ATLANTA -- Injuries, a steady turnover on the roster and a losing skid have combined to test the Atlanta Braves.
Derek Lowe believes better times are coming.
Adrian Beltre drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI single in the 10th inning and the Texas Rangers beat the Braves 5-4 on Saturday for a rare one-run road win.
The Braves have lost five of six, including the first two games of the series.
One day after the Braves called up Randall Delgado from Double A to start against Texas, the team recalled Wilkin Ramirez to start in left field. Delgado took the loss in Friday night’s 6-2 loss and Ramirez was 0 for 3 with a walk Saturday.
“It seems like the locker room is just rotating,” Lowe said. “But it tests you. ... We’ll be fine when it all settles down.”
Slowly, the Braves are returning to health. Right fielder Jason Heyward returned from the disabled list Wednesday, and manager Fredi Gonzalez said another outfielder, Nate McLouth, could return today.
Third baseman Chipper Jones, who missed his second straight game, with a right adductor strain, said he won’t be ready to play today.
The Braves committed three errors for the second straight game, leading to an unearned run.
“It’s too many,” catcher Brian McCann said. “We’ve got to shore up our D, for sure.”
Lowe gave up seven hits and four runs, three earned, in five innings. He made his eighth straight start without a win.
The Rangers were previously 1-11 in one-run road games before winning this one after blowing an early 4-0 lead.
There was a rain delay of 2 hours, 16 minutes in the fifth inning.
Ian Kinsler led off the 10th with a double off Scott Proctor (1-1), who was pitching in his third straight game. Kinsler stayed at second on a groundout by Elvis Andrus, who had three hits. Proctor issued an intentional walk to Josh Hamilton before Beltre lined the run-scoring single to center.
Mark Lowe (2-1) struck out the side in the ninth. Neftali Feliz pitched a perfect 10th for his 14th save.
The Rangers’ only other road win in a one-run game this season was a 5-4 decision in 11 innings at Kansas City on May 18.
Matt Harrison, making his first appearance against Atlanta after he was drafted by the Braves in 2003 and traded to Texas in 2007, was denied the win even after waiting through the rain delay to remain in the game.
“He wasn’t going to give up the ball until he had to give it up,” Texas manager Ron Washington said.
Harrison said he threw every 20 minutes in the indoor hitting cage.
“I was able to stay loose and keep my body going through the long rain delay,” said Harrison, who said he had never before returned after a delay longer than 45 minutes.
“I wanted to make sure if I got stiff I was coming out of the game,” he said.
Harrison gave up three runs, one earned, on three hits in 6 1-3 innings. He left with a 4-3 lead.
The Braves tied it in the eighth. Left-hander Darren Oliver made a wild throw to first for an error after fielding Jordan Schafer’s bunt, allowing Schafer to race to second.
Dan Uggla, who had a run-scoring double in the third, followed with a tying RBI double off the top of the wall in center, only inches shy of a go-ahead home run.
“We just came up short,” Uggla said. “Inches. Literally.”
The Braves had two errors in the first inning Saturday, helping the Rangers score two runs.
Kinsler led off with a single and scored from first when a hit-and-run single to right field by Andrus skipped past Heyward for the first error.
Andrus scored when Hamilton’s grounder bounced off first baseman Freddie Freeman’s glove for another error.
The Rangers pushed the lead to 4-0 in the third. Andrus singled and scored from third on a double-steal. Michael Young’s single drove in Hamilton, who reached on a fielder’s choice grounder.
Harrison recorded eight straight outs before Derek Lowe’s double over right fielder Mitch Moreland’s head with two outs in the third. Left fielder Nelson Cruz dropped Schafer’s line drive for an error, allowing Lowe to score. Uggla’s double drove in Schafer to cut the Texas lead to 4-2.
Notes: Less than half the crowd of 44,600 stayed through the rain delay. ... The Braves fell to 9-7 in extra-innings. Texas improved to 2-4. ... Delgado was optioned to Class AA Mississippi.
Texas AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Kinsler 2b 5 2 2 0 0 1 .236
Andrus ss 5 2 3 0 0 0 .281
J.Hamilton cf 4 1 0 1 1 1 .294
A.Beltre 3b 5 0 1 1 0 1 .260
Mi.Young 1b 5 0 1 1 0 0 .308
Feliz p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
N.Cruz lf-rf 5 0 2 0 0 2 .229
Moreland rf-1b 4 0 2 0 0 2 .299
Torrealba c 3 0 0 0 1 0 .250
M.Harrison p 3 0 0 0 0 2 .000
Tateyama p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
D.Oliver p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
c-En.Chavez ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .343
M.Lowe p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Dav.Murphy lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .242
Totals 40 5 11 3 2 10
Atlanta AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Schafer cf 5 2 0 0 0 1 .233
Uggla 2b 5 0 2 2 0 1 .176
Heyward rf 5 0 0 0 0 2 .213
McCann c 3 1 1 1 1 0 .296
W.Ramirez lf 3 0 0 0 1 2 .167
Freeman 1b 4 0 0 0 0 4 .263
Ale.Gonzalez ss 3 0 0 0 1 1 .254
Di.Hernandez 3b 2 0 0 0 0 0 .259
a-Conrad ph-3b 1 0 0 0 0 1 .227
Kimbrel p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
d-Hinske ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .255
Proctor p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
D.Lowe p 2 1 1 0 0 0 .160
Linebrink p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Venters p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
b-Mather ph-3b 2 0 0 0 0 2 .213
Totals 36 4 4 3 3 15
Texas 202 000 000 1--5 11 2
Atlanta 002 001 010 0--4 4 3
a-struck out for Di.Hernandez in the 7th. b-struck out for Venters in the 8th. c-struck out for D.Oliver in the 9th. d-struck out for Kimbrel in the 9th.
E--D.Oliver (2), N.Cruz (5), McCann (4), Heyward (4), Freeman (4). LOB--Texas 7, Atlanta 5. 2B--Kinsler (16), N.Cruz (10), Uggla 2 (11), D.Lowe (2). HR--McCann (11), off M.Harrison. RBIs--J.Hamilton (28), A.Beltre (51), Mi.Young (44), Uggla 2 (21), McCann (39). SB--Andrus 2 (21), J.Hamilton (4), N.Cruz (4).
Runners left in scoring position--Texas 4 (Kinsler, Moreland, Mi.Young, N.Cruz); Atlanta 2 (Heyward, W.Ramirez).
Runners moved up--A.Beltre. GIDP--N.Cruz, Torrealba.
DP--Atlanta 3 (Schafer, Ale.Gonzalez), (Ale.Gonzalez, Uggla, Freeman), (Ale.Gonzalez, Uggla, Freeman).
Texas IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
M.Harrison 61/3 3 3 1 1 6 102 3.16
Tateyama H, 2 1 0 0 0 0 3 20 3.86
D.Oliver BS, 2-4 2/3 1 1 0 1 1 19 2.67
M.Lowe W, 2-1 1 0 0 0 1 3 18 4.74
Feliz S, 14-17 1 0 0 0 0 2 13 2.13
Atlanta IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
D.Lowe 5 7 4 3 0 2 72 4.10
Linebrink 2 1 0 0 0 2 31 3.72
Venters 1 1 0 0 0 2 17 0.62
Kimbrel 1 0 0 0 1 3 16 3.09
Proctor L, 1-1 1 2 1 1 1 1 25 2.70
IBB--off Proctor (J.Hamilton).
Umpires--Home, Brian Gorman; First, Cory Blaser; Second, Tony Randazzo; Third, Larry Vanover.
T--3:15 (Rain delay: 2:16). A--44,600 (49,586).
