoddy California fielding to clinch at least a tie for a playoff spot with a 6-5 win Thursday night over the Angels.

Texas can win its first division title by winning any of its final three games or if second-place Seattle loses any of its four remaining games. The Rangers have a 3-1/2-game lead in the AL West over the Mariners, who lost 7-5 at Oakland on Thursday.

John Burkett (5-2) allowed seven hits and five runs in 7 2-3 innings. Mike Stanton got two outs in the ninth and Mike Henneman finished for his 31st save, getting Gary DiSarcina on a liner to left with runners at first and second.

Jim Abbott (2-18) scattered eight hits in eight innings, but was hurt by three Angels errors.
Trailing 3-0, the Rangers scored four runs in the third inning helped by two Angels miscues.

Ivan Rodriguez's RBI double scored one run, and center fielder Darin Erstad dropped Rusty Greer's sacrifice fly ball as another run scored. Juan Gonzalez reached when third baseman Randy Velarde let a grounder roll between his legs, allowing another run to score. Will Clark's sacrifice fly made it 4-3.

Another error by the Angels in the fourth - California's third - gave Texas a 5-3 lead. Mark McLemore was safe when Velarde booted his grounder, and stole second. He moved to third on Kevin Elster's infield single and scored on Hamilton's groundout.

Texas made it 6-3 in the sixth when McLemore singled and Elster hit a triple.

Rex Hudler's 16th homer in the seventh inning brought the Angels within 6-4, and they added a run in the eighth on Tim Salmon's run-scoring single.

California built its 3-0 lead on Garret Anderson's two-run homer in the second, his 12th, and Salmon's RBI single in the third.