Tag: texas rangers

Oakland A’s Chad Pinder (10) rounds the bases after hitting a top of the 12th inning grand slam against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington in the second game of the three game series (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s beat the Texas Rangers 14-7 in 12 innings to even the series at one game each Tuesday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The A’s fought back from a 3-1 deficit to take a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth.

The A’s closer, Lou Trivino, had another disastrous outing. The big righty, facing the very hot-hitting Corey Seager saw Seager blast his 21st home run. It was Seager’s fifth homer in the last five games. With two outs, Ranger’s centerfielder Leody Taveras doubled for the second time in the game.

Kole Calhoun, pinch-hitting for Charlie Culberson, singled to drive in Taveras with the tying run. The game went into extra innings. The A’s scored a run in the top of the tenth. The Rangers got even in their half. No one scored in the 11th.

For one of the few times this season, a game went into the 12th inning. The A’s put it away as they scored eight runs in the top of the 12th to lead 14-6. The Rangers got one back, but it was not enough as Oakland won the game 14-7.

The Rangers grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the first inning. A’s starter James Kaprielian gave up a double to Rangers’ leadoff hitter Josh Smith. Former A’s shortstop Marcus Semien homered to give the Rangers the early 2-0 advantage.

The A’s scored one the second to close to make it a 2-1 game. The Rangers got the run back in the bottom of the fourth to go ahead 3-1. Oakland scored three times in the top of the fifth. The A’s went to the bullpen after Kaprielian exited after five innings of work.

The A’s added an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Sam Moll worked a scoreless sixth inning for the A’s. A.J.Puk went two innings and retired all six hitters he faced. It was up to Trivino to close out the game. He failed. As mentioned above, the Rangers scored twice to tie the game.

The A’s scored eight times in the top of the 12th. The big blow was Chad Pinder’s home run with the bases loaded. The A’s had just three hits in the 12th. The ghost runner and three walks helped the A’s put the eight runs on the board. Texas scored a run in their half of the 12th, but it didn’t matter as the A’s won 14-7.

Game notes– With the win, the A’s are 30-59. Texas falls to 40-45.

The hitting stars for Oakland were Sean Murphy and Chad Pinder. Murphy had two singles and two doubles in five at-bats. He reached base safely all five times. Pinder had a grand slam to ice the win for Oakland.

The A’s used seven pitchers Tuesday night. Texas used eight. Kirby Snead was the winning pitcher. Trivino was charged with his second blown save. Rangers’ reliever Dennis Santana took the loss.
The line score for Oakland was 14 runs, 13 hits, and no errors. The line for Texas was seven runs, nine hits, and two errors.

The rubber game of the three-game series will be played Wednesday night at Globe Life Field. First pitch at 5:05 pm PDT.

The A’s will send their All-Star pitcher Paul Blackburn (6-4, 3.36) out to face the Rangers. Blackburn will be going for his seventh win. He will be opposed by the Rangers RHP Jon Gray(5-4, 4.03).

The time of the game was 4:04. The announced attendance was 17,485.

Oakland A’s centerfielder Ramon Luareano can’t get the handle on the baseball as it gets away for a inside the park home run hit by the Texas Rangers Josh Smith at the Oakland Coliseum on Mon Jul 11, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

There was good and bad news in the game that the Oakland A’s (29-59) lost to the Texas Rangers 10-8 Monday night. The good news was the A’s offense woke up late in the game to score six runs in the eighth. They sent ten men to the plate in that inning.

The A’s hitters blasted a two-run and three-run homer in the frame. For the game, they hit three home runs. Sheldon Neuse had a solo blast in the fifth, Ramon Laureano hit a two-run blast in the eighth, and Chad Pinder homered with two men on base later in the inning.

For the game’s first seven innings, everything went right for the Texas Rangers. They put runs on the board in every inning except the first and third. The A’s starter, Adrian Martinez, gifted the Rangers two runs in the bottom of the second.

The Rangers’ catcher, Jonah Heim, a former Oakland Athletic, singled to get the rally going. Heim went to second on a wild pitch. Martinez walked Kole Calhoun to put two men on with no out. Martinez retired Brad Miller for the first out.

Rangers’ center-fielder Leody Tavares reached on a fielder’s choice. Calhoun was out at second, and Heim advanced to third. Tavares promptly stole second. Heim scored the game’s first run when the umpires called a balk on Martinez.

