Cruz snapped a 2-for-27 slide with a go-ahead homer in the third. Murphy's fourth homer in six games came in the seventh and made it 9-3.
"Hopefully, this will create some momentum for us," Murphy said.
The Rangers entered the final game of June hitting a majors-low .221 for the month. They also blew the division lead that was once as high as 5 1/2 games by losing eight of 11 while the Angels won 13 of 16.
Saunders gave up four homers for the first time in his 80 career starts (40-20). He gave up three long balls and seven runs in 5 1-3 innings at Rangers Ballpark on May 15.
The Angels had five singles in the second to score three times. Erick Aybar was called out for stepping out of the batter's box on a bunt, and Feldman got out of the inning when Vladimir Guerrero popped out to short.
"When I got in the dugout, (my goal) was get through six," Feldman said. "I had to work quick and conserve my pitches."
NOTES: The last AL rookie with at least four steals in a game was Baltimore's Luis Matos on July 30, 2000, when he had five against Cleveland. Colorado rookie Dexter Fowler had five steals against San Diego earlier this season. ... Andrus stole second and third in the fifth. He is the fourth Texas player with at least four steals in a game. The team record is five by Scarborough Green on Sept. 28, 2000.
Improved pitching has helped the Texas Rangers remain contenders in the AL West this year, but it was an older formula that enabled them to end the Los Angeles Angels' six-game winning streak on Tuesday.
One night after slugging five home runs to even their series with the division leaders, the Rangers can pull within one-half game of Los Angeles on Wednesday with another victory as the clubs decide their three-game set.
Before Tuesday's game, Texas (41-35) had dropped eight of 11 to surrender first place in the West to the Angels, who extended the Rangers' offensive slump and opened a 2 1/2-game lead by winning 5-2 in Monday's series opener.
That was the sixth time in their previous nine games that the Rangers, who led the majors in runs in 2008, had scored two or fewer runs. Their bats finally awakened Tuesday, however, with Marlon Byrd hitting two of Texas' five homers and driving in five runs in a 9-5 win.
"That's something that we needed," said Byrd, who's 5 for 9 with three homers in the series.
