Rangers Rally For Win In Oakland
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OAKLAND, Calif. — When Texas Rangers infielder Josh Wilson came to the plate on Tuesday night in the top of the ninth inning with two outs, a runner on first and his team trailing the Oakland A’s 4-3, he was more concerned with getting a win than redemption.
Wilson wound up getting both.
He had committed a costly fielding error in the fourth inning that helped Oakland score two unearned runs and take a one-run lead that still stood in the ninth.
But after Leonys Martin stole second base, Wilson ripped a run-scoring double to left off A’s right-hander Luke Gregerson as the Rangers pulled even. Then Wilson raced home with the go-ahead run on rookie Michael Choice’s sharp single to center.
The Rangers held on for a 5-4 victory and beat the A’s for the second straight time. They’ll go for a series sweep on Wednesday afternoon.
“We’ve been on the other end of a couple of those, and they sting a little bit, especially
against a division rival,” Wilson said. “It’s great to win a game like that in the ninth inning.”
Pinch-hitter Mitch Moreland rocketed a leadoff double to right-center field off Gregerson in the ninth. Moreland moved to third on Robinson Chirinos’ sacrifice bunt.
But Moreland tried to score on an apparent squeeze bunt by Martin, and Gregerson easily threw him out at home.
“There wasn’t a (squeeze) sign on,” Moreland said. “I think Martin thought there was a squeeze. When he bunted, I was probably a little too aggressive.”
But Martin stole second and scored, and Wilson crushed a hanging slider off the left-field fence.
“It’s funny, you get a gift like that, a nice ball come right back to you, you get the guy at home,” Gregerson said. “I just didn’t execute my pitches, I didn’t get the ball down in the zone like I wanted to. I kind of had a slider that backed up on me and he took advantage of it.”
After Wilson’s game-tying double, Choice quickly put Texas ahead of his former team.
“It meant a lot,” said Choice, who was traded by Oakland to Texas in December. “To be in that situation was huge. I was just looking to get (Wilson) in.”
Rangers closer Joakim Soria pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his fifth save in five chances this season.
Alexi Ogando got the victory and Gregerson took the loss.
Rangers rookie right-hander Nick Martinez was called up Tuesday from Double-A Frisco and made his second career start. He lasted just five innings and allowed four runs, but just two of those were earned.
Martinez had runners on base in every inning he pitched except a 1-2-3 third. He gave up six hits, walked three and struck out just one.
Left-hander Tommy Milone allowed three runs in six innings and had a no-decision.
Milone gave up two runs in the first inning when the Rangers sent eight batters to the plate. After that, Milone settled down and gave up just one more run, in the third.
Milone walked four and struck out one.
The Rangers took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Choice led off with a walk and moved to third on shortstop Elvis Andrus’ sharp single to center. Both runners advanced when right fielder Alex Rios grounded out to first. Then, with two outs, Milone fell behind third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff 3-0 and walked him intentionally, loading the bases.
Designated hitter Donnie Murphy brought Choice home with an infield single, and Milone walked Chirinos, forcing Andrus home, making it 2-0.
The A’s answered with two runs in the bottom of the first off Martinez. Shortstop Jed Lowrie ripped a one-out double and scored on third baseman Josh Donaldson’s sharp single to center as Donaldson took second on the throw home. With two outs, left fielder Yoenis Cespedes brought Donaldson home with a double down the left-field line.
Texas moved back ahead with a run in the third. Rios led off with a walk and moved to third on first baseman Prince Fielder’s single. Rios scored when Kouzmanoff hit into a double play.
Oakland scored two unearned runs in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead.
“We have to be able to add on some runs so we’re not getting late in games with giving a team a chance to score a couple of runs and beat us,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “You can look at what happened in the ninth inning, and then you can look a little farther into the game.
“It’s usually not what happens in the last inning or the last at-bat. A lot of times it’s what transpired in the middle innings or when you had opportunities earlier.”
Kouzmanoff had exited the game with tightness in his back after the top of the fourth. Wilson moved to third and rookie Luis Sardinas came off the bench to play second. After A’s catcher John Jaso singled with one out, right fielder Josh Reddick hit a routine grounder back that got past Wilson. Jaso raced to third and Reddick got all the way to second.
Second baseman Eric Sogard hit a sacrifice fly, driving in Jaso, and Coco Crisp followed with an RBI double.
