The Rangers squandered an early 4-0 lead in Oakland on May 29 and lost to the Athletics, 6-5, snapping the Texas four-game winning streak and leaving the ballclub with a .500 record (5-5) as they capped off a 10-game road trip.
The Rangers committed five errors in the loss to Oakland, and their record drops to 22-24 on the season.
“It was pretty sloppy,” Rangers skipper Chris Woodward told MLB.com. “I don’t want to get into all the details. It was just a lot of little things — like the baserunning, some of the lack of execution, just not really good intent [in]Â the batter’s box. I just expected more today. But we’ve got to flush that. We’ve been playing good baseball until today. We’ve got to get back on that plane and play well tomorrow.”
Corey Seager got the Rangers their first run of the game in the top of the first when he belted home run number 10 of the season. Seager swung at the first pitch he saw in the game – a 93.8 mph, four-seam fastball – to dead-center for the early 1-0 tally.
Brad Miller added the second run to the scoreboard for Texas in the third inning with a solo homer of his own (his seventh of the season) to extend the Ranger lead to 2-0.
Miller then batted in Nathanial Lowe in the fifth inning for RBI number 23 on the year (tied for second-best on the Texas roster with Seager’s 23 RBI).
Marcus Semien then knocked in Andy Ibanez (who hit a double earlier in the inning) to give Texas a 4-0 lead.
Then the wheels fell off the wagon for the Rangers.
Dane Dunning got the starting nod for Texas against the A’s, and though he worked himself out of two bases-loaded jams ahead of the fifth inning, he was replaced in the bottom of the fifth by Dennis Santana after once again loading the bases.
Santana promptly served up a double to Elvis Andrus to score a run, and two batters later, Ibanez booted a ball off the bat of Cristian Pache to allow another run to score, cutting the Texas lead to 4-3.
John King manned the mound for Texas for a scoreless seventh inning but allowed back-to-back singles in the bottom of the eighth and was yanked for Brett Martin.
Martin allowed both runs he inherited to score (one on a single, the other on a fielder’s choice), giving Oakland a 5-4 lead heading into the final frame of regulation play.
Though they had blown the early lead, Texas battled back in the ninth. Marcus Semien earned a one-out walk and then stole second base to get into scoring position. Seager then grounded out to shortstop, advancing Semien to third. A’s pitcher Dany Jimenez then uncorked a wild pitch allowing Semien to score and knot the game at 5-5.
Martin stayed on the hill for Texas in the ninth and yielded a single to Pache to start the ninth, and three batters later, Jed Lowrie singled to left to score Pache, giving Oakland the 5-4 walk-off win.
Dunning lasted 4.1 innings in the contest allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits and three walks while fanning five A’s hitters.
King earned a blow save – his first of the season — in the game after allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk in an inning of work.
Martin earned the loss dropping his record to 0-4 on the year.
The Rangers now head home to Arlington, where they will face the Tampa Rays (28-19) for a four-game set before hosting AL West rival Seattle for three games starting June 3.
Probable starting pitchers for the 7:05 p.m. Memorial Day contest at Globe Life Field are Drew Rasmussen (5-1, 2.68) for Tampa and Glenn Otto (2-2, 4.9) for Texas.
