ARLINGTON, Texas -- When Kevin Kouzmanoff was riding the buses in Double-A two seasons ago, he kept his focus on returning to the majors and providing the kind of production that he is now delivering for the Texas Rangers. Chris Carpenter . "You never know what can happen in baseball," Kouzmanoff said after helping the Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners 8-6 Thursday. "Here I am. Its great to be back." Kouzmanoff hit two doubles and scored twice. Texas lost the opener of the four-game series on Monday night, but won the last three. The 32-year-old Kouzmanoff is hitting .414 since being promoted from Triple-A Round Rock on April 9 after starting third baseman Adrian Beltre strained his left quadriceps. Kouzmanoff has hit in all eight games in which he has played, beginning with a pinch-hitting appearance followed by seven straight starts. Beltre was put on the 15-day disabled list Sunday. Shin-Soo Choo homered for Texas and J.P. Arencibia had a pair of RBI groundouts. Robinson Cano hit his first homer for the Mariners, going back-to-back with Corey Hart. Cano is in a 3-for-18 slump. The Rangers broke a 6-all tie in the fifth inning when Arencibia drove in a run with a grounder and Mitch Moreland scored on a wild pitch by Joe Beimel (0-1). Pedro Figueroa (2-1) was the second of five Texas relievers who held Seattle scoreless. He earned his second victory in less than 24 hours -- he was Wednesday nights winner when the Rangers rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth for a 3-2 victory. Kouzmanoff was a major league regular from 2007-11 for three clubs before spending the past two seasons in the minor league systems of Kansas City and Miami. He signed a minor league contract with Texas in December and hit .370 during spring training. Kouzmanoff was the Rangers last cut in spring training and sent to Round Rock when the club decided to complete its opening day roster with more middle-infield help because second baseman Jurickson Profar began the season on the disabled list. "Im not the player that Beltre is. Hes an unbelievable player," Kouzmanoff said. "We all have to do things that are us." Asked the source of his hot streak, he said, "Eating oatmeal every morning for breakfast." Texas Tanner Scheppers, in his first season as a big league starter, made the shortest of his four starts and was victimized by the big inning for the third time. He took the mound with a 4-0 lead and then gave up six runs in the third while recording just one out. "It doesnt feel good," said Scheppers, the Rangers eighth-inning setup man for most of last season. "Luckily, the bullpen picked me up. The offence went out and scored runs. You cant ask for any more than that." Scheppers said he wasnt worried about being sent back to the bullpen. Rangers manager Ron Washington echoed that sentiment. "Its nothing that has crossed my mind," Washington said. "We know its a work in progress." The Rangers made it 6-all by chasing Mariners starter Erasmo Ramirez with two runs in the third. In his last three starts, Ramirez has lasted no more than five innings and allowed 13 earned runs and 18 hits. Hart reached base four times, with a double and two walks in addition to his team-leading fourth homer. He played right field for his first outfield appearance since July 2012. "Down 4-0 at one point and to battle back and take the lead, we definitely have fight in this team," Hart said. NOTES: Rangers LHP Matt Harrison, on the disabled list with back stiffness following two surgeries last year, is scheduled to make a rehab start on Saturday for Double-A Frisco. ... Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said he hasnt decided who will start Sundays series finale at Miami. Rangel Ravelo .com) - The Atlanta Hawks have stepped up to every challenge during their 14-game winning streak and will face another daunting task Friday with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder in town. Vada Pinson .C. - NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick headlines this years electees into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. http://www.custommlbcardinalsjersey.com/custom-ken-boyer-jersey-large-391q.html .Pete Morelli said the back judge threw a flag on Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens on a pass to Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew in Dallas 24-20 wild-card win Sunday. But the head linesman said there wasnt enough contact and that Hitchens was face-guarding, which isnt a penalty in the NFL.ATLANTA -- After losing 14 of 15 games, the Atlanta Hawks seem to be getting their mojo back. Paul Millsap says its been a long time coming. "Yeah, were due for it," he said. "We got a few (loose) balls. We got a few calls. Things just went our way in foul situations when its been the other team getting breaks." Millsap had 24 points and 11 rebounds, Jeff Teague added 15 points and 10 assists, and the Atlanta Hawks rallied for their third straight win with a 97-92 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. Kenneth Faried finished with 25 points and Wilson Chandler scored 12 for the Nuggets, who were coming off a dramatic victory Friday at two-time defending champion Miami. Kyle Korver, who hit a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to make it 96-92, had 18 points and Pero Antic added 16 for Atlanta. Denver erased a 21-point deficit in the third quarter to take its first lead at 81-80 lead on Darrell Arthurs two free throws with 7:10 remaining. But Teague hit a 3 with 3:59 remaining that put the Hawks up 89-87 and followed with a long jumper to make it 91-89 at the 1:51 mark. "Every team has big wins," Arthur said in reference to the victory at Miami. "(With) the good teams, its consistent, and we havent been consistent all year. We can beat anybody. We just dont." Ty Lawson, Denvers leading scorer this season, handed out 11 assists, but went 0 for 12 from the field and finished with just two points. Before winning Monday at Utah, the Hawks had dropped from third to eighth in the Eastern Conference during their 1-14 stretch. The Hawks are 3 1/2 games ahead of New York for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot. Atlantas three-game winning streak is its longest since beating the Jazz on Dec. 20. "We knew they were going to make a run, but I think our mindset was just goiing back to being an aggressive team," said DeMarre Carroll, who had 11 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists for the Hawks. Authentic Custom Cardinals Jersey. "I think our biggest thing is we just have to keep staying aggressive for the entire game instead of just for 36 minutes or 40 minutes." Faried gave the Nuggets a 92-91 lead on a three-point play, but they trailed the rest of the way after Antic hit a long jumper over Faried from the left corner and Wilson Chandler missed a 3 that gave Atlanta possession with 30 seconds to go. The Nuggets, who had erased a 14-point deficit Friday in a 102-97 victory at Miami, had won two straight and four of six. After Korvers 3 made it 16-3, Denver coach Brian Shaw called timeout, and the Nuggets went on a 23-15 run, but they trailed 53-37 on Teagues three-point play with 12 seconds left before halftime. Atlanta went ahead by 21 early in the third on Antics 3, but Denver cut the lead to seven on Foyes 3 at the 5-minute mark, and the Nuggets only trailed by six entering the fourth. "Just a case of too little, too late," Shaw said. "We were real lethargic in the first half. We needed to play the way we played the end of the third quarter (and during the) fourth quarter from the start of the game." NOTES: Antics long jumper with 41.8 seconds remaining was originally scored as a 3, but officials changed the call after watching a replay. ... Carrolls double-double was the second of his career. ... J.J. Hickson scored 12 points for Denver. ... The Nuggets outscored Atlanta 44-26 in the paint and 39-13 off the bench, but Atlanta converted 21 turnovers into 25 points. ... The Hawks have won five of six at home against Denver and are 20-3 since 1989-90 versus the Nuggets in Atlanta. ... Atlanta, the NBA assists leader, handed out 25. The Hawks have had 20 assists in 60 of 64 games this season. ' ' '