Rangers beat Angels 2-1 on Vlad’s 2-run HR, Harden comes off DL to outduel Haren

Harden returns from DL to beat Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Vladimir Guerrero ended a 16-game home run drought with a two-run shot that opened the scoring, Rich Harden pitched seven solid innings in his first start off the disabled list and the Texas Rangers pushed their lead in the AL West over the Los Angeles Angels back to nine games with a 2-1 victory Saturday night.

Harden (4-3) allowed a run and five hits, struck out three and walked two in his matchup against former Oakland A’s teammate Dan Haren. The Rangers’ right-hander had been sidelined since June 11, when he strained his left gluteal muscle. The Angels’ run came on a seventh-inning homer by Howie Kendrick.

Frank Francisco pitched a perfect eighth inning and Neftali Feliz did likewise in the ninth for his 29th save in 31 attempts and 20th in a row, finishing up a game that took 2 hours, 11 minutes.

Feliz is the third rookie in major league history to convert at least 20 consecutive save opportunities, joining Oakland’s Andrew Bailey (21 in 2009) and Boston’s Jonathan Papelbon (20 in 2006). The longest save streak by any Texas pitcher is 21, by Francisco Cordero in 2004.

Haren (0-2) went the distance for his second complete game of the season and 11th in 210 career starts. The right-hander threw 119 pitches, allowing five hits and striking out six in his second start for the Angels after joining them on July 25 a trade that sent Joe Saunders and three minor leaguers to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Last Monday, Haren was forced out of his Angels debut in the fifth inning because of a bruised forearm after getting struck by a line drive off the bat of Boston’s Kevin Youkilis. The three-time All-Star has gone a career-worst nine consecutive starts without a victory, including three no-decisions. Haren’s last win was June 12, when the Diamondbacks beat St. Louis 7-2.

Haren was facing a Texas lineup fortified for the stretch drive by the additions of second baseman Cristian Guzman and first baseman Jorge Cantu, who were obtained prior to Saturday’s non-waiver trade deadline from Washington and Florida, respectively.

Major league batting leader Josh Hamilton was scratched from the Rangers’ lineup because of patella tendinitis. The three-time All-Star, hitting .362 with 23 homers and 75 RBIs, missed his fourth game of the season and first because of injury.

David Murphy, batting third in place of Hamilton, drew a leadoff walk in the fourth and Guerrero drove Haren’s next pitch to left-center for his 21st homer. It ended a drought of 68 homerless at-bats for the nine-time All-Star since his three-run shot against Baltimore’s Brian Matusz on July 9 at Arlington.

NOTES: Harden and Haren spent three seasons together in Oakland (2005-07). During that time, the injury-plagued Harden was 15-7 with a 2.92 ERA, two complete games and one shutout in 32 starts. Haren was 43-34 with a 3.64 ERA, five complete games and no shutouts in 102 starts. … Hamilton is batting .411 with six homers and 22 RBIs in 32 games since his last unscheduled day off on June 23. … The Rangers finished July with a 14-13 record after going 21-6 in June — which was their best record for any month since the franchise moved from Washington D.C. to Texas in 1972. … Texas RF Nelson Cruz extended his career-best hitting streak to 19 games with a sixth-inning single. … Texas is 20-10 against AL West rivals. Last season the Rangers finished 30-27 within their division, including an 11-8 mark against the Angels, who finished 10 games ahead of them in the standings. … The game was only 1 hour, 28 minutes old when the seventh-inning stretch arrived.