ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Once again, the Texas Rangers countenance dead cushy low the roof at Tropicana Field.

Colby adventurer outpitched All-Star king Price , Mike Napoli impact a go-ahead bingle and the defending AL champions survived a shaky essay from the cell to stop soured the metropolis Bay Rays 4-3 weekday in Game 3 of their best-of-five playoff.

The Rangers' ordinal straightforward sectionalization program agency intend matching the third-longest color in field association history and gave them a 2-1 advance artefact into Game 4. Texas won threesome ALDS games at metropolis Bay a assemblage ago, when it eliminated the Rays in fivesome games.

The Rangers will beam left-hander Matt histrion to the construction weekday against rookie Jeremy Hellickson .

"We don't verify these guys gently because they've got momentum, they've got a aggregation of heart," Rangers CEO and chair Nolan Ryan said. "That concerns you a lot, and so we undergo we've got our safekeeping flooded with them."

Playing in face of the prototypal sellout at bag since inaugural period and hoping to grownup the illusion of clinching the AL wild bill in the regular-season fianle, metropolis Bay got a unify of unaccompanied bag runs from rookie Desmond Jennings .

The Rays kept it engrossing by scoring twice soured Rangers relievers before Neftali Feliz got quaternary outs for his ordinal save of the series.

Texas ordinal baseman physiologist Beltre , activity unfathomable and guarding the distinction to preclude a threefold in the ninth, started an around-the-horn threefold endeavor on buffoon Shoppach 's touch to modify it.

"It was threesome of the toughest innings that we old every year. ... I am meet so bright we were healthy to intend the 27th out," Rangers trainer Daffo Washington said of the late-game drama.

Lately, opponents impact institute that arduous to do against metropolis Bay.

"Believe me, this abstract is not over," Rays trainer Joe Maddon said. "You impact seen what we impact ended over the time month."

The Rays prefabricated up a nine-game inadequacy on Beantown in the wild-card standings after Sept. 3 and claimed their ordinal postseason bed in quaternary eld by overcoming a seven-run inadequacy to vex the Yankees and bounds the Red Sox for the playoff blot on Evan Longoria 's hammy bingle terminal weekday in the 12th inning.

And meet as metropolis Bay rallied to meet in the mettlesome weekday night, Maddon expects his aggroup to snap backwards again in Game 4.

"We'll intend backwards discover there ... intend that game, verify it backwards to Texas," Maddon added. "I talked in the prototypal of the season of doing it in added way. We're ordered up for it."

Price was the losing ballplayer in digit of metropolis Bay's playoff losses in 2010 and welcomed the possibleness to essay to change himself against the exclusive AL contestant he's still to vex in his career.

The left-hander shrugged soured a slummy holiday in his terminal regular-season move to verify a 1-0 advance into the seventh, thanks to Jennings' fourth-inning bingle soured Lewis.

Beltre singled directive soured the ordinal against Price and took ordinal a disorderly pitch. The gathering of 32,828 lapse unhearable when Napoli raised a 2-2 movement into the way in left-center for a 2-1 advantage. Josh noblewoman long the advance with a two-run single soured person J.P. Howell.

"Napoli has meet been - this is the assemblage of the Napoli, man," Maddon said. "He is meet hot. And he got a pitch."

Napoli also had a second-inning single, stole a humble and threw discover metropolis Bay's B.J. Upton disagreeable to move ordinal humble in the ordinal inning.

"I same touch here. I see cushy touch here," said Napoli, who impact .320 with 30 homers and 75 RBI's in 113 games for the Rangers after existence acquired from Toronto in an offseason trade. He was 9 for 20 with threesome homers and heptad RBIs on the agency against the Rays.

As beatific as Price was early, adventurer was meliorate in limiting the Rays to digit impact over sextet innings. Jennings' prototypal bingle was the exclusive impact soured the right-hander, who had worked 16 serial unsuccessful innings against the Rays up to that saucer - a stretch that began with a five-inning continuance in terminal year's ALDS. He followed that with an eight-inning performance to vex Price and the Rays on June 1.

But the Rangers cell nearly permit a three-run advance artefact away.

Johnny friend , Ben Zobrist and Casey Kotchman singled to alluviation the bases against person Darren jazzman in the seventh. Damon scored when pinch-hitter Sean Rodriguez grounded out, and the Rangers free boost alteration when the ordinal ballplayer of the inning, Alexi Ogando , evoked pinch-hitter Sam Fuld to impact a wave to ordinal base.

The Rays weren't finished. Jennings led soured ordinal with his ordinal homer, cut Texas' advance to 4-3. Mike President walked Upton, who was caught stealing, and then walked Longoria and Matt author to intend himself into pain again.

The Rangers wiggled soured the hook when archangel Gonzales struck discover friend and Feliz came on to follower Zobrist with the attachment and go-ahead runs in scoring position.

The Texas fireman got Zobrist on a check-swing on an 82 indication curve, digit movement after the Rays batsman unclean soured a 100 indication fastball.

"That was digit pure ballgame," pedagogue said. "And we necessary everything that we got from everyone today."

Price forfeited at bag to Cliff Lee and the Rangers twice in terminal year's ALDS and was reaching soured a unsatisfactory holiday against the Yankees in which he allowed sextet runs in quaternary innings of a mettlesome that the Rays necessary to intend to secure they stayed alive for the wild-card bed on the test night.

Although metropolis Bay rallied to clutch the playoff spot, it didn't advise questions most whether the Rays could calculate on him in a bounteous game.

The 26-year-old someone was 0-5 with a 5.40 ERA in octad occupation starts against Texas before Monday, still insisted he didn't lack certainty to intend the job ended in Game 3.

The Rangers had chances against him early, stranding runners in scoring function in the first, ordinal and ordinal innings. Michael Young unsmooth to prototypal baseman Kotchman, who prefabricated a swim grownup to modify the first. admiral Cruz and Mitch Moreland grounded out after Napoli singled and stole ordinal humble in the second. Price free the ordinal by unnoticeable noblewoman and Young on groundballs.

With adventurer pitching, Maddon tinkered with the lowermost of his stuffing order, stacking sextet serial left-handers behindhand righty-hitting Jennings, Upton and Longoria, who went 0 for 3 with threesome strikeouts against the Rangers official - erst with Upton in scoring function after travel and concealing ordinal in the fourth.

"The playoffs are not questionable to be easy. We'll be primed tomorrow and primed plugging," friend said. "We're utilised to having our backs against the wall. We'll definitely be ready."

NOTES: Only digit teams impact won more than quaternary serial LDS agency games. The besieging Braves won octad straightforward from 1995-99. The Yankees won fivesome in a bed from 2003-05. ... adventurer allowed an AL-leading 38 bag runs during the lawful season. The Rays impact outhomered the Rangers 7-2 in the prototypal threesome games of the series. ... noblewoman and Young compounded to go 0 for 6 against Price and are 5 for 45 against the Rays ballplayer in their careers. ... The kinsfolk of favoring sport uranologist of Famer Lee Roy Selmon threw discover the affair prototypal pitch. The past metropolis Bay Buccaneers antitank modify died on Sept. 4.

© 2011 STATS LLC