Tavaras advanced to third. Tavaras scored when Martinez uncorked his second wild pitch of the innings. The Rangers scored two runs on one hit, a walk, two wild pitches, and a balk.

The A’s put their first run of the night on the board in the top of the fourth. Ramon Laureano reached safely on Rangers’ third baseman Josh Smith’s error. Sean Murphy singled, sending Laureano to second. Seth Brown singled to drive in Laureano. The A’s trailed 2-1 midway through the fourth.

The Rangers plated three more runs in their half of the fourth. Martinez walked Rangers’ first baseman Nathaniel Lowe to get things going for Texas. Jonah Heim reached safely on Seth Brown’s fielding error. Kole Calhoun singled to drive in.

Lowe with Texas’ third run. Heim went to second. Tavares singled to drive in Heim, and Calhoun went to third. Josh Smith fouled out to Elvis Andrus in short left field. Andrus collided with the third baseman Vimael Machin. Calhoun tagged up and scored the third run of the inning. The Rangers lead 5-1 after four.

Neuse cut the deficit to three when he hit his third dinger of the season. The ball traveled 418 feet into the second deck in left field. The A’s trailed 5-2. The Rangers’ star shortstop, Corey Seager, blasted his 20th homer to get the run back, and the Rangers led 6-2.

The Rangers added two more runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh to have a comfortable10-2 lead with just two innings left for Oakland to do anything.

In the fateful eighth inning, Rangers’ manager Chris Woodward brought in lefty Kolby Allard to pitch. Allard had been struggling this season, and his outing in the eighth was not his best effort. The A’s put six runs on the board.

This year, it was the most runs in an inning for the A’s. Here’s how they did it. Third baseman Vimeal Machin started the rally with a single, and Ramon Laureano atoned for a ball he misplayed in the sixth inning.

The misplay resulted in an inside-the-park, two-run home run for Josh Smith. Laureano homered for the seventh time this tear to make it a 10-4 game. Allard hit Sean Murphy with a pitch. Allard struck out Seth Brwon for the first out.

Elvis Andrus singled. Both men scored when Chad Pinder homered into the seats in left field. The A’s now trailed 10-7. Chris Woodward brought in Garrett Richards to pitch. Richards plunked Stephen Piscotty on the upper part of his left arm.

Piscotty was not able to continue. Tony Kemp doubled, sending Skye Bolt to third. Neuse grounded out 5-3 to drive in Bolt with the sixth run of the inning and the eighth of the night. The A’s could not score in the ninth and fell to the Rangers 10-8.

Game Notes: The A’s are now 29-59, 30 games below .500. Texas improved to 40-44. Adrian Martinez was the losing pitcher. Spencer Howard picked up the win.

The line score for Oakland was eight runs, 12 hits, and one error. Texas’ line was ten runs, nine hits, and one error.

The time of the game was 3:28. 20,600 were in attendance.

The A’s meet the Rangers again Tuesday night at Globe Life Field. The game will start at 5:05 pm. The A’s will be starting All Star Paul Blackburn (6-4, 3.36) the Rangers starter will be right hander Jon Gray (5-4, 4.03) first pitch at 5:05 pm PDT at the Ballpark in Arlington

Oakland A’s rightfielder Ramon Laureano slide on his knees to reach a shallow hit ball to no avail by the Texas Rangers Charlie Culberson in the top of the fifth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat May 28, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s (19-30) were back in action on Saturday afternoon in Oakland. The A’s played the same as the Texas Rangers (22-23) on Friday night in their last game. The A’s were defeated at home by the final of 8-5. In the first game of the series on Thursday, the A’s also lost by the final of 4-1.

On Saturday, it was game three of a four-game series that was set to begin at 1:05 PM PST. Set to on the mound was Zach Logue for the A’s and Taylor Hearn for the Rangers. Saturday saw the A’s lose their third straight game by the final of 11-4.

On Saturday, the Rangers got off to a quick start on offense. Neither the first or second innings were anything to write home about. However, then came the 3rd inning. The Rangers bats came alive in the third as they scored four runs.

Corey Seager hit a two-run home run off A’s starter Zach Logue to give the Rangers the early lead. Following that, Adolis Garcia went back to back with Seager with a solo homer to put the Rangers up 3-0. The Rangers weren’t done yet as Nathaniel Lowe would hit an RBI triple to wrap up the scoring in the 3rd inning.

