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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- When Juan Gonzalez was traded to Detroit
in the offseason, Texas Rangers reliever Tim Crabtree made some
negative comments about the slugger.
Apparently, the hard feelings still linger.
Crabtree's inside fastball to Gonzalez nearly touched off a
brawl in the Rangers' 11-5 victory over the Tigers on Friday night.
|  | | Bill Haselman had to play peacemaker late in the game, but this three-run double in the third powered Texas past Detroit. |
Crabtree threw a chest-high fastball to Gonzalez in the seventh
inning, angering the Tigers star. Gonzalez gestured at Crabtree and
took a couple of quick steps toward the mound before being
restrained by catcher Bill Haselman, Gonzalez's longtime friend
from their minor league days.
The dugouts and bullpens emptied but no punches were thrown.
"When the Rangers traded me, he talked in the papers,"
Gonzalez said of Crabtree. "I don't talk like that. I talk man to
man. He was sending a message to me by throwing me close."
After the Gonzalez trade, Crabtree was quoted in a Michigan
newspaper as saying, "He's their problem now."
Crabtree said there was no message behind the inside pitch. He said
he was merely trying to prevent Gonzalez from hitting a homer with
runners on first and second and the Rangers in front, 10-5.
"It was not my intention to throw at him," Crabtree said.
"Juan has a lot of power. The last thing I want him to do is get
his hands extended and hit a three-run homer. I was trying to tie
him up inside and get a groundball.
"I was kind of surprised he reacted the way he did. Things
escalated and got out of hand. Juan's a great player. But he's a
Tiger now and I need to get him out," he said.
Former teammate Rafael Palmeiro said Gonzalez is still coming to
grips with the deal almost eight months after it happened.
"You've got to understand, he was hurt by the trade," Palmeiro
said. "He comes back and the pitcher throws inside. Sure he thinks
there's a message. That made him upset. But that's what we talked
about doing. Crabby needed to throw inside to him."
Haselman's three-run double highlighted an eight-run third
inning. Frank Catalanotto homered and Gabe Kapler hit an RBI double
as Texas won its fourth in a row. All three players were part of
the offseason trade that sent Gonzalez to Detroit.
Rick Helling (12-7) won his fifth consecutive decision. He
allowed five runs and eight hits in six innings.
The Rangers remain in last place in the AL West, but they don't
think they're out of the race. Texas moved within a game of .500
for the first time since early July.
"You can never tell what will happen," said Helling. "We
still feel we have a shot at the playoffs if we can put a long
streak together. We've got 61 games left. We've still got a
chance."
Dean Palmer hit his 19th home run as the Tigers took a 3-0 lead
in the first. Texas got a run in the bottom half against Brian
Moehler (6-7) on Rafael Palmeiro's RBI double.
Catalanotto hit a solo homer in the second. The Rangers broke
open the game in the third with their biggest inning of the season,
highlighted by Haselman's three-run double.
Royce Clayton and Luis Alicea added RBI singles and Chad Curtis
had a two-run double to chase Moehler. Kapler's RBI double off
reliever Nelson Cruz extended Texas' lead to 10-3.
Moehler, 5-2 with a 2.49 ERA in seven previous career starts
against Texas, was tagged for 10 runs and 11 hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Detroit narrowed the gap to 10-5 in the fourth on Juan
Encarnacion's two-run homer. Mike Lamb homered for Texas in the
seventh.
Game notes
The Rangers' eight-run inning was their biggest since an
eight-run outburst on Sept. 25, 1999, against Oakland. ... Texas DH
David Segui was scratched from the starting lineup, and was traded
to Cleveland a few hours later for outfielder Ricky Ledee. Ledee
will join the Rangers Saturday night and is expected to be the
starting right fielder for most of the rest of the season. ...
Moehler had his earliest knockout of the season.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Detroit Clubhouse
Texas Clubhouse
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Cleveland 0
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Texas 11
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