60-57

Adrian Beltre goes 3-4 with two 2Bs and 3 RBI, including the decisive walkoff walk, and the Rangers beat Seattle 4-3 on Monday night. 

It's Texas's 5th consecutive win overall, and 8th in a row at home. The Rangers are 3 games above .500 for the first time since June 23rd (37-34). 

Beltre was the hero of the night, knocking in Texas's first two runs with separate RBI doubles in the first and third innings; the Rangers got their 3rd run in the bottom of the 6th when Ryan Strausborger hit a sac fly to score Elvis Andrus. 

In the bottom of the 9th -- after effective innings from Sam Dyson (groundout, groundout, groundout) and Shawn Tolleson (single, strikeout, groundout, groundout), respectively -- the Rangers jumped on Seattle's Fernando Rodney in about the most frustrating way possible if you're an M's fan. Strausborger led off with a bunt single; then Delino DeShields reached on a bunt that was inevitably challenged and upheld; Shin-Soo Choo got hit. After a Prince Fielder strikeout, Beltre walked off with, well, a walk. 

Now, the Cole Hamels apology hour:

With some fans already tripping, declaring Hamels has been "terrible" thus far, I think now is a good time to remind everyone that Cole is under control for, at the least, three more seasons after this one. It's okay, if not entirely expected, that Hamels needs time to adjust. And I don't mean that in the cliche, narrative way; I mean totally: he's on a team other than the Phillies, living in a city other than Philadelphia, pitching off a new primary mound in front of a new ballpark and new league. Those are major mid-season changes to deal with.

Yes, of course we expect more looking forward than the 5.23 ERA (12 ER in 20.2 IP) he's given in three starts to this point. And it's reasonable to assume his "bounce-back," or whatever you want to call it, isn't far away. With the Rangers, Hamels has induced 21 punch outs to 7 walks (a solid 3/1 ratio), and that's after issuing an uncharacteristic 4 free passes to the Mariners on Monday. The peripherals haven't changed; the things that matter, he's still doing well. This dude is going to be all right.