Tag: texas rangers

by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: The Texas Rangers Carlos Beltran watched the flight of his home run against the Los Angeles Angels Wed Sep 21 as Angels catcher Carlos Perez watches in the fifth inning at the Ball Park in Arlington. Beltran will be in Oakland to face the A’s on Friday night.

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s, tied for last in the AL West with the Los Angeles Angels, host the first-place Texas Rangers for a three-game set starting Friday night at the Oakland Coliseum. The A’s want to be spoilers as they can throw a monkey wrench into the Rangers’ hopes for the best record in the AL. The Rangers lead the Boston Red Sox by just one game for the best record. The Beantown boys have won eight in a row sweeping a four-game series from the Yankees at home last week and have done the same to the Orioles this week in Baltimore.

The Rangers, managed by Jeff Banister, would love to sweep the A’s here in Oakland and get a little revenge for losing two out of three to the A’s last week in Texas. The Rangers have two players that have been to the World Series but have never won a championship. Carlos Beltran and Adrian Beltre have thirteen All-Star appearances, seven Gold Gloves, 5,543 hits, 862 dingers, 3097 ribbies and zero World Series rings. The Rangers will be sending their best hurlers to face the A’s this weekend. Cole Hamels, their ace, will pitch Friday night. Yu Darvish, whom the A’s pounded last weekend and is 2-8 against Oakland, goes on Saturday and Colby Lewis throws on Sunday. Lewis loves to pitch against Oakland and usually owns the Green and Gold but as they say in baseball” you never know.” The A’s will counter with Kendall Graveman, Raul Alcantara, and Jharel Cotton.

The Rangers have a lineup with hitters that can knock the stuffing out of a baseball. Beltran and Beltre head the list. They also have had production from second baseman Rougned Odor, shortstop Elvis Andrus, and Jurickson Profar who can play several positions and first baseman Mitch Moreland. Ian Desmond has had a terrific season coming to Texas as a free agent. Desmond had a hard time finding a club but he found a home in Arlington with the Rangers. His average is .287 and has banged twenty-two balls out of the yard so far to go along with eighty-four RBIs. Other outfielders are Nomar Mazara and Carlos Gomez. The Rangers signed Gomez after he was released by the Houston Astros and he has played much better since coming to the Rangers.

Jonathan Lucroy obtained at the trade deadline from Milwaukee, anchors the catching and he had shown the AL the reasons why he was on several All-Star teams when he was in the National League. The Texas bullpen has been stout, and closer Sam Dyson has recorded thirty-five saves. Matt Bush and Jake Diekman have played a huge role in the bullpen’s success, too.

The A’s, as mentioned earlier, would love nothing better to upset the Rangers’ apple cart. The A’s young guns Ryon Healy, Joey Wendle, Brett Eibner, Matt Smolinski, Bruce Maxwell along with veterans Stephen Vogt, Danny Valencia, Marcus Semien, and Khris Davis will be giving their all to defeat the Rangers. A’s manager Bob Melvin would like nothing better than to sweep the Rangers and then head to Los Angeles and Seattle to end the season. The young guys will be playing for next year, and the vets want to show the A’s that they are worth keeping.  Lots to play for this weekend.

by Jerry Feitelberg

SB Nation/Getty photo: Texas Rangers Robinson Chirinos is congraulated after going deep in the seventh off A’s pitcher John Axford on Wednesday night at the Oakland Coliseum

OAKLAND–The Texas Rangers, in first place in the AL West, overcame a five-run deficit Wednesday night to defeat the A’s 7-5. The A’s Sonny Gray was the Sonny Gray of old for the first five innings of the game.He had excellent velocity on his fastball, and his location was outstanding as he kept the Rangers scoreless and allowed them just five hits. The A’s, in the meantime, scored three in the third and two in the fourth to give Sonny some run support. However, in the fateful sixth, The Rangers pounced on Sonny as they scored five times to tie the game. The Rangers scored solo runs in the seventh and eighth, and their bullpen was successful in closing out the game. The game summary follows below.

The A’s scored three times in the third inning. Marcus Semien led off with a single. Jake Smolinski, playing right field, hit his third home run of the season to get the A’s going.  With one out, Billy Burns doubled and advanced to third on an errant pickoff attempt by Ranger pitcher Derek Holland. With the infield drawn in, Danny Valencia singled past a diving Elvis Andrus to drive in the third run of the frame.

The A’s added two more runs in the fourth inning. Ranger starter Derek Holland walked Josh Phegley and Jake Smolinski to put men on at first and second. Holland retired two batters; he had thrown ninety-two pitches. Jeff Banister decided that it was time for a change and brought in Nick Martinez to pitch. Martinez, just up from Triple-A, was greeted by a double off the bat of Billy Burns. Phegley scored, and when the ball was misplayed by Ian Desmond in center field, Smolinski was able to score from first. Holland went just three and two-thirds innings and allowed five runs, four earned, and just four hits. A’s lead 5-0 after four.

The Rangers rallied to score five runs in the top of the sixth. Sonny Gray had been very effective for the first five innings of the game. He had allowed no runs and the Rangers managed just three hits. The sixth was a different story as the Rangers offense erupted to score five times and Gray was touched for five hits. Robinson Chirinos hit a solo homer. Back-to back-doubles produced another run. Prince Fielder drove in the third run with a sac fly. Jurickson Profar singled, and he trotted home when Rougned Odor blasted an opposite-field homer to tie the game.Gray finished the inning, but he was done for the night as John Axford was brought in to start the seventh. Gray will not receive a decision and his line for the night was six innings pitched, and he allowed five runs on eight hits including two home runs and two doubles.

