Rangers beat A's to end seven-game skid
The Sports Xchange
Sep 29, 2017
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Left-hander Martin Perez carried a shutout into the seventh inning as the Texas Rangers snapped their longest losing streak of the season with a 5-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Friday.
Texas had lost seven straight games, but this win assured the Rangers of a better record than the A's, who will finish last in the American League West for the third consecutive year.
Perez (13-12) allowed just two hits over the first six innings and had a 5-0 lead to work with before the A's came to life late.
Texas, which had also lost seven straight games to Oakland, jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first after Shin-Soo Choo and Elvis Andrus reached base ahead of Nomar Mazara. Mazara then lined a shot to third that Matt Chapman couldn't come up with, scoring both runners.
The Rangers took charge in the fifth on a two-run homer from Choo. His 22nd homer also ended the night for Raul Alcantara (1-2), who was charged with four runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings. Rookie Willie Calhoun added an RBI single in the fifth as Texas collected five hits in the frame.
Perez was cruising until the seventh. A walk and a single opened the frame and Renato Nunez drilled a three-run homer to right-center for his first major league homer. That blast ended the night for Perez, who allowed three runs on five hits. He struck out two and walked two.
Oakland threatened in the eighth, but Jake Diekman struck out Nunez with the bases loaded. Alex Claudio registered his 11th save by working around a one-out single in the ninth.
The five runs scored are the most the Rangers have scored in a game since they had eight in a Sept. 20 game against Seattle. Texas finished with eight hits, with Calhoun going 3-for-4 and Mazara adding two hits.
Oakland finished with seven hits.
NOTES: Oakland C Bruce Maxwell was greeted by boos from fans in attendance after taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem before the game. ...Texas SS Elvis Andrus reached the 100-run mark for the first time in his career when he scored in the first inning. He is just the second Texas player to reach the 100-run mark since 2013, joining Ian Desmond who reached the mark last year. ...The seven-game winning streak Oakland had against Texas was its longest over the Rangers since it won seven straight during the 2005 season.
Sep 29, 2017
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Left-hander Martin Perez carried a shutout into the seventh inning as the Texas Rangers snapped their longest losing streak of the season with a 5-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Friday.
Texas had lost seven straight games, but this win assured the Rangers of a better record than the A's, who will finish last in the American League West for the third consecutive year.
Perez (13-12) allowed just two hits over the first six innings and had a 5-0 lead to work with before the A's came to life late.
Texas, which had also lost seven straight games to Oakland, jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first after Shin-Soo Choo and Elvis Andrus reached base ahead of Nomar Mazara. Mazara then lined a shot to third that Matt Chapman couldn't come up with, scoring both runners.
The Rangers took charge in the fifth on a two-run homer from Choo. His 22nd homer also ended the night for Raul Alcantara (1-2), who was charged with four runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings. Rookie Willie Calhoun added an RBI single in the fifth as Texas collected five hits in the frame.
Perez was cruising until the seventh. A walk and a single opened the frame and Renato Nunez drilled a three-run homer to right-center for his first major league homer. That blast ended the night for Perez, who allowed three runs on five hits. He struck out two and walked two.
Oakland threatened in the eighth, but Jake Diekman struck out Nunez with the bases loaded. Alex Claudio registered his 11th save by working around a one-out single in the ninth.
The five runs scored are the most the Rangers have scored in a game since they had eight in a Sept. 20 game against Seattle. Texas finished with eight hits, with Calhoun going 3-for-4 and Mazara adding two hits.
Oakland finished with seven hits.
NOTES: Oakland C Bruce Maxwell was greeted by boos from fans in attendance after taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem before the game. ...Texas SS Elvis Andrus reached the 100-run mark for the first time in his career when he scored in the first inning. He is just the second Texas player to reach the 100-run mark since 2013, joining Ian Desmond who reached the mark last year. ...The seven-game winning streak Oakland had against Texas was its longest over the Rangers since it won seven straight during the 2005 season.
