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  Friday, Jun. 2 8:35pm ET
Bell's home run defeats Rangers
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Jay Bell is probably hoping that the Arizona Diamondbacks do get moved to the American League during any realignment. Then he could be a full-time designated hitter.

Serving as DH in Arizona's first interleague game of the season, Bell hit a tiebreaking homer and went 4-for-5 Friday night as the Diamondbacks beat the Texas Rangers 5-4.

Greg Colbrunn and Ruben Mateo
Ruben Mateo trips over first base trying to beat out a ground ball in the seventh. Mateo broke a bone in his upper leg and is likely out for the season.
"From Little League on up, everybody loves to hit," Bell said. "The beauty of the DH role is the fact is that is what consumes you the entire game, and that is hitting."

Bell, the starting second baseman for 52 of the 53 previous games and the position he'll return to Saturday, had four straight hits after grounding out in the first inning in the opener of the three-game series.

After Texas came back from a 3-0 deficit to tie it, Bell led off the seventh with a solo homer off Rick Helling (7-3), who allowed nine hits in seven innings.

"They didn't always hit it hard, but they found holes and god the big hits when they needed them," said Helling, who has lost two straight starts after a five-game winning streak.

Texas lost its first game in June after going 18-10 in May, and lost rookie center fielder Ruben Mateo for the season.

Mateo broke the right femur bone in his upper leg while trying to beat out a grounder in the seventh inning. Mateo was down on the field for about 10 minutes. He was then put on a stretcher and lifted onto the cart after his right leg was stabilized.

Mateo was in surgery late Friday to have a rod inserted in his leg. He faces a recovery period of five months or more.

In addition to the go-ahead homer, Bell had three singles and scored twice. It was his first four-hit game this season.

Bell's homer helped keep Brian Anderson (5-0) undefeated. Anderson allowed five hits in seven innings, struck out four and walked none for the fifth time in 10 starts this year and the 24th time in 61 starts with the Diamondbacks.

Mike Lamb doubled in the third and No. 9 hitter Royce Clayton followed with his ninth homer of the season. Rafael Palmeiro tied the game at 3 an inning later with his third homer in four games.

"I have not had a game where I felt that bad going into the game," Anderson said. "The first two innings, I was so concerned with hitting spots. I started felling better and then left two pitches over the plate that they hit out."

Anderson has allowed 14 home runs this season, and they have accounted for 21 of the 35 runs (60 percent) scored against him. He allowed an NL-high 39 homers in 1998, and cut it to 15 last season.

After the two homers, he didn't allow another run.

"I went back to the mentality that I had in the first two innings, with better stuff," Anderson said. "I didn't worry about anything but hitting spots, and if I miss, I miss off the plate."

Matt Mantei got three outs for his second save, allowing a run on a wild pitch. With runners at first and second and one out, Chad Curtis flied to right, advancing the potential tying run to third. Scarborough Green then flied out.

Arizona used four doubles off Helling to build a 3-0 lead.

Craig Counsell and Damian Miller, the 8-9 hitters in the Diamondbacks lineup, had consecutive two-out doubles in the second. An inning later, Steve Finley had an RBI double and scored when Greg Colbrunn followed with a two-run double.

Luis Gonzalez added a sacrifice fly in the ninth.

Game notes
Palmeiro's homer was the 377th of his career, tying him for 43rd place with Norm Cash and Harold Baines. ... Finley missed his 20th home run by a matter of inches in the fifth inning when he hit a ball that curled just outside the right-field pole. ... Since returning from the disabled list last Saturday, Texas OF Rusty Greer is 4-for-22 (.182). ... OF Jason McDonnell rejoined the Rangers on Friday. He had been in Sacramento with his wife for the birth of their first child, a girl born Tuesday night.

 


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