ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington decided it was time to shake up his lineup a bit. With a few switches in the batting order, and an impressive performance by young starter Nick Tepesch, the Rangers ended their longest losing streak in nearly nine years. Adrian Beltre homered and Shin-Soo Choo had three hits in his return to the leadoff spot while Tepesch allowed only three singles over 7 1-3 scoreless innings, and the Rangers beat the Minnesota Twins 5-4 on Friday night. "He was outstanding. We needed a well-pitched game and he gave it to us," said Washington, who liked his lineup. "Well run the same one out there tomorrow and see what happens." The Rangers went into the opener of the weekend series mired in its first eight-game losing streak since August 2005. "Its nice to end any negative streak," said Beltre, who added a sacrifice fly in the eighth that proved to be the margin of victory. "Its one of those things, you dont want to throw any at-bat away." Minnesota has lost its last nine road games, including a three-game sweep at the Los Angeles Angels before getting to Texas. The Twins came up short after scoring four runs in the ninth off Texas closer Joakim Soria, making only his second appearance since June 14. Choo led off for the first time in 18 games while Carlos Pena, in only his fourth game back with the Rangers, took over the No. 3 spot where Choo had hit .149 (10 for 67) since June 7. And Washingtons change paid off immediately when Choo had a leadoff single in the first and scored on Beltres ninth homer, which just cleared the fence and landed in the Rangers bullpen in right-centre field. "I said earlier that doesnt make a difference. I knew this would happen after the game and I was sure people would ask me about it, but its not ... I dont think anything changed as far as approach," Choo said about leading off, though he acknowledged that, "Im a little more comfortable there, Ive done it for the last two years." Tepesch (3-3) struck out five, walked two and hit two batters, while matching his longest major league start. He has won all three of his career starts against the Twins, allowing only three earned runs in 20 2-3 innings. "Just able to command all four of my pitches, and just commanding them in the zone and out of the zone," Tepesch said. Kevin Correia (4-9) allowed four runs and six hits over six innings. The right-hander, who struck out three and walked two, had given up only two earned runs over 18 innings his previous three starts. Jason Frasor and Neal Cotts each got an out in the eighth after Tepesch gave up a one-out hit to Minnesota leadoff hitter Brian Dozer. Jorge Polancos two-run triple in the ninth for his first major league hit that made it 5-4. Soria, who had given up just one earned over 20 2-3 innings his previous 22 games, then got a strikeout and grounder to end the game. Luis Sardinas and Choo had RBI doubles in the fifth, both on balls that left fielder Josh Willingham tried to catch. Sardinas hit a sinking liner down the left-field line that rolled into the corner after Willingham made a diving attempt to catch it. Choo hit a flyball that glanced off Willinghams glove when he ran into the 14-foot fence. "Diving full out down the line, diving up against the wall in left field," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "What cant you like about that? Hes trying to make a play." NOTES: Rangers ace Yu Darvish (7-4, 2.62 ERA) is scheduled to start Saturday. He lost his last two starts, allowing 12 runs (eight earned) over 11 innings. ... Phil Hughes (8-3) pitches the middle game for the Twins. ... 1B/OF Brad Snyder declined an outright assignment to Triple-A Round Rock and took free agency Friday, three days after the Rangers designated him for assignment. 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Joel Eriksson Ek Jersey .Y. -- A month ago, Syracuse was unbeaten, ranked No.DENVER - Unless the nose-diving Denver Nuggets can turn things around, theyll miss the playoff for the first time since 2003, when they got Carmelo Anthony after a 17-65 season. Things have gotten so bad that the Nuggets had to resort to seldom-used reserve Jordan Hamilton running the point during a recent 39-point drubbing at Indiana. Ty Lawson (rib), Nate Robinson (torn ACL) and even Randy Foye (banged knee) were all hurt, and Andre Miller hasnt been around the team since getting into a shouting match with first-year coach Brian Shaw on New Years Day. The Nuggets skidded into the All-Star break on a four-game losing streak, their 10-year playoff streak in serious jeopardy as they stand in 11th place in the Western Conference at 24-27, six games out of the eighth spot. While Lawson is expected back soon, Danilo Gallinari wont be coming to the rescue. The Italian sharpshooter who joined the Nuggets in the blockbuster trade that sent Anthony to New York a few years back, had a major setback in his recovery from a torn left ACL and recently required a second surgery that will sideline him until next season. He blew out his left knee last April and his absence played a big role in another first-round playoff exit after a franchise-best 57-win regular season and the subsequent departure of long-time coach George Karl, part of an exodus that included Andre Iguodala and general manager Masai Ujiri, who was replaced by Tim Connelly. Shaws first season as an NBA head coach has been trying, as evidenced by his spat with Miller, who was initially suspended two games, a punishment that was revoked so he could continue to get paid but which failed to lead to a quick resolution. Throw in the injuries and Shaws had to juggle his depleted lineup. "Ive probably gotten 10 years of experience in this first half of the season," Shaw said. "... In a way, I like to kind of go through everything. Theres a lot worse situations; were just continuing to try to work through it. A lot of guys that wouldnt be gettting opportunities are getting to play now because of the injuries.dddddddddddd So its allowing us to evaluate what we really have and discover who can get it done and who cant. "Im learning as I go. Im learning our team as we go. Im not going to make any excuses; it was the hand we were dealt and we just have to continue to work." Its not just a matter of being short-handed, however. "We havent always just taken pride and gotten mad when our man is scoring. We worry more about how many shots were getting and things that are happening on the offensive end, and I want us to have that same kind of excitement about whats going on on the defensive end," he said. Lawsons return to the floor will go a long way in curing some of these ills. "If I was Tys agent Id be smiling and feeling really good right now," Shaw said, "because it just shows how important he is to our team — not only the speed of our team and the ability to help us score, but just organizing things and giving the other guys confidence that they lack with him not being out there." Miller figures to be gone by Thursdays trade deadline as there are plenty of contenders who could use a veteran point guard with a friendly contract, but the only leverage the Nuggets might gain would presumably be if multiple teams come calling. Unless they reverse their recent slide, the Nuggets will be playing out the string for the first time in more than a decade. J.J. Hickson said that turnaround starts on the defensive end. "Offense is not the problem. We know we can score with whomever, even with Ty out," Hickson said. "Thats a big loss for us, but were the type of team that likes to get up and down, so we know that teams cant keep up with us and we like to put pressure on teams. But it all starts with defence. If you look at the top teams in the league, all of them are top five or top ten in defence, and thats not us right now." AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell contributed. 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