Rangers outlast Twins in 10 innings
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

PITCHING UP A WIN - Texas reliever Joaquin Benoit throws against the Minnesota Twins in the eighth inning of Thursdsay's game in Minneapolis. Benoit picked up the win as the Rangers beat the Twins 8-7 in 10 innings, Texas' second straight win. The Rangers begin a series at Cleveland tonight, a 6 p.m. first-pitch.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) _ Josh Hamilton hasn't hit very well in the sunshine this season, so Rangers manager Ron Washington planned to give him a rest.

Then Hamilton came into the skipper's office and talked his way into the lineup, arguing that game times don't matter in Minnesota's climatecontrolled dome.

Yes, everything is going Hamilton's way these days. He hit a two-out homer in the 10th inning on Thursday afternoon to lift Texas past the Twins 8-7.

The Rangers (24-25) have now won two straight headed into a weekend series in Cleveland that begins tonight at 6 p.m. Central time.

Washington raved about Hamilton Thursday night.

"He's a good player. If you throw balls across the plate, he's going to hit them. That was a big home run," Washington said. "And to the opposite field? Please."

Hamilton is off to an amazing start in his first two months with the Rangers, who acquired him in offseason trade with Cincinnati for top pitching prospect Edinson Volquez.

His drive into the left-field seats off a hanging full-count slider from Brian Bass (1-1) gave him 12 homers, matching Chicago's Carlos Quentin for the AL lead.

Hamilton also went 2-for-4 and moved past Minnesota's Joe Mauer for the best average in the league, .335. Oh, and he has 53 RBIs, too, by far the most in the majors.

"He's one of those guys you can't make a mistake to," Bass said, kicking himself for not keeping the fateful pitch lower in the strike zone as he intended.

More than two-thirds of the schedule remains, so talk of a Triple Crown is premature. But Hamilton is beginning to get comfortable again with his craft, after injuries and drug problems stifled his career for nearly six years and kept him completely out of the game from 2003-05. Last year with the Reds was his first in the majors.

Joaquin Benoit (3-1) loaded the bases in the eighth and surrendered a two-run single to Justin Morneau that tied the game at 7, but he settled down for a scoreless ninth and the victory.

More importantly for the Rangers, who have won 17 of their last 26, closer C.J. Wilson pitched a perfect 10th inning for his ninth save after a few rough outings. Texas salvaged a split of the fourgame series by collecting 33 hits over the last two contests. The Rangers are batting .343 with nine homers and 50 runs against Minnesota; they've met seven times this year.

That all starts with Hamilton.

"He does absolutely everything, and busts his butt everyday," Wilson said. "I'm just really happy to have such a productive guy in the middle of our lineup. What he's been doing offensively this year is out of control."