Rangers Lose In Oakland
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OAKLAND, Calif. — A long wait for the Athletics’ first walk-off win of the season ended Wednesday night at the O.co Coliseum when Oakland earned an improbable 5-4 victory against the Texas Rangers.
Right fielder Josh Reddick received a celebratory pie in the face after collecting his fifth career walk-off RBI, driving in center fielder Sam Fuld from third with a fielder’s choice ground ball in the ninth off right-hander Keone Kela.
“By this time we used to have eight (walk-off wins) the last two or three years,” Reddick said. “It’s been a long time coming. We’ve lost a lot of one-run ball games, and for us to actually be on the winning side of it, it’s something to feel good about.”
The A’s improved to 4-16 in one-run games and snapped their four-game losing streak.
The red-hot Rangers took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the eighth and appeared headed for their major-league-best 21st road victory, but the A’s pulled even with two runs.
Reddick lined a one-out single off lefty reliever Sam Freeman. Second baseman Ben Zobrist lined a single to right off right-hander Tanner Scheppers. Reddick raced to third, beating right
fielder Shin-Soo Choo’s throw, and scored when third baseman Joey Gallo threw wildly to second for an error while trying to get Zobrist.
Zobrist advanced to third on the error and scored on designated hitter Billy Butler’s single.
In the bottom of the ninth, Fuld grounded a one-out single to left off Kela (4-3), stole second base and moved to third on center fielder Billy Burns’ infield single. With the Rangers’ infield drawn in, Reddick grounded Kela’s first pitch to second baseman Adam Rosales, who made a diving stop. The speedy Fuld raced home to score the winning run, easily beating Rosales’ throw.
“I felt confident,” Fuld said. “It’s a tricky situation with the infield in there, but once I saw Rosey dive, I felt like I had a really good chance to score. If I didn’t see him leave his feet, I don’t know what I’d do there.
“We were long overdue for a walk-off. Those are the best kinds of wins. I feel like good teams get a lot of walk-off wins. We were definitely in desperate need of one. Hopefully, this is the time where it turns around a little bit.”
Rangers right-hander Yovani Gallardo struck out a season-high 10 batters and allowed just two runs on five hits over seven innings, but he got a no-decision. Texas wasted a chance to pull within one game of the first-place Houston Astros in the American League West.
“It’s always tough to lose when it happens like that,” Gallardo said. “That’s just the way the game is. The guys played hard.”
Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland went 2-for-5, drove in two runs and scored once. Center fielder Leonys Martin went 2-for-2 with a double, a walk and an RBI.
A’s right-hander Jesse Hahn struggled with his command and lasted a season-low 3 2/3 innings, giving up four runs on seven hits. Hahn hit three batters, matching an Oakland record. He walked two, had no strikeouts and threw 68 pitches, just 38 for strikes, but escaped with a no-decision.
Hahn came into the game on a roll, going 2-2 with a 2.36 ERA over his previous five starts, but he had an unexpected nightmare.
“Just didn’t have my stuff,” Hahn said. “One of those weird outings, weird day for me. No fastball command, no feel of the breaking ball. When you don’t have that, it’s hard to pitch well at this level.”
After Hahn exited, relievers Pat Venditte, Fernando Abad, Evan Scribner and Tyler Clippard combined to blank the Rangers for the final 5 1/3 innings. Clippard (1-3) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win.
The Rangers made a handful of baserunning gaffes to go with Gallo’s two throwing errors.
Left fielder Delino DeShields was picked off first and was thrown out trying to steal third with one out, two on and designated hitter Prince Fielder up in the fourth. Martin got doubled up at second in the fifth. Choo overthrew the cutoff man in the eighth on Zobrist’s single.
“We ran into some outs on the bases, we got picked off, we missed a cutout,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. “It wasn’t the cleanest game, but it was still one I thought we had a chance to win. More than anything, it was missed opportunities to add on.”
The A’s grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first but stranded two runners and squandered a chance for a big inning.
The Rangers answered with three runs in the third, sending nine batters to the plate against Hahn. Catcher Robinson Chirinos led off with a four-pitch walk, DeShields lined a single to right, and Hahn hit Choo with a pitch, loading the bases.
Fielder brought Chirinos home with a sacrifice fly, and Moreland made it 2-1 with an RBI single. Gallo singled to right, reloading the bases. Then with two outs, Hahn hit Martin with a pitch, forcing in another run.
The Rangers added a run in the fourth as Moreland brought Choo home with an RBI single, ending Hahn’s night.
Oakland countered with a run in the bottom of the frame, cutting the deficit to 4-2. Catcher Stephen Vogt lined a leadoff double, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on third baseman Brett Lawrie’s groundout.
