Hamels digs deep, but Tigers escape

ARLINGTON — The Tigers needed 14 hits to score two runs off Rangers left-hander Cole Hamels, but that was enough to beat the American League West leaders, 2-0, on Saturday night at Globe Life Park.

A night after scoring eight runs and hitting four homers, the Rangers were held scoreless on two hits against Tigers starter Matt Boyd, who turned in a career-high seven innings. Boyd is 4-0 with a 2.23 ERA in six starts since rejoining the starting rotation on July 9. Francisco Rodriguez threw a scoreless ninth to pick up his 33rd save of the season.

Victor Martinez drove in the Tigers’ first run on their 10th hit with an RBI single in the fourth. An inning later, third baseman Casey McGehee added an RBI double in a 4-for-5 effort. The Tigers, who remain 1 1/2 games behind the Red Sox for the second AL Wild Card spot, left 13 men on base — one short of their season-high.

The 14 hits allowed were a career-high for Hamels, who was still able to pick up his fifth quality start in six outings since the All-Star break. He gave up just the two runs and struck out five with three walks, one intentional, over seven innings. The Rangers’ offense didn’t do much to back him, picking up only three hits, but their defense played a big part in minimizing the damage.

MOMENTS THAT MATTEREDV-Mart breaks through: After leaving the bases loaded in the second inning, two on in the third and making two outs on the basepaths in the fourth, the Tigers finally cracked the scoreboard with three straight singles leading off the fifth. The RBI went …

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