Ian Kinsler reached 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases for the first time in his four-year career Friday, leading Texas to an 8-3 victory over Tampa Bay. Kinsler already had 30 steals going into Friday's game and he climbed to the 30-homer plateau with a three-run shot in the eighth. Texas kept its slim playoff hopes alive, after starting the evening's action seven games behind the Los Angeles Angels in the American League West and eight games behind Boston in the wild-card race. Kinsler put Texas in front for good at 4-3 in the fourth inning when he scored from third on a double play grounder off the bat of Ivan Rodriguez. Derek Holland (8-12) got the victory despite letting an early 3-0 lead get away.

Doubles by Michael Cuddyer and Joe Crede to open the sixth touched off a four-run inning Wednesday and rallied the Minnesota Twins to a 5-4 victory over Texas. The Twins came back from a five-run deficit to down the Rangers Tuesday climbed out of a four-run hole Wednesday. The setback dropped the Rangers out of a share of the lead with Boston in the American League wild-card race and pushed them 6 ½ games behind the hot Los Angeles Angels for the top spot in the AL West. Minnesota's rally spoiled the return to the Texas roster of catcher Ivan Rodriguez, who spent the first 12 seasons of his 19-year career with the Rangers.

The Texas Rangers got catcher Ivan Rodriguez from the Houston Astros Tuesday in exchange for two minor leaguers. Rodriguez, 37, batted .251 with eight homers and 34 RBI in 93 games as Houston's starting catcher this year.

Miguel Tejada and Ivan Rodriguez hit solo homers as part of a 16-hit attack Friday, leading the Houston Astros to an 8-1 whipping of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Astros have won three in a row and moved into a second-place tie in the National League Central with Milwaukee and the Chicago Cubs -- three games behind St.

David Murphy's bases-loaded single with one out in the 10th inning Wednesday gave Texas a 5-4 inter-league victory over Houston. Houston's Ivan Rodriguez, who played most of his career for Texas, established a major league record by catching his 2,227th game.