ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Cincinnati Reds starter Dan Straily faced the minimum number of batters through his first three innings. The right-hander also retired the last nine Texas Rangers he faced.

The only problem was the start of the fourth inning in between those stretches in a 6-4 loss to the Rangers on Wednesday night.

Texas loaded the bases without an out, or a hit, to start the fourth and went ahead to stay with four runs. Strailey walked two batters and hit another before Adrian Beltre had an RBI single and Prince Fielder immediately lined a two-run single to right field before the Rangers added another run on a groundout.

“It’s frustrating to have a day like that, knowing I’m better than that. I caused that,” Straily said. “I lost the game for our team because of something as stupid as a couple of hitters where I couldn’t put it in the zone the way I wanted to.”

A night after an 8-2 victory to end the Rangers’ season-best seven-game winning streak, the Reds missed a chance for a winning road trip by splitting the two-game interleague series. They went 4-5 instead.

“It was a very unusual game, but sometimes those games are won and lost in those moments,” said Reds manager Bryan Price, who marked his 54th birthday Wednesday.

Eugenio Suarez hit his 14th homer, a three-run shot in the eighth off reliever Jake Diekman that got the Reds within 5-4.

But that also came between homers by Ian Desmond and Shin-Soo Choo leading off the seventh and eighth innings, respectively, off different relievers.

But Cincinnati never recovered from Straily’s one extended hiccup.

“Really, it was just one real bad stretch for Dan,” Price said.

“It was poor command for three hitters in a row. I was trying to figure it out. It’s just really, really frustrating,” Straily said. “That momentary lapse just lost it for me.”

Cole Hamels (8-1) struck out eight in six solid innings as the Rangers wrapped up 20 games in 20 days with their 16th victory in that stretch. Sam Dyson pitched the ninth for his 15th save in 16 chances, and 13th straight since being named their closer May 18.

Hamels scattered five hits, walked two and allowed only one run while improving to 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA in five June starts since his only loss May 27. The left-hander is 10-1 with a 1.93 ERA in 15 career starts vs. the Reds.

“We’re playing as a team. No one in this clubhouse is trying to do more than what they’re capable of doing. Nobody is trying to be selfish,” Hamels said. “Everybody is a team player. It’s probably the most positive vibe I could experience going on day in and day out.”

DOUBLE DOWN

Jay Bruce had two doubles for the Reds. He had a one-out double in the fifth and scored on Adam Duvall’s single. Bruce had three doubles in the two games, and hit safely in all eight games he played on the trip.

SHORT HOPS

Texas is 47-26, the best record in the American League and good for a 10-game lead over Houston in the AL West. … Beltre got his 1,510th career RBI, breaking a tie with Mickey Mantle for 53rd on MLB’s all-time list….. The Reds and Rangers all-time series is tied 7-7. They play two more games, Aug. 23-24 in Cincinnati.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Reds: 1B Joey Votto missed both games in Texas after getting a stomach bug. He was at the ballpark Wednesday after not even going there Tuesday for the series opener.

Rangers: LHP Derek Holland was put on the 15-day DL with shoulder inflammation, and the Rangers said RHP Colby Lewis would be going on the DL as well with a strained lat muscle. Lewis won’t throw for at least four weeks. … RHP Yu Darvish, on the DL with right shoulder discomfort, threw off flat ground and had no issues.

UP NEXT

Reds: Cincinnati goes home for the next seven games, starting Thursday night against San Diego.

Rangers: Texas has a day off before opening a three-game series at home against the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.

Reds 8, Rangers 2

Cincinnati AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Cozart ss 5 0 1 0 0 1 .283

Hamilton cf 5 0 1 0 0 2 .256

Phillips 2b 4 0 0 0 1 1 .258

Bruce rf 4 2 2 0 0 0 .285

Duvall lf 2 1 1 1 2 1 .258

Suarez 3b 4 1 2 3 0 1 .229

De Jesus 1b 4 0 0 0 0 3 .211

Barnhart c 3 0 0 0 1 2 .238

Peraza dh 4 0 1 0 0 0 .229

Totals 35 4 8 4 4 11

 

Texas AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Choo rf 3 2 1 1 1 0 .220

Odor 2b 3 1 1 0 0 1 .271

Mazara lf 3 1 0 0 1 0 .288

Beltre 3b 4 1 1 1 0 0 .275

Fielder dh 3 0 1 2 0 0 .205

Rua cf 2 0 0 0 0 1 .287

Desmond cf 1 1 1 1 0 0 .316

Moreland 1b 3 0 0 1 0 1 .231

Andrus ss 3 0 0 0 0 0 .284

Chirinos c 3 0 0 0 0 2 .205

Totals 28 6 5 6 2 5

 

Cincinnati 000 001 030 = 4 8 1

Texas 000 400 11x = 6 5 0

 

E—De Jesus (2). LOB—Cincinnati 8, Texas 1. 2B—Bruce 2 (17). HR—Suarez (14), off Diekman; Desmond (12), off Hoover; Choo (2), off Cingrani. RBIs—Duvall (49), Suarez 3 (38), Choo (7), Beltre (43), Fielder 2 (36), Moreland (31), Desmond (47). SB—Suarez (5), Peraza (4). CS—Odor (2).

Runners left in scoring position—Cincinnati 4 (Hamilton 2, Phillips, Barnhart); Texas 1 (Andrus). RISP—Cincinnati 2 for 8; Texas 2 for 5.

Runners moved up—Cozart, Peraza, Moreland.

 

Cincinnati IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Straily L, 4-4 6 3 4 4 2 3 92 3.83

Hoover 1 1 1 1 0 2 20 9.72

Cingrani 1 1 1 1 0 0 13 3.86

Texas IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Hamels W, 8-1 6 5 1 1 2 8 95 2.79

Bush H, 9 1 0 0 0 1 1 19 1.02

Diekman 1 2 3 3 1 2 25 2.28

Dyson S, 15-16 1 1 0 0 0 0 13 1.93

HBP—Straily (Odor).

Umpires—Home, Dave Rackley; First, Chris Guccione; Second, Alfonso Marquez; Third, Larry Vanover.

T—2:38. A—32,407 (48,114).