Inconsistent Hamels sees streaks end

ARLINGTON — The Rangers strung together an impressive 14 wins in a row with Cole Hamels on the mound, but their ace couldn’t string together enough strikes Sunday, and the streak went astray in a 9-6 loss to the Angels.

Hamels walked four, including the game’s first batter and three more in a troublesome fifth inning in which he threw 36 pitches and only 17 strikes. Three of the six Angels who reached base against Hamels in that inning scored, and the lefty did not pitch into the sixth inning for the first time in 17 starts as a Ranger.

“I just can’t walk that many guys, I’ve got to challenge them,” Hamels said. “Even though they are a good team, you just have to make them earn the bases.

“I just wasn’t able to get the consistency of my two-seamer. It was moving in a couple different directions on my release point, so I just wasn’t able to harness that and get that understanding of where to actually throw it and then let it move. It was kind of going all over the place.”

Hamels’ 10-game winning streak, the …

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