MLB: Texas 9, Cleveland 1

ARLINGTON, Texas, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- A grand slam by Josh Hamilton finished off an eight-run fourth inning Wednesday that vaulted the Texas Rangers to a 9-1 whipping of Cleveland.

The Rangers won their third in a row and maintained a three-game lead over the second-place Los Angeles in the American League West. Texas moved to 21 games over .500 for the first time in a dozen years.

It was a scoreless game heading into the bottom of the fourth but the Rangers sent 11 men to the plate in that inning while scoring eight runs on six hits. A fielding error by third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall extended the inning and made five of the runs unearned.

Hamilton walked to open the inning and scored on a double by Michael Young. Mike Napoli's one-out home run gave Texas a 3-0 lead.

David Murphy's fly ball to left accounted for the second out of the inning but singles by Yorvit Torrealba and Craig Gentry, along with Chisenhall's fielding error on a grounder by Ian Kinsler, loaded the bases.

Elvis Andrus drove in one run with an infield single and Hamilton, in his second at-bat of the inning, hit his grand slam to left.

All of that gave Derek Holland (14-5) an easy victory. He allowed a run on six hits in seven innings for his eighth win in nine decisions.

The loss went to David Huff (2-5), who gave up all the fourth-inning runs.

The Indians have lost seven out of nine.