No decision for Darvish in second Texas start

Japan's Yu Darvish pitched 5 2/3 innings for the Texas Rangers on Saturday, departing with the score deadlocked before the Rangers defeated host Minnesota 6-2 in a Major League Baseball game. The Rangers have won both games that Darvish has started in the regular season for them, but the ace right-hander was pulled from the mound after surrendering the tying run to the Twins in the sixth. That left southpaw reliever Robbie Ross to earn his first major league triumph while Darvish was left with a no decision after allowing two runs, only one of them earned, while striking out four batters and walking four batters. Texas improved to 7-2 on the season, a campaign they hope will see them capture a third American League crown and return to the World Series, the October championship classic which the Rangers have lost the past two years. Denard Span's two-out double off Darvish in the sixth chased Darvish. He left the bases loaded for Ross, who induced a pop fly out by Justin Morneau to end the threat. In his Rangers regular-season debut last Monday, Darvish was tagged for five runs in the first two innings against the Seattle Mariners and also finished 5 2/3 innings before the Rangers rallied for an 11-5 victory. Darvish, a two-time Japan League Most Valuable Player with the Nippon Ham Fighters, was obtained by Texas for a total of $107.7 million -- $56 million for his six-year deal and the rest just for the right to negotiate with him.