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 Martinez got back on track, and the surging Rangers beat the A's
2-1, snapping Sonny Gray's three-game winning streak.
Martinez (5-2) allowed just one hit over six shutout innings. He
struck out three, walked three and hit a batter. Martinez lasted a
season-low 3 1/3 innings and gave up seven runs in his previous
start, a 9-2 loss to the White Sox on June 3.
"Back to the type of pitcher I am," Martinez said. "Attacking
hitters to both sides of the plate and working off of that. My last
outing I had trouble finding it. Today was a great way to bounce
back."
The Rangers (31-27) won for the eighth time in their past 10 games
and pulled within two games of the first-place Houston Astros in the
American League West. They improved to 20-12 on the road, the major
league's best road mark and a franchise record through 32 road
games.
"They love being on the road," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said.
"We got to do those things at home, too, but really it's just a
testament to who they are, what they do every night. I keep saying
it, but it's the truth. They feel that way coming into the clubhouse
no matter where they're at. They just love playing this game and
playing together."
First baseman Mitch Moreland hit a monstrous leadoff home run to
center field against Gray in the sixth, extending the Rangers' lead
to 2-0. The home run was his seventh of the season, and it came on a
2-1 pitch, a fastball that Gray left up and over the plate. It was
Moreland's ninth home run at the Coliseum since 2010.
"A definite hitter's count," Moreland said. "I think he probably
split the plate with a fastball. I hit it good. That's about as good
as I can get one."
Oakland (23-37) lost its fourth consecutive game.
Gray (7-3) gave up two runs on nine hits over six innings. He struck
out six, walked one and threw 95 pitches. He had a streak of 26 1/3
scoreless innings against the Rangers until they scored a run with
two outs in the third.
"Felt OK," Gray said. "It's been better than it was tonight. I felt
like at times it was a little flat, and then when they did put the
bat on the ball, they kind of just put it in the right spots. Couple
big hits and boom, it's 2-0. That was just a little bit too much for
us tonight."
Oakland cut Texas' lead to 2-1 in the eighth. Ben Zobrist hit a
leadoff double against reliever Ross Detwiler that left fielder
Delino DeShields appeared to lose in the lights and hold up on
before diving. Stephen Vogt singled to center, and Zobrist scored
standing, barely ahead of catcher Robinson Chirinos' sweep tag after
a strong throw from center fielder Leonys Martin. The Rangers
challenged the safe call, but it stood after a video review.
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Jon Edwards, Detwiler, Tanner Scheppers and Shawn Tolleson combined
to hold Oakland to one run on four hits over the final three
innings. Tolleson got his eighth save, pitching a shutout ninth.
The Rangers snapped a scoreless tie with a run in the third.
DeShields drilled a 2-1 fastball to deep right-center field for a
one-out triple. Gray struck out right fielder Shin-Soo Choo, but
designated hitter Prince Fielder blooped a single to left, driving
in DeShields.
"There's a lot of frustration," said A's manager Bob Melvin, whose
team fell to 3-16 in one-run games. "There's a lot of frustration
and a lot of things that are going on with us. In close games like
that, we can't get a big hit. We've lost a lot of one-run games."
NOTES: Rangers LHP Martin Perez, who underwent Tommy John surgery in
May 2014, is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A
Frisco on Friday, throwing three innings. ... Rangers 1B/OF Kyle
Blanks, recovering from surgery to remove a cyst in his tailbone
area, remained on the disabled list Tuesday, but manager Jeff
Banister said it was a realistic possibility that Blanks would be
activated during the three-game series. ... A's RHP A.J. Griffin
(Tommy John surgery in April 2014) is scheduled to pitch five
innings Friday in a rehab start for Triple-A Nashville. Griffin
pitched a combined seven shutout innings in two rehab starts for
Class A Stockton. ... Oakland 1B Ike Davis (strained left
quadriceps) will run the bases Wednesday. If all goes well, he is
expected to begin a rehab assignment this weekend, A's manager Bob
Melvin said.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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