Mitch Garver had three hits and two RBIs to help the Texas Rangers come from behind and record a 5-3 victory over the host Oakland Athletics on Monday night
Travis Jankowski’s fielder’s choice in the eighth inning pushed across the tiebreaking run for Texas, which has won a season-high seven consecutive games. It is the Rangers‘ best streak since they also won seven straight in June 2018
Zack Gelof had a two-run double for the Athletics, who dropped to 5-27 against American League West teams this season
Rangers closer Will Smith issued a walk to start the ninth before retiring the next three batters for his 21st save
Texas took the lead for the first time when it scored twice in the eighth inning
Garver led off with a single against Dany Jimenez (0-1) and Robbie Grossman walked. Ezequiel Duran then laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance pinch runner Jonathan Ornelas and Grossman
Jankowski followed with a bouncer over the mound, and the throw home by Gelof, Oakland’s second baseman, was way late as Ornelas scored the go-ahead run. Leody Taveras then hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Grossman and give the Rangers a 5-3 lead
Josh Sborz (5-4) pitched a scoreless seventh and Aroldis Chapman struck out three in the eighth for Texas
Oakland pushed across three runs in the third inning off Dane Dunning
Tony Kemp drew a one-out walk and Nick Allen followed with a run-scoring double to left. One out later, JJ Bleday walked and Gelof delivered a two-run double to right
In the Texas fourth, Corey Seager led off with a single and Adolis Garcia doubled to deep left center. Garver then hit a two-run double to center that went off the glove of Bleday near the fence
Texas had two on with two out in the seventh when Nathaniel Lowe hit a bouncer to first. Tyler Soderstrom fielded the ball and tossed it toward Kirby Snead covering the bag, but Snead dropped it as Jankowski scored to knot the score at 3
Dunning allowed three runs and five hits over six innings. He struck out six and walked three
Oakland’s Ken Waldichuk gave up two runs and six hits in six innings. He fanned seven and walked one
–Field Level Medi
