by Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s scored early and often to defeat the Texas Rangers 8-2. The win was the fourth in a row for the A’s and the eighth win in the last ten games. The Rangers have lost four in a row. Kendall Graveman started for the A’s, and he had a 5-0 lead before he threw his first pitch. Graveman went seven-plus innings allowing eight hits and just two runs. With the win, Graveman evened his record at 4-4. The veteran left-hander, Wandy Rodriguez did not have a good outing as the A’s rocked him for eight runs in the first two innings. Rodriguez was done after just four innings of work and he lost for the third time this season.

The A’s scored five runs in the top of the first. Leadoff hitter, Billy Burns, got things going when he doubled on the second pitch of the game. The hit extended Burns’ hitting streak to a career-high fourteen games. Mark Canha ground out to the right side moving Burns to third. Stephen Vogt, who did not play last night, doubled to drive in Burns wit the first run of the game. Zobrist grounded out and Vogt advanced to third on the play. Rodriguez walked Josh Phegley and Billy Butler on 8 consecutive balls to load the bases. The next batter, Brett Lawrie hit the first pitch, a hanging curveball, over the left-center wall for a grand slam. A’s lead 5-0 before the Rangers came to bat. It was Lawries’s seventh home run of the year and his third career grand slam.

The A’s started the second inning the same way they started the first. Billy Burns doubled, advanced to third on a long fly ball off to right center and scored on a Stephen Vogt single. Vogt now leads the American League with 52 RBI. Josh Phegley followed with a home run over the centerfield wall to give the A’s an 8-0 lead.

The Rangers scored twice in the bottom of the fifth. Joey Gallo and Elvis Andrus singled to put men on first and second with one out.  Leonys Martin flied to center for the second out of the inning. Catcher Carlos Corporan, hitting just .198, lined a double down the right field line to drive in both Gallo and Andrus. Rougned Odor walked to put men on at first and second again. The next hitter, Ryan Rua ground into a force out to end the inning. The Rangers challenged the call but fter review, the umpires upheld the call, and the A’s caught an enormous break as the Rangers would have had the bases loaded and their slugger, Prince Fielder, was the next batter.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Rangers put men on at first and second with no out. A’s manager took Graveman out of the game and replaced him with Edward Mujica. Mujica worked out of the jam, and Fernando Abad closed out the game in the ninth for the A’s.

Game Notes- Graveman has been pitching very well since the A’s recalled him from  Triple-A Nashville. His ERA in his last four starts is 1.86. The hitting stars for the A’s were Billy Burns, Josh Phegley, Stephen Vogt and Brett Lawrie. Burns had two doubles and a single. Phegley had two hits including a two-run home run. Stephen Vogt had a double and two singles. The star of the night was Brett Lawrie. Lawrie had three hits and the biggest hit of the evening- a grand slam in the first inning. The line score for the A’s was eight runs, fourteen hits, and no errors while the line score for the Rangers was two runs on nine hits and two errors.

The A’s play game three of the three-game series Thursday. Game time will be at 11:05 AM PT.Sonny Gray will pitch for the Green and Gold and he will be opposed by Colby Lewis. Lewis, a former Athletic, has given the A’s fits over the years. Hopefully, the A’s will be able to turn the tables.

Game time temperature tonight was 92 degrees with a breeze. 34,216 paid to watch the game.