In the bottom of the 4th inning, the A’s would get on the board themselves with an RBI single from Sheldon Neuse to make the score 4-1. The Rangers would add to that scoring surge in the 5th inning with six more runs.

Andy Ibanez and Kole Calhoun would each have an RBI single in the 5th inning but it was Marcus Semien and his grand slam that was the exclamation mark. At this point in the game, the Rangers were up 10-1 in the game and all A’s fans were looking for was a little life from the squad.

In the bottom of the 5th inning, the A’s would add a second run on a Ramon Laureano solo shot to left field. However, the momentum would turn back to the Rangers soon after.

In the 6th inning, the Rangers would get their last run of the game on a Marcus Semien bases-loaded walk to make it an 11-2 game. The A’s managed to get out of that inning to hold the Rangers to just one run.

Sheldon Neuse would get another RBI single in the 6th inning to make it an 11-3 game. The rest of the way the A’s scored one more run on a fielder’s choice out on Elvis Andrus and Ramon Laureano scored. It was a rough go-around for the A’s who have really struggled this series against the Rangers.

The win went to Rangers starter Taylor Hearn (3-3, 5.36) who didn’t pitch a great game but well enough for the win. He tossed 6.0 innings giving up eight hits and three runs. The loss went to A’s starter Zach Logue (2-4, 5.47) who really struggled in 2.1 innings giving up seven hits, four runs, and two home runs. No save was recorded.

Up Next: The A’s finish out the four-game series against the Rangers on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 PM PST.

The Texas Rangers Andy Ibanez belts a two run single as Oakland A’s catcher Sean Murphy watches in the top of the ninth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Fri May 27, 2022 (AP News photo)

Texas. 8. 13. 1

Oakland. 5. 5. 1

Friday May 27, 2022

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–Bruce Levine and Joel Bierig published an interview with Jim Katt in the March-April issue of Baseball Digest. In it, the soon to be inducted Hall of Famer recalled some advice that Warren Spahn once gave him, “Kid,” said the durable HOF lefty, “when the score’s tied in the seventh inning, the game’s just starting.” Think of Candlestick Park, July 2, 1963.

That was when starters were expected to go nine innings unless lifted for a pinch hitter. It’s still true today, but it’s just a fact, not a guide to how a starter should pitch. Pitchers who regularly last seven or more frames now are considered iron men.

The game’s just starting in the seventh, but it’s in the hands of one, two, or three relievers per team. This change has been more pronounced in 2021 and ’22 than before because of the short time pitchers have had in which to strengthen their arms in a lengthy spring training.

We saw the results Thursday night, when Martín Pérez and Frankie Montás dueled each other to a 1-1 standoff for seven frames and the Rangers’ bullpen held while the Athletics’ faltered.

Game recap: At the Coliseum wasn’t when it went into the seventh; it WAS tied in the seventh. And the starters weren’t around for more than an out in that frame. Cole Irvin (2-2, 3.21 at game time) left after yielding a one out single in the top of the inning.

In his 6-1/3 innings pitched, he allowed three runs, two of them earned, including the one scored by Kole Calhoun, who was on base when the A’s starter left the game. The lefty had allowed six hits and no walks, striking out four. He threw 96 pitches, 64 for strikes.

His rival for Texas, Jon Gray (1-2,5.14, ditto) didn’t answer the bell for the seventh and yielded five runs, all earned and all in the third inning, on five hits and three free passes. He also retired five batters on strikes. His pitch count was 91, 59 for strikes.

After seven innings, the score was tied, at 5-5. But this was not the sort of game that Spahn had in mind. The final score was 8-5, Texas.

The 30 year old Gray spent seven years with the Rockies, where he went 53-49, 4.59 before signing a four year contract with Texas. He throws a fastball in the upper 90s, which he mixes with sliders, curves, and changeups.

He already has spent two stints on the IL this season, coming off it most recently on May 2. Irvin, too, has spent time on the IL year. He was pronounced fit for duty last Sunday. Before his bout with tendinitis, he had been 2-1, 2.93.

He took the loss against the Angels in Anaheim in his one appearance since his return, yielding three runs, all earned, on eight hits over six innings.

