|
 Kouzmanoff, the reigning American League Player of the Week,
launched a double off the right-center field fence against his
former team. Then after first baseman Mitch Moreland moved him to
third with a two-strike sacrifice bunt, Kouzmanoff raced home on a
sharp single to center by second baseman Donnie Murphy, another
former Athletic.
The Rangers, who trailed 3-1 early, held on for a 4-3 victory in the
opener of a three-game series against the two-time defending AL West
champions.
"Every time you play Oakland you always know it's going to be a good
series," Murphy said. "They're the top dog in the division right
now, even though it's early. It's always nice to come in here and
get that first win of the series. And to come from behind and take
it from them, it was a good feeling."
Kouzmanoff batted .345 with two home runs, four doubles and eight
RBIs in seven games last week, and he's off to another fast start
this week, filling in for injured Adrian Beltre. He had an RBI
single in the fourth, driving in first baseman Prince Fielder, who
led off with a double.
"It's unreal," Murphy said. "It's fun to watch right now. I played
against him before. I always knew he could hit, but the roll he's on
right now is unreal. Hopefully, it keeps going. It's definitely fun
to watch."
Kouzmanoff and Murphy teamed up to beat Doolittle, one of the A's
best and hardest-throwing relievers.
"After they got the bunt down, I snuck one past Murphy and I thought
I was going to be able to find a way to get him out," Doolittle
said. "He did a good job of staying short on it.
"I thought I made a good pitch, whereas the pitch to Kouzmanoff was
not a good pitch. The pitch to Murphy, I thought I executed it. He
just did a great job (on) it and smoked it right back up the
middle."
Relievers Jason Frasor, Neal Cotts, Alexi Ogando and Joakin Soria
combined to blank the A's in the final three innings. Soria posted
his fourth save and Cotts picked up the win.
"He could have got unraveled, but he didn't," Rangers manager Ron
Washington said of Soria. "He made a great pitch to Donaldson, a,
dangerous hitter, and then he made another couple great pitches to
Cespedes, who's up there for one thing, to try to win the ballgame.
"He didn't do it. Soria did his job. he could have had a
one-two-three inning, but he had to fight for that third out and he
did."
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, A's shortstop Jed Lowrie
hit a hard-one hopper to Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus, who
overthrew Fielder for a two-base error. Soria retired Donaldson on a
fly ball to center field and Yoenis Cespedes on a fly to left.
Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish gave up three runs and eight hits in
six innings and received his third straight no-decision. Darvish,
who entered the game 1-6 with a 4.30 ERA in his career against
Oakland, struck out six and walked four. He threw 116 pitches, just
67 for strikes.
A's right-hander Dan Straily allowed three runs and six hits but
lasted just five innings and received a no-decison. He struck out
six and walked two. In his previous start, he lasted just 3 2/3
innings against the Angels, allowing six runs and seven hits and
getting a no-decision in a 10-9 A's loss in 11 innings.
[to top of second column] |
"I gave them more opportunities than I should have," Straily said.
"I was not great by any means. I think tonight I was battling
myself. I couldn't get ahead of guys very well. That might have cost
me a little bit."
The Rangers took a 1-0 lead when left fielder Shin-Soo Choo lined a
leadoff home run over the right-field fence against Straily. The
blast was Choo's 12th career leadoff home run and first of the
season with his new team.
Choo left the game after sufering a sprained left ankle while trying
to beat out an infield single leading off the seventh. He said
X-rays were negative, but Choo will undergo an MRI exam as early as
Tuesday and will likely miss at least one game and possibly more.
Oakland answered with three runs in the bottom of the second off
Darvish. Left fielder Brandon Moss sent Darvish's first pitch over
the right-field fence for his third home run of the season. It was
his fourth career home run against Darvish, tying him with Angels
center fielder Mike Trout for the most by any opposing hitter.
Right fielder Josh Reddick walked with one out and moved to third on
second baseman Eric Sogard's two-out double. Center fielder Coco
Crisp lined a two-run single to left, giving the A's a 3-1 lead.
It wasn't easy, but Darvish blanked the A's for the next four
innings.
"I think he just stopped throwing first-pitch fastballs," Washington
said. "They were jumping on them. He changed his pattern. He's not a
dummy."
Texas cut Oakland's lead to 3-2 with a run in the fourth. Fielder
lined a leadoff double to left and scored on Kouzmanoff's single to
center.
Darvish escaped a two-out, bases-loaded jam in the fourth, striking
out Donaldson.
The Rangers pulled even with a run in the fifth as Andrus singled
with two out, moved to third on right fielder Alex Rios' single and
scored on Fielder's single.
NOTES: Oakland LF Yoenis Cespedes (bruised right heel) was not in
the starting lineup on Monday night against Texas. Cespedes left
Sunday's game against Houston in the top of the seventh inning. ...
Rangers 1B Prince Fielder went 2-for-4 with a double, drove in a run
and scored a run. He snapped an 0-for-9 skid with runners in scoring
position with an RBI single in the fifth.
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reserved.]
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