Athletics vs. Rangers final score: Big first inning dooms Oakland in 9-7 loss

The Oakland Athletics and the Texas Rangers squared off in the final game of a four-game series in Arlington on Thursday afternoon. The A's were hoping to pick up the series win and move to within two games of the Rangers in the American League West, but ultimately had to settle for a series split and will remain four games out following a 9-7 loss. Their hopes of capturing the division title are now a long shot at best.

Oakland starter Travis Blackey was far from sharp, giving up five costly runs to the Rangers in the first inning and departing in the second. Ian Kinsler led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run to get the A's in a hole early. Michael Young followed up with a two-run single and Mike Napoli belted a two-run homer. By the time the A's came to bat in the top of the second, they were down 5-0.

Josh Reddick got the A's on the board in the top of the second with his 30th home run of the year. The Rangers got that run right back in the bottom of the inning thanks to an RBI double from Josh Hamilton. Jonny Gomes hit an RBI double of his own in the top of the third to make it 6-2, but again the Rangers answered back with an RBI single from Napoli in the bottom of the frame.

Derek Norris hit a two-out, two-run homer in the fourth that made it 7-4, but Texas again matched Oakland with two runs in the bottom of the inning to push the lead back out to 9-4. The A's threatened late, with a big three-run inning in the top of the eighth thanks to home runs by Yoenis Cespedes, Brandon Moss and Reddick. For the first time in the game, the A's were within two runs, but were unable to close the gap in the ninth.

The Athletics' five home runs in the game extended their MLB lead in that category. Cespedes now has 22 on the year, Moss has 20 and Reddick has 31.

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Athletics vs. Rangers: Game time, TV schedule, lineups

The Oakland Athletics will look to snag their third win in a row against the AL West leading Texas Rangers when the teams wrap up a huge four-game series in Arlington on Thursday afternoon. A win would also help hold off a surging Los Angeles Angels club that has won five in a row and trails the A's by just two games for the second AL Wild Card spot.

Oakland will send left-hander Travis Blackley (5-3, 3.75) to the hill. He's making his 13th start for the A's 2012, after spending some time in the bullpen and returning to the rotation last week when Brett Anderson was shelved by an oblique strain. Blackley managed to last just two innings in his last start against the Yankees, giving up four runs (two earned) on four hits with three walks.

Texas will counter with right-hander Matt Harrison (17-10, 3.17). Harrison, who has been a horse for the Rangers all season, has been a bit shaky in his last five starts, posting a 2-3 record with a 3.90 ERA.

The starting lineups for Thursday's game are as follows:

Oakland Athletics (88-67)

1. Stephen Drew (L) SS
2. Jonny Gomes (R) LF
3. Yoenis Cespedes (R) DH
4. Chris Carter (R) 1B
5. Brandon Moss (L) RF
6. Josh Donaldson (R) 3B
7. Josh Reddick (L) CF
8. Derek Norris (R) C
9. Adam Rosales (R) 2B

Texas Rangers (91-64)

1. Ian Kinsler (R) 2B
2. Elvis Andrus (R) SS
3. Josh Hamilton (L) LF
4. Adrian Beltre (R) 3B
5. Nelson Cruz (R) RF
6. Michael Young (R) 1B
7. Mike Napoli (R) DH
8. Geovany Soto (R) C
9. Craig Gentry (R) CF

First pitch is schedule for 11:05 a.m. PT in Arlington, and the game will be broadcast on 95.7 FM - The Game.

Athletics vs. Rangers final score: Oakland picks up 9-3 win, gains another game on Texas

On Wednesday night, the Oakland Athletics went ahead two games to one in their four-game series against the Texas Rangers with a dominating 9-3 victory. More importantly, they helped strengthen their standing in both the Wild Card race and the American League West. With the win, the A's moved to just three games behind the Rangers in the division -- with four more games left to play against Texas before the season is over.

The A's put a huge hurt on Texas right away, as they tagged starter Martin Perez for five runs in the top of the first and knocked him out of the game after just two-thirds of an inning. Yoenis Cespedes drove in Stephen Drew with a triple to get the scoring started and came in to score himself on a Chris Carter single. Josh Donaldson drove in a pair of runs with a single and scored on another triple -- this time by Derek Norris. Before the Rangers even came up to bat, Oakland was ahead 5-0.

Elvis Andrus hit an RBI double in the bottom of the first inning to get one of those runs back for the Rangers and picked up another two runs in the second to cut the lead to 5-3. Oakland answered back in the top of the third, as Drew drove in another pair of runs with an RBI single to make it 7-3. In the top of the fourth, Norris added another RBI single. Jarrod Parker and the Oakland bullpen held the Rangers to just those three runs for the remainder of the game. Norris takced on one last run for the A's with a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning. Norris was 2-for-4 with three RBI and Drew was 4-for-5 with two runs driven in from the leadoff spot.

The A's will try to move to two games back and capture the series on Thursday.

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Athletics vs. Rangers Final Score: Oakland wins 3-2 in 10 innings

The Oakland Athletics evened up their series against the first-place Texas Rangers on Tuesday night with a 3-2 win in extra innings.

The Rangers scored both of their runs in the bottom of the first inning on a two-run RBI single from Josh Hamilton that staked Texas to an early lead. The A's got a run back in the top of the second inning when Daric Barton doubled to drive in Brandon Moss.