The 28 year old ex-Phillie doesn’t have a particularly high velocity fastball, but he does have a wide variety of pitches that he mixes well. You could call him a classical cagey lefty.

Cagey or not, Irvin had a difficult first inning. He surrendered a lead off single to left to Marcus Semien, who was struggling with a batting average of .181. Seager flew out to left, and then Adolís García sent a ground ball to Sheldon Neuse, playing third, who threw wildly to first.

It was ruled a hit and an error and resulted in Semien ending up on third and García at second. They didn’t stay there; both scored Jonah Heim’s sharp single to center.

But Cole kept his cool, and his defense, which had let him down on García’s grounder, got him out of the inning with a 6-4-3 double play into the shift, shortstop Elvis Andrus fielding the ball to the right of second and flipping it to second baseman Tony Kemp, at the bag, who relayed it to Seth Brown at first.

Oakland fell victim to The Curse of the Leadoff Double in its half of the second. Sean Murphy hit a 2-2 pitch hard to left, the ball bouncing once on the grass before bouncing again off the Ring Central sign for a stand up two bagger. He moved on to third on Barrera’s one out grounder to the mound, but that was as far as he got.

The home team broke through and went ahead in the third. Nuese drew a full count walk to start it off. Kemp’s chop bounced off Lowe’s glove between first and second, and the A’s had runners on first and second with none down.

After Lowrie flew out to left, Ramón Laureano singled into left center, driving in Neuse and sending Kemp around to third. He crossed the plate to tie the score while Laureano advanced to second on Brown’s ground out to second.

The A’s center fielder then stole third and romped home on catcher Heim’s throwing error. Not satisfied with merely taking the lead, your (at long last) swinging A’s belted back to back home runs.

Both Murphy and Pinder connected for his fifth round tripper of the year; Murphy’s 415 feet to center on a 96 mph four seamer, and Pinder’s 406 feet to right center off another four seamer that arrived at only 94 mph. When Barrera flew out to right for the third out, the green and gold were ahead, 5-2.

The A’s held that advantage until the top of the seventh, when their bullpen once more let a lead erode. Justin Grim relieved Irvin with one out and Calhoun on first. A single to Sam Huff put runners on first and second.

Lowe’s double to left center drove in Calhoun with the Rangers’ third tally, which was charged to Irvin’s account, and allowed Lowe to take third. Brad Miller, pinch hitting for Charlie Culberson, grounded out to second, bringing Lowe home with the run that made it a one run ballgame.

Zach Jackson took over for Grim. Eli White dropped a bunt in front of the plate, Murphy fielded it and threw to first, where Brown made a grand stretch and catch to end the inning and preserve Oakland’s fragile lead.

That lead dissolved in the eighth. With Jackson on the mound, Semien led off with a Texas League single to right. After Seager went down swinging, García blasted a double off the right field wall that drove in Semien with the tying run.

A great series of throws, Laureano to Kemp to Murphy to Neuse, cut down García, trying to stretch his RBI double Heim went down swinging to end the inning, with the score knotted up at five.

Matt Moore, who relieved Gray in the seventh, pitched two perfect innings for the visitors.

Danny Jiménez faced the Texans in the top of the ninth. He began inauspiciously, issuing a full count walk to Calhoun, but recovered to record a full count swinging strike out of Huff.

Then Lowe hit his second straight double to left center, this time stopped on the short hop by a marvelous sliding backhanded grab by Laureano. Calhoun showed his respect for the arm of the A’s center fielder by stopping at third.

Jiménez retired Miller on a called third strike, to the batter´s obvious displeasure. It looked as if Jiménez might bar the door, but Lowe stole second, but pinch hitting Andy Ibáñez smacked a single up the middle, plating Calhoun and Lowe, and went to second on the throw.

Semien drove him in from there with a single to left. And that´s how a 5-2 Oakland lead became an 8-5 Texas lead. Adam Kolarek relieved Jiménez and got the final out.

Dennis Santana earned his first save of 2022 with a perfect bottom of the ninth. The win went to Matt Moore, who’s now at 2-0, 2.01. Jiménez (1-2,1.89) took the loss.

The third game of this series will start tomorrow afternoon at 1:07 with left handers Zach Logue (2-3, 4.43) and Taylor Hearn (2-3, 5.77) taking the mound for the Athletics and Rangers, respectively at the Oakland Coliseum.

