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Isiah Kiner-Falefa was only five games into his first Triple-A season when he got called up by the Texas Rangers in early April. A few days later Mike Glennon Jersey , Ronald Guzman got promoted and also made his big-league debut.

When Texas reached the midpoint of the regular season this week, the 23-year-old rookies were among eight position players on the roster who are 25 or younger.

While the Rangers were on a 70-win pace after a loss in the 81st of their 162 games, they’ve had a recent uptick. They have won nine of their last 11 games while claiming four consecutive series in a stretch when veteran stalwarts Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus were finally back in the lineup together.

In the 82nd game Wednesday night, when the Rangers (36-46) started the second half of their schedule before an off day Thursday, lefty Mike Minor took a perfect game into the seventh of a 5-2 victory over San Diego. Keone Kela, the hard-throwing 25-year-old closer, got his 20th save – the most in the majors without a blown chance and a club record to start a season.

”When you take all the individual parts of the first half and you look and evaluate players of where they’re trending, they’re trending in the right direction athletically as well as mentally of how they play the baseball game,” fourth-year manager Jeff Banister said. ”We’ve gained some knowledge, and some guys have proven to themselves that they can play at this level and where they’re at and what they need to work on.”

General manager Jon Daniels has said publicly several times that the team’s priority this season is the development of its young players.

Young sluggers Nomar Mazara and Joey Gallo were already regulars in the lineup before this season, along with second baseman Rougned Odor. Speedy center fielder Delino DeShields has been a constant since returning from a broken bone in his left hand Chris Baker Jersey , an injury that occurred the first weekend of the season.

”Our coaches, they’ve put that development hat on,” Banister said. ”You watch them every day on the field, different players working on different things that we feel like they’re going to help these players out for the longer term, for the bigger picture.”

Kiner-Falefa was called up when Odor, the 23-year-old already in his fourth season with Texas, went on the disabled list with a left hamstring strain. Andrus, the shortstop in his 10th season at age 29, suffered a broken elbow when hit by a pitch just a couple of days later. Beltre had more hamstring issues.

”Everything happened so quick,” said Kiner-Falefa, who has two starts at catcher after previous starts at second base Kerryon Johnson Jersey , third base and shortstop. ”I’m trying to soak it all in. … It’s been a cool experience. I’ve had the opportunity to learn from everyone here, and all the veterans.”

Guzman has 51 starts at first base, though he is on the seven-day concussion disabled list. The Rangers were batting when Guzman slammed his head into a knee on an attempted pickoff Monday.

Profar was 19 when he homered in his first big league at-bat in 2012, but he missed all of the 2014 and 2015 seasons because of right shoulder issues. He split each of the last two seasons between the Rangers and Triple-A Round Rock, but has started at all four infield positions this year in his most consistent action in the majors.

”I’ve got a really good chance to experience the big leagues, a lot of things that you want to work to be consistent on,” Profar said. ”We have very good young players here, we’re all learning. It’s going to be good for us going down the road.”

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— Jhoulys Chacin had some extra motivation.

Mike Moustakas hit a two-run double, giving Chacin all the runs he needed to beat St. Louis for the first time in his career with the Milwaukee Brewers‘ 2-1 victory over the Cardinals on Sunday.

“I can die now,” Chacin joked to reporters.

Milwaukee (69-57) snapped a three-game losing streak and moved back ahead of St. Louis (68-57) for the second National League wild card. The Cardinals lost for just the second time in their last 12 games.

“We talk about racking up wins and banking wins and we banked a win today and got a great pitching performance,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “I thought we swung the bats pretty good. It’s a good win. That’s a team that’s right in the thick of things and going to be there for the rest of the year.”

Chacin (13-4) entered the game 0-7 with a 6.90 ERA in nine career games Rob Havenstein Jersey , including eight starts, against the Cardinals, but shut them out through six innings as the Brewers avoided their first three-game sweep at St. Louis since July 1-3, 2016.

“This might be the biggest game of the season for me,” Chacin said. “The Cardinals have always been tough on me and this year it was an obsession.”

Chacin has won his last three starts and has given up three runs in his last 19 innings. The Brewers improved to 19-8 in his starts this season.

“I thought he kept them off balance, his slider was again good and his fastball,” Counsell said. “He threw fastballs and it was good sequencing.”

Jeremy Jeffress gave up a run in two innings of relief and Josh Hader pitched a perfect ninth to earn his 10th save in 13 opportunities for the Brewers.

Moustaskas hammered an 0-2 pitch down the first-base line to score Orlando Arcia and Lorenzo Cain, giving the Brewers a 2-0 lead in the third. Arcia and Cain each stole a base to help get them into scoring position ahead of Moustaskas.

“We always talk about little things and being able to vary our times and our holds and being quick to the plate is important, something that we’ve done really really well all year,” Cardinals interim manager Mike Shildt said of Cain’s steal. “The reality is the guy’s an accomplished base stealer as well. It was a big play.”

John Gant (5-5) gave up two runs on six hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings. Gant has failed to make it past 4 1/3 innings in three of his last four starts.

“It was just one of those days,” Gant said. “I never really found a good Tanner Lee Jersey , solid groove.”

Brett Cecil pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth, Tyson Ross followed with three scoreless innings and Mike Mayers added another as Cardinals relievers combined for 4 2/3 shutout innings.

Patrick Wisdom hit his first career home run 414 feet into the bleachers in left-center to lead off the eighth for St. Louis.

The Brewers had lost six of their last eight heading into the game.

“It was a really good day for me and for the team,” Chacin said. “I think anything is possible for me and for the team. We win on Sunday, a day game and finally beat the Cardinals. It couldn’t get better. From this day I hope we keep rolling.”

IRONMAN

Yadier Molina started his 27th straight game, a major league record for catchers 35 years or older.

TRAINING ROOM

Milwaukee: C Manny Pina (left shoulder) missed his third straight game and is day-to-day.

Cardinals: 2B Kolten Wong (bruised elbow) pinch hit and flew out after being taken out of Saturday night’s game. RHP Carlos Martinez (right shoulder strain) and IF Yairo Munoz (right wrist sprain) were scheduled to play Sunday at Double-A Springfield and could join the team in Los Angeles.

UP NEXT

Milwaukee: RHP Chase Anderson (7-7, 3.97 ERA) will start a three-game series against the visiting Cincinnati Reds and RHP Homer Bailey (1-10, 6.33 ERA) on Monday night. Anderson is 4-1 with a 2.98 ERA in nine career starts against the Reds.

Cardinals: LHP Austin Gomber (3-0, 2.89 ERA) will kick off a six-game road trip Monday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers and LHP Alex Wood (7-7, 3.51 ERA). Gomber has won his last two starts and has an 11-inning scoreless streak.
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