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BALTIMORE - Some people like to mark their birthday with a cake and candles. Cheap Nike Blazers . Nelson Cruz has a different approach. Cruz hit his 26th home run on his 34th birthday, and the Baltimore Orioles breezed past the skidding Texas Rangers 8-3 Tuesday night. "A homer and a victory. That was a nice day," Cruz said. "I like to celebrate with homers." In five career games on his birthday, Cruz is 7 for 19 with two long balls. On this night, his third home run in seven games left him only seven short of his career high of 33, set in 2009 with Texas. Cruz needs one more homer to match his total from last year with the Rangers, a season cut short by a 50-game suspension as part of the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drug scandal. None of that really matters to Cruz. After signing a one-year, $8 million contract with Baltimore during the off-season, he is focused on helping the Orioles earn a post-season berth for the second time in three years. "Its been a blessing. Im happy with the situation that we are as a team," he said. "Thats more important to me. The numbers, at the end of the season were going to look at it. But right now we focus on winning games, and thats what were doing." Steve Pearce and Caleb Joseph also went deep for the Orioles, who are assured of at least a split of the four-game series after winning the first two. Pearce and Cruz delivered solo shots in the first inning and Joseph connected with a man on in the second. It was the third homer in two nights for Pearce. T.J. McFarland (1-1) allowed two runs in a career-high five innings to win his second career start compared to 51 relief appearances. "He pitched as well as we thought he could," manager Buck Showalter said. "He makes our bullpen better, but its nice to know that you have that type of option down there with a guy if you can get the proper rest." Rangers rookie Nick Martinez (1-6) gave up eight runs, six earned, and seven hits in five innings. The right-hander is 0-5 with an 8.10 ERA in seven starts since earning his lone career win at Detroit on May 24. "I feel like I pitched better than what it showed," Martinez said. The Rangers (37-46) have lost 11 of 13 overall to fall nine games under .500 for the first time since they were 9-18 on April 29, 2008. Texas has dropped seven straight on the road, its longest such skid in six seasons. Shortstop Elvis Andrus, who made a key error, said: "As a player I always get mad when Im not enjoying the game, and thats exactly whats happening right now." For the second game in a row, Baltimore homered twice in the first inning. Pearce hit a liner in front of the left-field foul pole that glanced off the glove of Shin-Soo Choo and dropped over the wall. One out later, Cruz smacked a 1-1 pitch over the centre-field wall. Texas pulled even in the second when Adam Rosales hit a two-run double in his first at-bat of the season. In the bottom half, Joseph drove a 3-1 pitch into the front row of the left-field seats for a 4-2 lead. The three homers allowed by Martinez were a career high. The Orioles used three hits, a walk and an error to pull away with a four-run fourth. With the bases loaded, Andrus fumbled Josephs potential double-play grounder to allow a run to score. Nick Markakis followed with an RBI double and Pearce added a sacrifice fly. "It was an easy ground ball," Andrus said. "No excuse about it." Chris Gimenez hit a run-scoring grounder off Ryan Webb in the Texas sixth. But the Rangers went quietly after that in their ninth loss in 10 games against Baltimore, dating to last year. NOTES: Texas designated LHP Joe Saunders for assignment and recalled RHP Miles Mikolas from Triple-A Round Rock. Mikolas will make his first major league start on Wednesday. Nick Tepesch, who was slated to start Wednesday, was pushed back to Friday against the Mets. ... The Orioles activated OF Nolan Reimould (spine) from the 60-day DL and designated him for assignment. The oft-injured Reimold, 30, has played in 56 games since the start of the 2012 season. ... Texas Roughned Odor had two hits to snap a 4-for-29 skid. Buy Cheap Nike Blazer . According to MMAFighting.com, MacDonald needs an x-ray on his right ankle and doctors clearance to fight or he will be subject to a mandatory medical suspension that will end on August 22, 2014. Cheap Nike Blazer Sale . -- League scoring leader Anthony Mantha had two goals and two assists to lead the Val-dOr Foreurs