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 Ace Sonny Gray wasn't his normal sparkling self Thursday, but that
didn't stop the A's from rallying late for a 6-3 victory over the
Texas Rangers that completed a three-game sweep.
The A's (34-41) have won nine of their last 11 games after rallying
from two deficits Thursday. The Rangers (37-36) have dropped a
season-high five straight.
Designated hitter Ben Zobrist put Oakland ahead 4-3 with a
bases-loaded walk against Texas reliever Sam Freeman in the seventh
inning and right fielder Josh Reddick followed with a two-run single
to right. The inning started with right-hander Keone Kela retiring
the first two batters before the next five A's reached base.
The inning looked like it would end with the score tied at 3 after
catcher Stephen Vogt hit a comebacker to Texas shortstop Elvis
Andrus. But Texas left-hander Sam Freeman tried to make the play
instead and the ball tipped off his glove. Zobrist and Reddick then
followed with the key at-bats.
"This is the kind of run we need to stay on and keep our lineup and
our starting pitching, and our bullpen has been very solid for us,"
said Reddick, who finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs. "We've gotten to
a point where we're clicking on all cylinders. We've just got to
keep that up and ride this as long as we can."
Freeman didn't retire any of the three batters he faced. He said he
should have let the grounder go through, but he made an instinctive
play. While that play hurt, he knows that wasn't his only issue.
"The whole outing makes me mad," Freeman said. "That (the
comebacker) is obviously a part of it. Just not being able to come
through and strand those runners, that's tough."
The rally made a winner of Gray (9-3), who is 5-0 in five starts at
Globe Life Park. Gray allowed three runs on nine hits and struck out
seven in six innings.
Texas scored twice against Gray in the fourth as first baseman Mitch
Moreland homered and catcher Robinson Chirinos punched an RBI single
to left.
Oakland tied the score on left fielder Sam Fuld's two-run single in
the top of the fifth, but Texas responded with another in the bottom
of the fifth on an RBI single from Moreland.
The A's answered again when Reddick drove a sacrifice fly to right
against Rangers starter Colby Lewis.
Lewis allowed one hit in the first four innings but walked three
batters in the fifth to help the A's rally.
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The big Oakland blow in the fifth came when Fuld made Lewis pay for
the three walks with a two-out single to left-center. Lewis entered
the fifth having thrown 51 pitches, but he threw 31 in that inning.
"I just flat let them back in the ballgame and beat myself in the
fifth," Lewis said. "That was the majority of what happened. I don't
know the last time I walked three guys in an inning. That may date
back to my rookie year. That was just bad pitching. It's solely on
me. I got in a 3-2 count with Fuld there and threw three fastballs
right in the same spot, and he wound up hitting it. That might have
sparked them a little bit."
Fuld credited his teammates earlier in the inning for making Lewis
work to set up the momentum-changing hit.
"Brett (Lawrie) and Ike (Davis) had amazing at-bats," Fuld said.
"That inning doesn't happen without their walks earlier in that
inning. That's as much a part of that inning as any other aspect of
it."
NOTES: The Rangers recalled RHP Spencer Patton from Triple-A Round
Rock and optioned OF Michael Choice to Round Rock. Choice was
recalled before Wednesday's game and went 0-for-1 and committed an
error. This is Patton's third stint with the Rangers this year. ...
Oakland OF Billy Burns has the two longest hitting streaks by a
rookie this season. He has been able to do that despite spending
three weeks in Triple-A. ... Rangers OF Delino DeShields hopes to
begin a rehab assignment this weekend. He has been on the disabled
list with left hamstring strain since June 15. The original timeline
for his return was three weeks, but he could be back sooner. ...
Texas RHP Anthony Bass has five games of at least 3 2/3 innings
pitched this season, which is three more than any other reliever in
the majors. ... Oakland's win over Texas LHP Wandy Rodriguez on
Wednesday was just the fourth victory for the Athletics in games
started by a lefty. The A's are 4-13 in those games.
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