By Stephen Hawkins
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Brent Rooker homered twice to provide him 33 this season, JJ Bleday and Shea Langeliers additionally went deep and the Oakland Athletics beat the Texas Rangers 9-2 on Friday evening for his or her first consecutive profitable months in additional than three years.
Oakland is 14-11 in August with one sport remaining within the month, after going 15-9 in July to snap a franchise-record streak of 11 consecutive full months with dropping data. The A’s (59-76) hadn’t had consecutive profitable months since Could-June 2021.
Bleday broke a 1-1 tie and put the A’s forward to remain within the third along with his twentieth homer, lining a three-run shot that simply cleared the angled wall in right-center. That got here after No. 9 batter Jacob Wilson and Rooker walked in opposition to Texas starter Jon Grey (5-6).
Rooker went deep within the first and seventh innings. Langeliers capped a four-run ninth along with his twenty third lengthy ball, a two-run shot proper after an RBI double by Bleday.
The 4 homers by the A’s got here after they hit 11 at Cincinnati to match their most ever in a three-game sequence.
Nathaniel Lowe homered for the reigning World Sequence champion Rangers (63-72), who had their three-game profitable streak snapped. These wins got here in a sequence sweep on the Chicago White Sox.
JP Sears (11-9) allowed one run over seven innings whereas scattering 5 hits and hanging out one. The lefty is the one A’s pitcher who hasn’t missed a begin this season, after making 32 begins whereas additionally being within the rotation all of final yr.
Rooker hit a 416-drive deep into the seats in left-center subject on Grey’s third pitch of the sport. Rooker notched his third multihomer sport this season when his 397-foot drive in the identical path within the seventh off Dane Dunning, the third Texas reliever and who completed the sport.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Athletics: LHP Scott Alexander (left rotator cuff tendonitis) threw about 20 pitches within the bullpen. Supervisor Mark Kotsay, who stood in as a left-handed hitter throughout the session, stated Alexander appeared good and that they are going to see how he recovers earlier than figuring out the subsequent step. Alexander’s final sport was Aug. 17. … 1B Tyler Soderstrom (stress response in left wrist), out since July 9, continues to be going via his hitting development. Kotsay stated he might presumably hit foam balls off a machine this weekend.
Rangers: Three-time Cy Younger Award winner Max Scherzer (proper shoulder fatigue), who final pitched July 30, threw a bullpen session. … Two-time Cy Younger winner Jacob deGrom (elbow surgical procedure) is scheduled to make his third rehab begin Sunday with plans to throw 4 innings for Triple-A Spherical Rock. Supervisor Bruce Bochy stated there can be yet one more rehab begin after that, on Saturday, Sept. 7.
UP NEXT
Rookie right-hander Joey Estes (6-6, 4.37 ERA) begins for the A’s within the center sport of the sequence Saturday evening. Rangers lefty Cody Bradford (4-2, 3.31) has misplaced back-to-back begins — Texas scored a mixed three runs in these video games.
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