MLB News and Rumors

Texas Rangers outfielder David Murphy responded to former Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton’s comments on Monday, but isn’t quite sure what it means to be a “good baseball town.”
Hamilton, who signed

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Taylor Murphy was sitting in a classroom scrolling through numbers and percentages on his phone when he received a text message from his father, Dale Murphy, who had just then missed out on being voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame for the 15th and final time.

The former Braves great and two-time MVP winner received just 18.4 of the 75 percent of votes needed to be enshrined in the sport’s hallowed museum of its top players, but as Taylor or any one of Murphy’s other seven kids can attest, there was zero bitterness in his written words.

“He thanked us for everything,” said Taylor, the fifth-oldest child in the Murphy clan. “He looked at the positives.”

Murphy, of course, was thanking his children for the well-documented campaign they ran for their father’s Hall of Fame candidacy in the build-up to the ballot process. And for the most part, it paid off: Murphy’s numbers increased at a higher percentage than any other player left over from last year’s ballot, jumping

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C.J. Wilson threw a five-hitter, David Murphy drove in four runs and the AL West-leading Texas Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 8-0 on Tuesday night.

Wilson (15-6) matched his career high in wins from last year and became the first Texas left-hander to record 15 or more wins in consecutive seasons. He has three complete games this year.

Murphy and Ian Kinsler homered for the Rangers, who are 3-2 on a six-game trip to Boston and Tampa Bay. Adrian Beltre extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a third-inning single.

Tampa Bay right-hander Jeff Niemann (9-7) gave up seven runs and nine hits in 4 2-3 innings. He has lost three of his last four starts.

Kinsler tied his own team record, set in 2009, with his seventh leadoff homer this season in the first. He has 26 homers this year, including five in his last six games.

Murphy started the second with his ninth homer, then hit a two-run double during Texas’ three-run third that made it 5-0. Josh Hamilton also had an RBI double in the third.

Murphy finished with four hits and came within a triple of hitting for the cycle.

Beltre hit a sacrifice fly and Murphy had a run-scoring double to make it 7-0 in the fifth. Mike Napoli added a run-scoring double in the eighth.

Wilson was working on a perfect game in last Thursday’s 7-2 win over the Rays when Casey Kotchman’s infield hit went off the pitcher’s left index finger in the sixth. Wilson departed after the inning.

Kotchman got Tampa Bay’s first hit Tuesday when he flared an opposite-field single to left with one out in the second. Wilson induced an inning-ending double play from Kotchman with two on in the fourth.

Wilson is 3-0 in four career starts against Tampa Bay. He also threw 6 1-3 innings in Texas’ 6-0 win over the Rays in Game 2 of the 2010 AL division series.

Notes: Texas OF Nelson Cruz (strained left hamstring) is taking batting practice and will ramp up his running program this weekend. … Tampa Bay DH Johnny Damon (sore right leg) was out of the lineup for the second straight game. … Rays 3B Evan Longoria was the designated hitter for the third time this season. … Rangers RHP Alexi Ogando (12-7), skipped one time in the rotation, is scheduled to start Saturday against Oakland. … Texas RHP Tim Wood cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Round Rock. … Tampa Bay LHP David Price (12-12) and Texas LHP Derek Holland (13-5) are the scheduled starters Wednesday. … Texas announced that former Rangers minor league player and coach Dave Moharter died Tuesday. He was 62.

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New York Mets infielder Daniel Murphy is hitting .320, good for ninth best in the majors this season. But now the 26-year-old is likely done for the season.

The New York Times reports that Murphy was spiked Sunday by Jose Constanza during a steal attempt in the seventh inning of the Atlanta Braves’ 6-4 win and Murphy injured his knee.

The Times notes, “the injury to his left knee could be serious enough to end his season.”

The Mets were without the services of shortstop Jose Reyes for most of the game as well. He “pulled his left hamstring while running out a grounder to lead off the bottom of the first,” the Times reports, and “felt a twinge as he sprinted down the line and appeared to slow awkwardly as he reached the bag.”

GM Sandy Alderson said after the game, “We’ll wait for the M.R.I. and decide what to do next,” according to the paper.

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