Buehrle quick to quiet Rangers

There was a time when you would have thought Mark Buehrle was a prime candidate to pitch a no-hitter, but Wednesday night against the Rangers didn't figure to be one of those times. But as Tim Kurkjian likes to point out frequently on "Baseball Tonight," one of the beauties of baseball is that you never know what you'll get to see on any particular day. On this one, Buehrle looked like his old, stellar self, working quickly, throwing strikes, and dominating hitters. The end result was a gem, and the White Sox' first no-hitter since 1991, and their first at home in 40 years. In fact, it was the first time the Rangers had been held hitless in more than two decades.

The game had to be a bit of a relief to the White Sox who had to be wondering if Buehrle was capable of returning to the form he'd previously shown. This was his first win since Sept. 2 of last season and only his fourth victory in his last 19 starts. So this effort was a long time coming.

The weather has been one of the big stories of the 2007 season and it played a role in this game too, with game-time temperatures at only 40 degrees. Factor that in with the Rangers free-swinging style and perhaps Buehrle was more of a candidate to have a game like this than most people would have thought.

ON THE MARK

Notes on Buehrle's no-hitter: • It was the 16th no-hitter in White Sox history (tied for the second-most with the Red Sox, and four behind the Dodgers). • First White Sox no-hitter since 1991 (Wilson Alvarez) and first at home since 1967 (Joel Horlen). Buehrle • First time the Rangers were no-hit since 1984 (Mike Witt, perfect game). • First no-hitter by a left-handed pitcher since 2004 (Randy Johnson's perfect game). • Earliest no-hitter in a season since 2001 (Hideo Nomo, April 4). • Buehrle entered the game 3-7 with a 6.25 ERA since the 2006 All-Star break. • Buehrle's first complete game since May 19, 2006 (his only complete game in 2006). • Buehrle has a 9-3 record and a 2.97 career ERA vs. the Rangers. • Buehrle has a 7-2 record and a 3.02 ERA in April since 2005.

• Red Sox at Blue Jays, 12:37 p.m. ET: Julian Tavarez (0-1, 9.00) pitches on 11 days' rest after making his first start of the season on April 7. Roy Halladay (2-0, 2.35) pitched 10 innings (107 pitches) in his last start, a 2-1 Toronto victory over Detroit.

• Dodgers at Rockies, 3:05 p.m. ET: Mark Hendrickson makes his first start of the season, replacing the injured Jason Schmidt in the Dodgers' rotation. Aaron Cook has yet to get a decision in his first three starts, and has allowed a combined nine runs in those three starts.

• Cubs at Braves, 7:35 p.m. ET: Rich Hill (2-0, 0.64) has dazzled in his first two starts, allowing just one run in 14 innings pitched. Mark Redman (0-2, 12.96) has been just the opposite, giving up a combined 12 runs in his two starts (8 1/3 IP).

• Thursday's complete list of probable starters

• Diamondbacks LHP Randy Johnson, who underwent offseason back surgery, is scheduled to make one more start for Triple-A Tucson before joining the Diamondbacks' rotation sometime next week.

• Orioles C Ramon Hernandez (strained left oblique) worked out with the team for the second straight day, but could need a short minor league rehab assignment before being activated from the disabled list.

• Giants SS Omar Vizquel singled on Tuesday to tie Cal Ripken Jr. for the second-most hits by a shortstop since 1957 with 2,479.

• A's OF Milton Bradley missed his sixth straight game with a strained left hamstring. He could be headed to the disabled list.

• The Reds activated OF Norris Hopper from the 15-day disabled list and designated C Chad Moeller for assignment.