The Texas Rangers beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-1 on Monday night to begin a three-game series at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
Texas starter Ryan Dempster (7-6, 2-1 with the Rangers) pitched eight innings, gave up four hits and one run and struck out six. All nine Rangers who stepped to the plate recorded a hit in the game.
Baltimore scored its lone run in the first inning when Adam Jones scored Nate McLouth on an infield single. Texas took the lead with a three-run fourth inning, with RBI singles from David Murphy and Geovany Soto and a sac fly from Ian Kinsler.
Texas extended its lead to 5-1 off an RBI-single from Nelson Cruz in the fifth and an RBI single from Murphy in the eighth.
Orioles starter Miguel Gonzalez (5-3) gave up eight hits, four runs and struck out two.
The second game of the series is scheduled for Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. CT. Scott Feldman will pitch for Texas, while Chris Tillman will take the mound for Baltimore.
For more on the Rangers, head over to Lone Star Ball. For the Orioles perspective, check out Camden Chat.