Chris Carter tied the game up in the top of the fourth inning with his 16th home run of the year. Tom Milone gave the A's six solid innings. The Oakland bullpen held the Rangers to three walks and one hit in four innings of relief.

George Kottaras led off the 10th inning with a home run to put Oakland on top for good, as Grant Balfour had a perfect inning -- including two strikeouts -- to pick up his 21st save of the year.

With the win, the A's move back to four games behind the Rangers in the American League West. They'll try to close the gap to three games with another win on Wednesday.

Athletics vs. Rangers lineups: A's looking to bounce back from heartbreaking loss

The Oakland Athletics will look to bounce back from a heartbreaking 5-4 loss in Monday night's series-opener with the Texas Rangers when they play the second of a crucial four-game set on Tuesday night.

The A's lead over the Los Angeles Angels for the second AL Wild Card spot has been thinned to just two games, and with the Angels beginning a three-game series against the lowly Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night, the A's will need every win they can get to hold that lead.

Oakland will send left-hander Tommy Milone (13-10, 3.86) to the mound. He's been solid for the club of late, posting a 3-1 record with a 3.81 ERA in his last five starts.

The Rangers will counter with right-hander Scott Feldman (6-11, 5.19). Feldman has been been shaky in his last five starts, posting an 0-2 record with a bloated 6.85 ERA.

The starting lineups for Tuesday night's game are as follows:

Oakland Athletics (86-67)

1. Cliff Pennington (S) 2B
2. Stephen Drew (L) SS
3. Yoenis Cespedes (R) CF
4. Brandon Moss (L) RF
5. Seth Smith (L) LF
6. Chris Carter (R) DH
7. Daric Barton (L) 1B
8. Josh Donaldson (R) 3B
9. George Kottaras (L) C

Texas Rangers (91-62)

1. Ian Kinsler (R) 2B
2. Elvis Andrus (R) SS
3. Josh Hamilton (L) CF
4. Adrian Beltre (R) 3B
5. Nelson Cruz (R) RF
6. Michael Young (R) 1B
7. David Murphy (L) LF
8. Mike Napoli (R) DH
9. Geovany Soto (R) C

Athletics Vs. Rangers Final Score: Oakland Drops Walk-Off 5-4 Win To Texas

The Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers kicked off a huge four-game series on Monday night. The A's headed to Arlington a convenient four games behind the Rangers in the American League West and had a sweep on their minds. Unfortunately, the bullpen once again coughed up a late lead and the A's dropped the opener by a final score of 5-4.

In the top of the second inning, the A's made their first statement, as Josh Donaldson hit a two-run homer to give Oakland an early lead. Mitch Moreland hit an RBI single in the bottom of the second to cut the lead in half, but the A's got that run right back in the top of the third on the 21st home run of the year by Yoenis Cespedes to give Oakland a 3-1 lead.

Josh Hamilton belted his 43rd home run of the season to once again cut the lead to one run in the fifth, but again the A's answered back. Cliff Pennington made it 4-2 with an RBI single in the top of the sixth.

The Oakland bullpen was unfortunately unable to hold the lead. Pat Neshek gave up a two-run homer to Adrian Beltre in the 7th that tied the game. In the bottom of the ninth, the Rangers loaded the bases with one out against Tyson Ross. Once again, Beltre got to be the hero for the Rangers, as he singled home the winning run. The Rangers now hold a five-game lead in the West and the A's slip to just two games above the Los Angeles Angels in the Wild Card standings.

For more on the Oakland Athletics, join the discussion over at Athletics Nation. For all news and information regarding the Texas Rangers, please visit Lone Star Ball or stop bySB Nation Dallas. You can also check out everything we have to offer at Baseball Nation.

Athletics vs. Rangers Lineups: A’s Open Big 4-Game Series With Rangers

The Oakland Athletics open a big four-game series against the Texas Rangers, as the A's are within striking distance of the Rangers for first place in the AL West. The A's currently have a 2.5-game lead in the wild card, but also only sit four games behind the Rangers. Seven of the A's final 10 games are against the Rangers, and the Athletics' playoff run could seemingly include a run for the title of 2012 AL West champs. First, they will have to win their games against a Rangers squad that is welcoming Josh Hamilton back into the fold after a few missed games.

1. Stephen Drew SS
2. Jonny Gomes DH
3. Yoenis Cespedes CF
4. Chris Carter 1B
5. Brandon Moss LF
6. Josh Donaldson 3B
7. Josh Reddick RF
8. Derek Norris C
9. Cliff Pennington 2B

Rookie Dan Straily looks to rebound after a poor effort against the Orioles, and get his third win of his short season. Straily is 2-1 with a 4.13 ERA over 28.1 innings. He also had 21 strikeouts on the season.

1. Ian Kinsler 2B
2. Elvis Andrus SS
3. Josh Hamilton CF
4. Adrian Beltre 3B
5. Nelson Cruz RF
6. Michael Young DH
7. David Murphy LF
8. Mike Napoli C
9. Mitch Moreland 1B

Derek Holland looks to provide some vital breathing room for the Rangers. He has had a stellar month of September so far, pitching into the seventh inning in all four starts, while giving up less than two runs in each contest. He only has two wins to show for it all, though. Holland is 11-6 with a 4.42 ERA on the year.

For more on the Oakland Athletics, join the discussion over at Athletics Nation. For all news and information regarding the Texas Rangers, please visit Lone Star Ball or stop bySB Nation Dallas. You can also check out everything we have to offer at Baseball Nation.

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