CINCINNATI (AP) — Tim Adleman threw one right down the middle to Yu Darvish and then had to watch the Rangers pitcher round the bases on a notable home run.

Darvish connected for only the second homer by a Rangers pitcher, and Adrian Beltre hit a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning Wednesday night for a 6-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds and a split of their two-game interleague series.

Darvish’s solo shot to center field was one of three homers by the Rangers, who wasted a three-run lead before rallying late. Beltre’s double off Blake Wood (5-2) snapped a 5-5 tie.

“It was just a really bad pitch, something he could handle,” said Adleman, who followed it by giving up another homer by Ian Desmond. “Those were big blows — two-out home runs when one pitch could’ve gotten me out of it. It’s definitely disappointing.”

Darvish’s big moment came in the fifth when he ended his 0 for 12 career slump. He tipped the bill of his batting helmet as he rounded third base and raised an index finger briefly as he headed for the plate. The only other Rangers pitcher to homer was Bobby Witt in 1997 at Dodger Stadium, in only their third interleague game.

He’s the fifth pitcher to homer against the Reds this season.

“He hit a fastball out over the plate and he hit it well,” manager Bryan Price said. “It’s hard to know about American League pitchers, but he showed that he’s capable of hitting it out of the ballpark.”

Nomar Mazara had a three-homer, and Desmond followed Darvish’s homer with his 21st. The Reds have given up 10 homers in the last three games, including four sets of back-to-back homers.

Darvish let a 5-2 lead slip away. He walked a season-high five batters and hit a batter in six innings. A passed ball and an error led to two unearned runs.

Jake Diekman (4-2) went one inning and got the win. Sam Dyson pitched the ninth for his 28th save in 32 chances.

The win snapped Texas’ three-game losing streak. The Rangers haven’t lost more than four straight this season. They improved to 28-8 in one-run games, best in the majors.

Carlos Beltran was hitless in four at-bats, leaving him in an 0-for-24 slump that matches his career high from 2000.

Darvish helped the Reds score two runs in the second. He hit Adam Duvall and walked two to load the bases. Duvall scored when Ramon Cabrera grounded into a forceout, and another run scored on Jonathan Lucroy’s passed ball.

Shortstop Elvis Andrus’ throwing error set up another unearned run in the fifth. Cabrera had an RBI double as the Reds tied it with three runs in the sixth, aided by another walk.

INTERLEAGUE

The Rangers are 11-6 in interleague play, with their pitchers going 4 for 21 at the plate. The Reds are 5-12.

TOP TWO

The Rangers host the Cleveland Indians on Thursday, matching the top two teams in the AL. The last time they met so late in a season with both teams leading their divisions was 1999, according to STATS. The Rangers have won five of their last seven games with the Indians.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: RHP Tanner Scheppers had no problems after his third rehab appearance, an inning for Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday night. He’s missed the season recovering from surgery on his left knee.

Reds: SS Zack Cozart missed his seventh straight game with an inflamed left Achilles tendon. He worked out on the field before the game. Price said he could be back in the lineup this weekend.

UP NEXT

Rangers: LHP Cole Hamels (13-4) opens a series in Arlington against the Cleveland Indians. Since the All-Star break, Hamels is 4-2 with a 1.85 ERA in seven starts.

Reds: After a day off, they open a series in Arizona. LHP Brandon Finnegan (8-9) has 13 quality starts and has been the victim of blown saves four times.

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Follow Joe Kay on Twitter: http://twitter.com/apjoekay

Rangers 6, Reds 5

Texas AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Beltran rf 4 0 0 0 0 0 .230

Dyson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

Beltre 3b 4 0 1 1 0 0 .288

Odor 2b 4 1 1 0 0 0 .273

Bush p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

Stubbs lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .300

Lucroy c 4 1 0 0 0 0 .233

Moreland 1b 4 0 1 0 0 0 .254

Mazara lf-rf 4 1 1 3 0 1 .281

Andrus ss 3 0 1 0 0 0 .296

Darvish p 2 1 1 1 0 0 .333

Diekman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

Totals 33 6 7 6 0 1

 

Cincinnati AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Hamilton cf 5 0 1 0 0 0 .261

Peraza ss 5 0 0 1 0 1 .295

Votto 1b 3 0 0 0 1 1 .310

Duvall lf 1 1 0 0 2 1 .242

Phillips 2b 4 0 0 0 0 0 .282

Schebler rf 3 2 1 0 1 0 .203

Suarez 3b 2 1 0 0 2 2 .249

Cabrera c 4 0 1 2 0 0 .248

Adleman p 1 0 0 0 0 1 .091

a-Renda ph 1 1 1 0 0 0 .231

Lorenzen p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250

b-De Jesus ph 0 0 0 1 0 0 .234

Wood p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Ohlendorf p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

d-Barnhart ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .260

Totals 30 5 4 4 6 6

Texas 030 020 010 = 6 7 1

Cincinnati 020 012 000 = 5 4 1

 

a-singled for Adleman in the 5th. b-out on sacrifice fly for Lorenzen in the 6th. c-lined out for Diekman in the 8th. d-grounded out for Ohlendorf in the 9th.

E—Andrus (12), Votto (7). LOB—Texas 1, Cincinnati 6. 2B—Beltre (23), Cabrera (7). HR—Mazara (15), off Adleman; Darvish (1), off Adleman; Desmond (21), off Adleman. RBIs—Desmond (75), Beltre (80), Mazara 3 (49), Darvish (1), Peraza (12), Cabrera 2 (16), De Jesus (19). SB—Desmond (19). SF—De Jesus.

Runners left in scoring position—Texas 1 (Odor); Cincinnati 3 (Hamilton, Duvall, Adleman). RISP—Texas 2 for 5; Cincinnati 1 for 6.

Runners moved up—Peraza. GIDP—Mazara, Darvish.

DP—Cincinnati 2 (Suarez, Phillips, Votto), (Phillips, Peraza, Votto).

 

Texas IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Darvish 6 4 5 3 5 5 100 2.91

Diekman W, 4-2 1 0 0 0 1 0 13 2.78

Bush H, 15 1 0 0 0 0 1 11 2.91

Dyson S, 28-32 1 0 0 0 0 0 8 2.83

Cincinnati IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Adleman 5 5 5 4 0 1 68 3.68

Lorenzen 1 0 0 0 0 0 9 2.61

Wood L, 5-2 2 2 1 1 0 0 28 3.69

Ohlendorf 1 0 0 0 0 0 11 4.33

IBB—off Darvish (Votto). HBP—Darvish (Duvall), Wood (Desmond). PB—Lucroy (6).

Umpires—Home, Dan Iassogna; First, Dale Scott; Second, Ramon De Jesus; Third, Bob Davidson.

T—2:44. A—16,100 (42,319).