Oakland A’s starter Frankie Montas gave it his all pitching seven innings, here Montas is throwing against the Texas Rangers line up on Thu May 26, 2022 at the Oakland Coliseum (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Texas Rangers and Oakland A’s engaged in an extremely well-pitched contest Thursday night. Both starters, the A’s Frankie Montas and the Rangers’ Martin Perez, were at their best. Both pitchers went seven innings and allowed just one run. The game was won when the Rangers scored three times to beat the A’s 4-1.

The Rangers scored an unearned run in the top of the second. The Rangers’ Kole Calhoun singled to get things rolling. Former A’s catcher Jonah Heim reached safely on A’s shortstop Elvis Andrus’ throwing error. Montas walked Nate Lowe to load the bases. Montas struck out Brad Miller for the second out. Unfortunately, he walked Andy Ibanez, which allowed Calhoun to score the run.

The A’s Chad Pinder led off the bottom of the fourth with a single. He went to third on Sean Murphy’s double. Perez retired the next two A’s hitters. Elvis Andrus walked to load the bases. Pinder scored on Perez’s wild pitch. 

There was no more scoring until the top of the ninth. Montas gave the A’s a terrific performance. He went seven innings and allowed three hits and one run, unearned. Martin Perez matched his opponent’s performance.

Perez’s line was seven innings, four hits, and one run. It was up to each team’s bullpen to determine the winner of the game. The A’s Domingo Acevedo pitched a scoreless eighth. The Rangers’ Matt Bush held the Green and Gold scoreless in the bottom of the inning.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay brought in Lou Trivino to pitch the ninth. Trivino retired Calhoun for the first out. The next hitter, Jonah Heim, followed with a single. Texas sent in Eli White to pinch run for Heim.

White scored the Rangers’ second run of the game when Adolis Garcia doubled. Kotsay brought in lefty Sam Moll to face left-handed hitter Nate Lowe. The strategy failed as Lowe blasted a home run over the wall in right-field.

Moll recorded the next two outs, but the Rangers led 4-1 midway through the ninth. Joe Barlow was summoned from the Ranger bullpen to close out the game.

Tony Kemp, hitting for Sheldon Neuse, walked to start the ninth. Barlow got Luis Barrera, pinch-hitting for Christian Bethancourt, to hit into a 6-4-3 double play. Elvis Andrus popped out to end the game. 

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s are now 19-28. The Rangers improved to 20-23

The winning pitcher was Matt Bush. Trivino took the loss. The line score for Oakland was one run, five hits, and one error. The Rangers’ line was four runs, six hits, and no errors. 

The A’s will send left Cole Irvin to the hill Friday night. The Rangers will counter with righty Jon Gray. The game will start at 6:40 pm.

Texas Rangers pitcher Martin Perez walks to the Rangers dugout on the first base side before the ball game on Thu May 26, 2022 at the Oakland Coliseum with the inscription on his hat dedicated to the Robb Elementary School shooting victims in Uvlade Texas (AP News photo)

Texas. 4. 6. 0

Oakland. 1. 5. 1

Thursday May 26, 2022

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–While my back was turned, the Oakland A’s (19-28) took a three game series, two games to one, from the Mariners in Seattle, improving their record to 19-27, which lifted the team out of the AL West cellar for the first time in three weeks.

This put them within striking distance to overtake Thursday night’s visitors, the Texas Rangers (20-23) arriving in Oakland for third place by the end of the four game series that will continue through Sunday .

I couldn’t help thinking of the, probably apocryphal, headline that is said to have appeared in the 1936 Brooklyn Eagle, “Overconfidence May Cost the Dodgers Sixth Place.” In those days, each league had eight teams, and the players in the top four in each of them, referred to as the first division, received a share of the World Series receipts. No divisions, no playoffs, no interleague play.

One factor working against overconfidence in Oakland is that they’re playing in Oakland. I’m not knocking the place, although it does get kind of lonely here at the ballpark, which never has been the same since Al Davis performed disastrous plastic surgery on it before abandoning the East Bay in his never ending search for new suckers.

It’s just that the Athletics have played .500 ball on the road but have a lower level of achievement on the banks of the Nimitz.

The green and gold sent Frankie Montás to the mound in his first appearance since the scary blow to his pitching hand that he received in the second inning of his last start, five days ago in Anaheim. He brought a record of 2-4, 3.55 with him.