In the top of the seventh, with one out and John Axford on the mound, the noted Oakland A’s slayer, Robinson Chirinos put the Rangers in the lead with his second solo homer of the game.Chirinos has hit three dingers in the series and has a total of four for the season.Bob Melvin brought in Sean Doolittle to pitch to the left-handed hitter, Nomar Mazara and Doolittle did his job striking him out to end the inning, but the A’s now trail Texas 6-5. The Rangers’ Rougned Odor hit a solo homer in the eighth off Sean Doolittle to give the Rangers a two-run cushion as the game heads into the A’s half of the eighth. The Rangers bullpen shut down the A’s in the eighth and ninth to secure the win for Texas.

Game Notes- The A’s have scored twenty-five runs so far in the series but have just one win and two losses to show for their effort. The A’s are 27-38 for the season and are in last place in the division and own the second-worst record in the  American League. The Rangers are 41-25 and have won four of five, 10 of 13 and 16 of their last 21 games.

After the game , A’s manager Bob Melvin said that he was “pretty shocked” when things went south in the sixth. Melvin added that he “saw (Gray) pitch shutouts with the stuff he had tonight.” He said Sonny had “great stuff, great movement in the first five innings.” He said that Gray was “incrementally better since coming off the DL and it was a little bit startling that he lost it. Melvin said that he had to give Texas credit as they took good swings against our best guys. The Rangers tagged Gray, Axford, and Doolittle for four home runs in the contest.

The A’s finish the four-game series with the Rangers Thursday afternoon at 12:35 pm. Rookie pitcher Daniel Mengden will make his second start of the season, and he will be opposed by the veteran righty Colby Lewis.

Time of game was three hours and eight minutes, and 10,115 faithful watched the A’s go down to defeat.

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Texas Rangers turned the tables on the A’s Tuesday evening at the Oakland Coliseum. They beat the A’s  10-6 to even the series at one game apiece. A’s starter Eric Surkamp continued to struggle in his latest effort after being recalled from Nashville. Surkamp was starting his seventh game of the year for Oakland, and he failed again. So far, Surkamp has not yet pitched a full six innings.  On Tuesday, he lasted just two and a third innings and allowed seven runs on seven hits. The A’s bullpen pitched well and, at one point, they retired twelve Texas hitters in a row before Elvis Andrus homered for the Rangers in the eighth. Ranger lefty Martin Perez won his sixth of the season while Surkamp’s record dropped to 0-4. The A’s are hoping that Surkamp can be more effective as “there are only so many guys” that can be used due to the injuries in the starting rotation. The scoring summary follows below.

The Rangers put one on the board in the very first inning. A’s starter Eric Surkamp walked Ranger left fielder Shin-soo Choo to start the game. Ian Desmond followed with a single to put men on at first and second with no out. Nomar Mazara hit into a fielder’s choice advancing Choo to third and he scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Ryan Rua. The A’s tied the game in the bottom of the first. Billy Burns led off with a single. Jed Lowrie singled sending Burns to third. Khris Davis doubled to right driving in Burns. Lowrie, attempting to score from first, was thrown out at home.

The Rangers scored three more runs in the second. With one out, Surkamp walked Rougned Odor. Elvis Andrus singled to put two men on. The Rangers’ catcher Robinson Chirinos, hitting just .190, put a Surkamp pitch on the walkway in left field. Rangers lead 4-1. The Rangers scored three more runs in the third as they now own a 7-1 lead. Ryan Rua, playing first base, led off the inning with a solo dinger. Surkamp gave up singles to Prince Fielder and Rougned Odor. A’s manager Bob Melvin decided to End Surkamp’s misery and brought in Marc Rzepczynski to pitch. Elvis Andrus singled to drive in Fielder and Odor scored when Danny Valencia failed to catch Khris Davis’ throw from left field.

The A’s scored three runs on four hits in the bottom of the sixth. Jed Lowrie started the rally with a single. Danny Valencia followed with a single. Khris Davis drove in his second run of the night with another single. Valencia advanced to third on the play and scored on a sac fly. Josh Phegley then doubled to drive in Davis all the way from first. Marcus Semien ground out to end the inning. The A’s trail 7-4 after six.

Texas added a run in the eighth on an Elvis Andrus solo home run and two more on four hits in the ninth to make it a 10-4 game heading into the bottom of the ninth. The A’s rallied to score two in the bottom of the ninth, but they just couldn’t pull it out.

Game Notes-Billy Burns had two hits in the contest as did Khris Davis. Davis knocked in two more to give him forty-four RBIs for the year.

The Texas Rangers have won thirteen of their last eighteen and own the best record in the AL at 40-25. Ryan Rua was 2-for-3 with three RBIs and is hitting .370 with five homers and twelve ribbies in his last eighteen games.

Sean Manaea was placed on the fifteen-day DL after an injury to his forearm. The MRI showed no structural damage but there may be underlying problems.

The A’s celebrated Gay Pride Tuesday night and had  moment of silence for the victims of the shootings in Orlando over the weekend.

Game three of the series will be played Wednesday night at 7:05 pm. Sonny Gray will pitch for Oakland, and the Rangers will send their third lefty starter, Derek Holland, to the hill.

Time of game was three hours and eight minutes, and 13,101 hardy souls watched the Rangers snap the A’s modest two-game winning streak.