Michael Young reaching 2,000 hits was nice. Elvis Andrus' late-inning single was just as sweet for the Texas Rangers.
Andrus drove in the tying and go-ahead runs with a two-run single in a five-run eighth, and the Rangers rallied for a 5-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Sunday night.
Texas came back twice against the Indians in Friday night's 8-7 win in 11 innings. After Cleveland rallied for a 7-5 victory Saturday night, the Rangers pulled off their second comeback of the series.
"We've been doing the same stuff the last couple of weeks," Andrus said. "It shows how much patience and heart we have for this game. We're grinding every at-bat, every inning. That's the way we've been playing. We had luck on our side."
Indians starter Josh Tomlin shut out the Rangers over seven innings and took a 3-0 advantage into the eighth, but the 25-year-old right-hander walked Mike Napoli leading off the inning and gave up a single to Mitch Moreland, his final batter.
"In that eighth inning, I've got to do a better job of going after hitters. I didn't get the job done," Tomlin said. "I can't walk the leadoff guy with a 3-0 lead."
Sidearm right-hander Joe Smith (2-3) came in, giving up an infield single to Yorvit Torrealba to load the bases.
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David Murphy delivered an RBI single to make it 3-1, and Smith walked Ian Kinsler to force in a run.
Andrus followed with his two-run single to center to put the Rangers in front, and Josh Hamilton's RBI groundout against Rafael Perez made it 5-3.
Smith didn't record an out, allowing three runs and three hits.
"(Tomlin) threw seven great innings, and I came in and didn't get the job done," Smith said. "I blew it, I was terrible."
Darren Oliver (4-5) got two outs for the win.
Mike Adams, acquired in a trade from San Diego on July 31 and filling in for closer Neftali Feliz, threw a perfect ninth for his first AL save and third of his career.
"Any time you come in at the end of the game like that, of course there's a little more Adrenalin going on," Adams said. "It was fun. It's fun to close out games like that, especially late in the game like that."
Feliz wasn't available after pitching on three consecutive days. Feliz had his sixth blown save Saturday night, but manager Ron Washington said Feliz will be back in the closer's role for Monday night's game against Seattle.
Young, Texas' career hits leader, reached 2,000 with infield singles in the fifth and seventh, but the victory trumped his personal accomplishment.
"That's always the most important thing," Young said. "Everything revolves around team. Especially the way we did it, to come back in the eighth against a good bullpen makes it all the better."
Washington said 3,000 hits isn't out of the question for Young.
"If he can healthy and stay away from missing time, Michael will figure out how to get him 180, 200 hits every year," Washington said. "He's got a chance to. He's only 34. He'd have to play close to his 40s. But he doesn't look like he's slowing down."
Michael Brantley homered and drove in two runs for the Indians, who went 1-6 against Texas in the season series that concluded on Sunday.
The Rangers maintained a one-game lead over Los Angeles in the AL West. The Angels beat Seattle 2-1 earlier Sunday.
The Indians stayed four games behind Detroit in the AL Central after the Tigers' 4-3 loss to Kansas City.
Cleveland finished 3-4 in a seven-game road trip against Texas and Boston.
"We knew when we started this road trip that it was a tough one that could make us or break us," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "Despite four heartbreaking losses, these guys kept their heads above water. We had a chance to win every one of them. It's better than being buried."
Tomlin, a Texas native pitching in front of a contingent of family and friends, allowed two runs and four hits with four strikeouts and three walks in his first career appearance against the Rangers.
Rangers starter Colby Lewis gave up three runs and five hits in 7 1-3 innings. Brantley's homer was the 28th allowed by Lewis this season, most in the AL.
The Indians got their offense started on Lonnie Chisenhall's sacrifice fly in the second. In the fifth, Ezequiel Carrera singled and scored on Brantley's triple to make it 2-0.
Brantley's sixth homer made it 3-0 in the eighth.
NOTES: The temperature at first pitch was 102, four degrees cooler than Saturday night's record heat for Rangers Ballpark. ... Tomlin has lasted at least five innings in all 35 big league starts. ... According to data provided to the Indians by Elias Sports Bureau, 2B Jason Kipnis is the first Cleveland player with five homers in his first 13 major league games since Luis Medina in 1988. The last player on any team with five homers in his first 13 big league games was Texas' Taylor Teagarden in 2008. ... Texas will start LHP Matt Harrison in Monday night's opener of a three-game home series against Seattle. Harrison takes his second shot at becoming a 10-game winner for the first time in his career. The Indians have Monday off before opening a three-game home series against Detroit.
