Hamels, Beltre lead Rangers past Rays

Cole Hamels worked 5 2/3 innings of no-hit ball Friday night and struck out 10, and Adrian Beltre hit two solo home runs as the Texas Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-2.

Mitch Moreland’s 21st homer of the season to broke a scoreless tie to start the fifth. Beltre opened the sixth with his 20th homer and then opened the seventh with career homer No. 434.

His 12th season with 20 homers is tied for third all-time among third baseman. Beltre, who went 4 for 5, is tied for 45th all time with former Rangers Juan Gonzalez and Andruw Jones.

Corey Dickerson broke up Hamels’ no-hit bid with a single with two outs in the sixth. He lost the shutout as Steven Souza Jr. homered to start the eighth.　

Hitting: The Rangers had only three hits against Matt Andriese in four scoreless innings before Mitch Moreland got them going. ... Moreland started the fifth with a solo homer, his 21st of the season, for the game’s first run. Elvis Andrus used his legs to get another run in the fifth. He went from first to third on a two-out single by Ian Desmond, then raced home when Rays center fielder Mikie Mahtook took his time getting to the ball and then lobbing it back to the infield. ... Adrian Beltre’s third hit of the game was a home run to start the sixth. He singled in his first two at-bats before lining a pitch over the center-field wall. The Rangers scored two more in the inning, one on an RBI single by Nomar Mazara and the other on a bases-loaded walk to Jurickson Profar. ... Beltre ripped another homer to start the seventh, this one to left field. He was 4 for 5.

Pitching: Cole Hamels took a no-hitter into the sixth inning en route to improving to 13-4 this season. Corey Dickerson broke up the no-no with a single through the middle with two outs in the sixth. ... Hamels struck out three straight twice in the first five innings and has eight strikeouts after six. ... Brad Miller reached on an iffy infield single to start the seventh, which Hamels ended with a strikeout of Tim Beckham. ... Hamels lost the shutout when Steven Souza Jr. started the eighth with a long home run, and the lefty was removed after the next batter, Bobby Wilson, went down as the 10th strikeout. ... Tony Barnette allowed a run in the eighth, getting only one out, and Jake Diekman got the final four outs.

This story was originally published August 19, 2016 at 9:09 PM with the headline "Hamels, Beltre lead Rangers past Rays."