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TEX@KC: Feldman beats Royals for sixth win of season

With Adrian Beltre hitting for the cycle Friday and the lineup busting out nine more runs Saturday, the Rangers have made it a loud, long weekend against the Twins.

When they go for the sweep Sunday, it'll be Scott Feldman on the mound for the Rangers, and Twins right-hander Cole De Vries is tasked with holding down an offense that's obviously enjoying its days in the Texas sun.

A Texas win would clinch the club's first four-game sweep of Minnesota since 1987.

Before the two-time defending American League champions go expecting to do this the rest of the season, or even the rest of the weekend, outfielder David Murphy cautions that there's still a lot of road ahead.

"I still think there's way too many games left to put that it into that type of perspective," Murphy said. "Odds are, over the course of 40 games, we're not going to stay this hot. We might have a string of some off days here and there where we're not putting up 10 runs or whatever you want to say.

"It's hard for an offense to stay hot for 40 games. We've shown signs of life. Hopefully we can be more consistent and just continue to win series."

De Vries had a step in the right direction his last time out, allowing just two runs on six hits over 5 2/3 innings against the surging A's. Before that, he'd allowed 11 runs over 5 1/3 innings in his previous two starts.

"I should've gone way deeper into the game tonight, but it's one of those things where I should've made an adjustment and I did," De Vries said of his outing.

Feldman will be trying to snap a personal three-game losing streak in getting the Rangers in position to extend their four-game winning streak.

"I need to keep throwing the way I'm throwing and just hope I can make some pitches when I need to and give the team as many innings as I can, give the bullpen a break and come away with a win," he said.

Twins: Regulars return to health
Josh Willingham, out for two games with a stiff neck, started in left field and batted cleanup for the Twins, going 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts.

But being back in the lineup and making it through the game was key for Willingham.

"As long as I keep progressing, I should be out there," said Willingham, one of only eight players to hit 30 homers this season.

Denard Span also returned to the lineup after nine games with a collarbone injury, leading off and going 1-for-5 while manning center field.

Rangers: Getting back to full strength
Texas could get Michael Young back on Sunday. He has missed the past two days on paternity leave after his wife Cristina gave birth to their third son on Thursday.

On the health front, the Rangers are expected to activate Koji Uehara off the disabled list. He has been sidelined since June 10 with a strained lat muscle in his right ribcage.

Also, infielder Mike Olt has been dealing with some plantar fasciitis in his right heel. He did not start on Saturday with a left-hander on the mound for the Twins, but was available off the bench.

Worth noting
• The Rangers are a season-high 34 games over .500.

• After Sunday's finale, the Rangers will welcome the Rays into town, while the Twins head home for a four-game set against the Mariners.

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