Rangers Lose To A’s

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ARLINGTON, Texas — Bartolo Colon held the Texas Rangers in check and Coco Crisp collected three hits in the Oakland A’s 9-2 win Monday night in the series opener at Rangers Ballpark.

Oakland (24-22) still trails the Rangers (29-16) by 5 1/2 games in the American League West — the largest division lead in baseball — but the A’s knotted the season series at 2-2. The three-game set resumes Tuesday night.

Colon worked seven innings, allowing two runs and six hits. The veteran righty improved to 4-2 on the season and 19-7 lifetime against Texas, Colon’s most wins against any team. He’s also won six straight decisions at Rangers Ballpark.

Crisp, who finished the day 3-for-5, tortured Rangers starter Josh Lindblom, going 3-for-3 against him with two infield singles and a run scored before the rookie pitcher was pulled in the fifth. Texas pitchers were tagged for 15 hits and eight walks, and the nine earned runs were the most allowed by the club this season.

After threatening in the first inning and leaving Crisp stranded at first, the A’s got on the board in the second. Designated hitter Seth Smith led off the inning with an opposite-field solo shot to right off Lindblom.

The rookie call-up found trouble in each of the first three

innings. The 25-year-old Lindblom worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the third to keep the Rangers within a run.

The Rangers tied the game at 1-1 in the third on Jurickson Profar’s RBI groundout. Geovany Soto had walked to open the inning and advanced to third on Leonys Martin’s double into the right-center field gap.

Colon limited the damage with an infield popup and strikeout to end the inning, leaving Martin at third.

Lindblom was touched up again in the fifth, as Crisp doubled to left to start things off. Yoenis Cespedes and Brandon Moss followed with run-scoring doubles for a 3-1 A’s lead. It also brought the first mound visit of Lindblom’s career.

Texas manager Ron Washington yanked Lindblom not long after, bringing in lefty reliever Joseph Ortiz with two outs and Moss at second. Seth Smith and Chris Young quickly delivered back-to-back singles to score two more runs for a 5-1 advantage.

The Rangers got their first two batters on to start the fifth. Colon nearly induced a fourth double-play out of Texas, but Martin beat the relay to first. Profar’s sacrifice fly to center allowed Soto to score from third to cut Oakland’s lead to 5-2.

Oakland added three runs in the seventh on two hits and a walk, chasing Ortiz. Eric Sogard and Crisp each had an RBI in the inning.

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