The Texas Rangers Jonah Heim (28) slides into third base before the ball is thrown to Sacramento A’s third baseman Gio Urshela (13) in the bottom of the seventh inning on Mon Apr 28, 2025 (AP News photo)

Soderstrom’s Two-Run Double Sends Athletics Past Rangers 2-1

By Mauricio Segura

Continuing their knack for close calls, The A’s knocked out a 2-1 victory over the Texas Rangers Monday night in Texas. Rookie slugger Tyler Soderstrom delivered the decisive blow with a two-run double in the fifth inning, helping the Athletics surpass the .500 mark at .517 with a 15-14 record.

The game opened quietly with both teams trading zeros until the top of the fifth. After a leadoff double by Gio Urshela and a walk to Brent Rooker, Soderstrom stepped in and smacked a fly ball into right field. Rangers right fielder Adolis García tracked it down but could not prevent Urshela and Rooker from racing home, giving the A’s a 2-0 advantage. The hit gave Soderstrom his 23rd and 24th RBIs of the season, keeping him among the American League leaders.

Before Soderstrom’s heroics, the Athletics had scattered hits off Texas starter Patrick Corbin but failed to break through. Max Schuemann singled in the third and advanced to third base, but a strikeout and a groundout ended the rally. The A’s offense found its moment in the fifth, right before Corbin exited in favor of Jacob Webb.

On the mound, JP Sears, fresh off winning his previous two starts, once again demonstrated his reliability. Although Sears did not factor into the decision, he kept Texas scoreless through five innings, allowing just five hits and striking out five.

Sears has now maintained an ERA of 3.21 across his first five starts, continuing a season where he has walked just six batters in 28 innings. The southpaw also extended his streak to 44 consecutive starts without a wild pitch, the longest since Catfish Hunter back in the 70s.

After Sears’ departure, the bullpen kept the Rangers at bay despite a late surge. Jonah Heim, a familiar face to A’s fans, knocked in Texas’ lone run with an RBI single off JP Sears’ replacement, Mitch Spence, cutting the Athletics’ lead to 2-1 in the sixth. However, Spence, Tyler Ferguson, and finally Mason Miller locked things down.

Miller, who has converted all eight of his save opportunities this season, slammed the door shut in the ninth with a high-velocity performance that left Texas hitters grasping at air. Known for topping out at 103.7 mph and leading all relievers with a staggering 58.3 percent strikeout rate, Miller continued his early-season dominance by walking Marcus Semien but retiring the next three batters to secure the save.

There were also defensive gems worth noting. Max Schuemann made a sliding catch in center field to rob Adolis García in the second and followed it with a diving stop at third base in the ninth that helped extinguish a Rangers rally. Lawrence Butler contributed with a running grab in foul territory, while JJ Bleday, entering the game as a pinch hitter and staying on in center, showcased solid range with two putouts.

Offensively, Miguel Andujar stayed hot with two hits, continuing a stretch where he has hit .328 over his last 17 games. Jacob Wilson, who entered the night ranked 10th in the majors in batting average at .324, added a single and a sacrifice bunt.

The victory marked the Athletics’ fourth in their last five games, and they are now 8-5 on the road, the second-best road record in the majors. The green and gold are also winning the close ones lately, improving to 3-4 in one-run games after starting the season 0-4 in such contests.

The Athletics and Rangers resume their four-game series Tuesday night it’s Jacob vs. Jacob, the A’s will be starting Jacob Lopez (0-0 ERA 0.00) vs. Jacob deGrom (0-1 ERA 3.33) they are scheduled to take the mound for Texas at 5:05pm PDT in Arlington.

Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.