His Texas opponent was Martín Pérez, whose 3-2 won-lost mark is overshadowed by his ERA of 1.64, third best in all of major league baseball among qualifying pitchers.

For the first seven innings, the 3,203 fans in attendance were treated to a pitchers’ duel between the starters. Montás was lifted at the beginning of the eighth, having held Texas to one unearned run on three hits and two walks while striking out 11.

He threw 96 pitches, 70 for strikes, and lowered his ERA to 3.12, leaving with a no decision. Pérez also left after seven innings´ labor. The run he yielded was earned, and came on four A’s hits, two walks, and a wild pitch. He threw 95 pitches, 62 for strikes. He K´d six Athletics and lowered his ERA to 1.60, also leaving with a no decision. In the end the A’s bullpen faltered, and the team lost to the Texans, 4-1.

Montás ran into trouble early. Kole Calhoun led off the second with a lined shot up the middle for a single. Elvis Andrus, playing to the right of second in the shift, made a nice diving stop of Jonah Heim´s grounder, but Christian Bethancourt couldn’t handle his awkward throw to first.

The A’s shortstop was charged with an error, and there were two on with none out. Montás recovered to strike out Adolís García but issued a full count walk to Nathaniel Lowe to load the bases.

It looked as if Oakland’s starter might pitch his way out of the jam when he fanned Brad Miller for his third K, but then he gave up another walk on a 3-2 count, this time to Andy Ibáñez, who earned his sixth RBI of the season with it, giving his team a 1-0 lead.

Pérez held Oakland to one hit over the first three frames, but the home team´s bats came alive in the bottom of the fourth. Chad Pinder led off with a single to left and cruised into third when Sean Murphy lashed an 84 mph change up for a double into deep left.

Pérez recovered to get Sheldon Neuse out on a called third strike that drew groans from the press box. Bethancourt sent a soft liner to Marcus Semien at second for out number two. Semien’s successor as A’s shortstop, Andrus, walked to load the bases with Oaklanders with two out.

Pérez’s, facing Kevin Smith, unleashed his second wild pitch of the evening, and, just like that, we had a 1-1 tie. Then Smith anticlimactically grounded out to third.

The score still was knotted at one when García sent Montás’s first offering of the seventh on one hop to the 367 foot sign in left field, just to the left of the auxiliary scoreboard for a stand up double. But Montás remained undaunted, fanning Lowe and Miller and getting Ibáñez out on an inoffensive pop up to Bethancourt at first. The Curse of the Lead Off Double strikes again.

The bottom of the seventh also was exciting. Bethancourt began it by bunting to the right side of the infield. Pérez fielded the ball, shuttled it to first, and Lowe couldn’t catch it. Bethancourt was on second when he was ruled out for batter’s interference; he’d run to the left of the right field line, cutting across it to get to the base. Then Andrus doubled to deep center but was stranded there when Smith struck out and Pache flew out to right.

Domingo Acevedo relieved Montás in the eighth and retired the side in order. Matt Bush, who replaced Pérez after his seven inning stint. He got his first two men, Laureano and Lowrie, but yielded a single to left to Pinder before getting Murphy to ground out to Semien.

It was Lou Trivino, in his newfound role as leverage reliever, who hurled the ninth for the green and gold. He gave up a one out single to Heim, up the middle, beating the shift.

Eli White immediate pinch ran for Heim and scored on García’s double that landed a few feet fair in deep left field. That was it for Trivino, and Sam Moll came in to face Lowe, who took him deep, 402 feet deep, to right. Then Moll retired the two remaining batters.

Joe Barlow, trying to close it out for the Rangers, had a three run lead to work with as he looked for his eighth save in as many opportunities. Neuse worked a full count before walking. Luis Barrera pinch hit for Bethancourt. He hit into a double play, short unassisted to first, and it was all over but the shouting, of which there was very little. Andrus popped out to Semien, and then it was over.

Bush was credited with the win, giving him a record of 2-1, 3.86. Barlow earned that eighth save, and Trivino was the losing pitcher. He’s now 1-3, 7.94.

The series continues Friday night at 6:40 pm with Jon Gray (1-2,5.14) scheduled to start for the Rangers and Cole Irvin (2-2,3.21) for the not so overconfident Athletics.