Plauderecke » rotation, and it was the way todays game went.R

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Monday night began with a 2016 American League West Division championship banner being unfurled from the office complex beyond center field at Globe Life Park. But the Texas Rangers took a step back in pursuing their next goal -- earning home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.Jonathan Villar homered twice and had a career-high five RBI and Matt Garza beat his former team as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Rangers 8-3.The loss dropped Texas one-half game behind the Boston Red Sox in the race for the leagues best record. The Cleveland Indians pulled within one-half game of the Rangers.Youre playing pretty much teams that are not in the race, and they have nothing to lose, said Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus, who had three hits along with left fielder Carlos Gomez. Its two different mentalities, but youve got to go out there and try to win games.Rangers starter Martin Perez (10-11) was looking to set a career high for wins in a season. He gave up a season-high eight earned runs and nine hits in 6 2/3 innings. His home record this season fell to 8-3.I threw strikes; thats why they hit the ball, Perez said. If I give up runs like that, with homers or hard base hits, I dont care. I just want to stay there and throw strikes.The number on the scoreboard, it is what it is, manager Jeff Banister said, but I didnt feel like that told the story. I feel like there were some pitches Martin threw well. It seemed like when he needed to get an out, he couldnt get the out.Garza (6-8) allowed three runs and six hits in six innings. He spent the second half of the 2013 season with Texas as a rental acquisition from the Chicago Cubs, going 4-5 with a 4.38 ERA. It was Garzas first appearance against Texas since 2010.I take it as this is our playoff right here, said Garza, who won Game 3 of the Division Series for the Tampa Bay Rays against Texas at Globe Life Park. Theyre a good team, and you want to go out and perform.JEFFRESS RETURNSJeremy Jeffress, acquired by Texas from Milwaukee along with Jonathan Lucroy on Aug. 1, made his first appearance since being reinstated Friday from the restricted list. He was arrested on a drunken driving charge in Dallas on Aug. 26 and was sent to an inpatient rehab clinic. Jeffress retired all four batters he faced.Getting this one out of the way is going to be pretty good for the next one, Jeffress said. I just took everything in. It made me feel good inside.CHANGE OF PITCHING PLANSBanister moved Cole Hamels final regular-season start up from Friday against Tampa Bay to Wednesdays series finale vs. Milwaukee. He said the change was made to allow Colby Lewis and Perez to start the last two games against the Rays.SHORT HOPSLucroy, who played 6 1/2 seasons for Milwaukee, faced his previous team for the first time. He went 1 for 4. . Perez added to his major league-leading total of groundball double plays induced with his 36th of the season in the sixth inning. . The Brewers scored in every inning in which their leadoff batter reached and failed to score in innings in which the leadoff man was retired.TRAINERS ROOMBrewers: RHP Taylor Jungmann wont pitch again this season after suffering a hip abductor during his start last Saturday night, which was his first in the majors since April.Rangers: OF Shin-Soo Choo (left forearm fracture) had three hits and two walks batting in all seven innings of an Instructional League game on Monday. Banister said he hopes to get RHP Tony Barnette (strained oblique), who last pitched on Sept. 4, into Tuesday nights game.UP NEXTBrewers RHP Jimmy Nelson (8-15) leads the NL in losses after getting off to a 3-1 start. Rangers RHP A.J. Griffin (7-4) lasted only 1 2/3 innings last Tuesday in Anaheim, allowing three hits and four walks. If Texas elects to go with four starters in the Division Series, Griffin is a contender for the final slot. Wilt Chamberlain Jersey . - Connor McDavid scored 53 seconds into overtime as the Erie Otters came from behind to defeat the visiting Guelph Storm 4-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Derek Fisher Jersey . Kiriasis and brakeman Franziska Fritz finished two runs in one minute 55.41 seconds -- a mere 0.01 seconds ahead of Meyers and Lolo Jones, who likely bolstered her Olympic hopes by helping give USA-1 a huge push in the second heat. http://www.lakersbasketballshop.com/James-Worthy-Jersey/ . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead. Derek Fisher Lakers Jersey . 10 VCU 85-67 on Thursday night at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Seminoles (4-0) have scored at least 80 points in each of their games. Wilt Chamberlain Lakers Jersey .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. ATLANTA -- When he was pitching in the minor leagues earlier this month, Josh Collmenter didnt envision himself beating the Washington Nationals.He stayed focused, though, and got another chance in the major leagues with the NL-worst Atlanta Braves, who backed him up with timely hitting.Nick Markakis and Anthony Recker each drove in two runs, Collmenter won as an emergency starter and the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 7-3 on Saturday.Aside from the two balls that left the yard, I feel good about most of my stuff, Collmenter said.Washington began the day needing a combination of six Nationals victories or six New York Mets losses to clinch its third NL East title in five years.Acquired Wednesday from the Chicago Cubs, Collmenter (2-0) struck out eight in five innings and allowed two runs, four hits and three walks. He was Arizonas opening-day starter last year and was making his first big league start since July 7, 2015 for Arizona.Collmenter had four starts at Triple-A Iowa before the trade. Atlanta needed a starter because Mike Foltynewicz has a bruised left calf and Williams Perez has an elbow impingement.Washington rookie Trea Turner hit a pair of solo home runs, is 7 for 9 in the series and has six homers, 16 RBI, 19 runs and seven steals in 12 games against Atlanta this year.The Nationals wasted a chance to rattle Collmenter in the second when he walked three of the first four batters but struck out Turner to escape the jam. Collmenter also stranded a runner at third in the third.I was able to retire him and, for the most part, kept them stringing some hits together and limit the walks, Collmenter said.Atlanta scored three runs in the fifth for a 6-2 lead against Gio Gonzalez (11-10). Markakis RBI single chased Gonzalez, Trevor Gott gave up Reckers RBI single and Gordon Beckkhams bases-loaded walk.ddddddddddddThe Braves have won just 12 of the last 48 games in the series and their 29 losses to Washington since the start of 2015 are Atlantas most against one opponent in a two-year span.Maybe the law of averages were on their side to win one today, Nationals manager Dusty Baker said.Gonzalez allowed six runs and nine hits, dropping to 0-1 with a 7.11 ERA in four starts against Atlanta this season.I got beat by a lot of singles, Gonzalez said. Some were by just inches. It was one of those unfortunate things. You want to show you can pitch in this rotation, and it was the way todays game went.ROTATION TURNSTILEAtlanta has used a big-league high 16 starters, a team record. The 1975 Braves used 15.HITTING MACHINEWashington 2B Daniel Murphy hit his NL-leading 47th double in the third to tie Ryan Zimmermans franchise record in 2006. Murphy stayed in the game after a hard head-first slide into the second base in the third.STREAKINGFreeman has a 21-game hitting streak and has reached safely in 37 straight games. Both are career highs and the longest active streaks in the majors. ... Braves CF Ender Inciarte went 3 for 4 and has 87 hits, most in the majors, since the All-Star break.BACK ON THE HILLBraves RHP Jose Ramirez threw an eight-pitch eighth. Ramirez has appealed a three-game suspension handed imposed for throwing at the head of Miami pitcher Jose Fernandez.UP NEXTJoe Ross (7-4) is to start Sunday for the Nationals and RHP Matt Wisler (6-12) for the Braves. Ross is on the 60-day DL and has been sidelined since July 2 with shoulder inflammation. Wisler is 2/3 with a 5.19 ERA in five career starts and one relief appearance against Washington. ' ' '