over the Blainville-Boisbriand Phoenix 6-3 on Wednesay in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League play on Wednesday. http://www.nikeblazercheap.com/ . The Rangers announced after Thursdays 4-2 loss to the New York Yankees that they would purchase Williams contract from Triple-A Round Rock. The 32-year-old Williams was released by Houston earlier this month after going 1-4 with a 6.Sergei Gonchar let Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill know over the summer hed be willing to accept a trade if it meant going to a Stanley Cup contender.Nill made his move Tuesday by sending the 40-year-old defenceman to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for left-winger Travis Moen. The Canadiens get the depth on the blue-line they were seeking, while the sputtering Stars get a role player up front and open up a spot for younger contributors.I dont want to run Montreals business, but when I look at their defence I just think hes a good fit for them, Nill said on a conference call. Theyve got some good puck-movers, they got a couple other good Russian players there. Hes going to be a good fit for them. Hes a first-class individual, he brings experience of winning.Gonchar, whos in his 20th NHL season, joins the Habs after previous stints in Dallas, Ottawa, Pittsburgh and Washington. He played for current Montreal coach Michel Therrien with the Penguins.The veteran blue-liner joins fellow Russians Andrei Markov and Alexei Emelin, likely pushing out a younger player like Jarred Tinordi or Nathan Beaulieu. Gonchar has a salary-cap hit of US$5 million on his deal that expires at the end of this season.After missing the first 11 games of the season with a broken foot, Gonchar played the past three and recorded an assist.Nill said Gonchar was a positive influence on 19-year-old Valeri Nichushkin and also on the Stars young defencemen. With other players like John Klingberg and Julius Honka in the pipeline, trading Gonchar opens up a spot in the lineup.Theyve earned the right, the opportunity, Nill said. I needed to start opening up some doors and some opportunity for them.And, Nill said, this is an opportunity in Montreal for Gonchar, who has 798 points (219-579) in 1,256 regular-season games since making his NHL debut in 1994-95.I think Montreals got as good a chance as anybody to win the Cup, and its a good opportunity for Sergei to go in there and show what he can do to help them, Nill said.Going thhe other way is Moen, a respected veteran in the Habs locker-room but someone who had been a healthy scratch a handful of times already this season. Nike Blazer Shoes For Sale. Because of that, the 32-year-old native of Stewart Valley, Sask., wasnt surprised to get the call from GM Marc Bergevin that hed been traded.Any time obviously youre not in the lineup youre always questioning, wondering whats coming down the road, Moen said on a conference call. This year I just wanted to play hockey and help my team and I was kind of in and out of the lineup. When something like this happens, you look back and youre not too surprised, thats for sure.Moen, who did not have a point in 10 games this season, said he did not request a trade and appreciated Bergevins honesty during the process.The trade of Moen is another change from the Habs team that went to the Eastern Conference final. Captain Brian Gionta left in free agency, and alternate captain Josh Gorges was traded to the Buffalo Sabres.In September, Gionta mentioned Moen as someone hed recommend to replace him as captain. Instead, Montreal went with four alternates — Markov, P.K. Subban, Max Pacioretty and Tomas Plekanec.I think its just kind of a coincidence its veterans going, Moen said of the Habs changes. Its the way the game goes sometimes.By taking on Gonchars heavier salary this season, the Habs freed up some room in 2015-16. Moen has one more year left on his contract after this one at a cap hit of US$1.85 million.I have a lot of players I possibly could be losing next year I have to make decisions on, Nill said. Travis, I know what he is, hes a character player, were always going to need those type of players Nill expects Moen to be a big part of the Stars penalty-killing. But for a team that has lost seven in a row, getting a gritty bottom-six forward may not be the end of the moves.Its a start.Were open to it, Nill said. We have to find out internally what we have first. Thats what this trade allows us to do now.---Follow @SWhyno on Twitter ' ' '