Adolis Garcia doubled twice and hit a two-run single as the Texas Rangers evened their series against the Oakland Athletics at one game apiece with a 6-2 win on Wednesday in Arlington, Texas.
Jonah Heim also drove in two runs for Texas, which also got a sterling effort from starting pitcher Cody Bradford (3-0) while snapping a three-game losing streak.
Rangers reliever David Robertson pitched out of an eighth-inning jam.
The A’s, riding the momentum of a three-game winning streak and a come-from-behind victory the night before, got within 6-2 in the eighth when Zack Gelof led off with his second home run of the season.
Rangers reliever Yerry Rodriguez then got two outs, but consecutive singles by Tyler Nevin and JJ Bleday brought the potential tying run into the on-deck circle and prompted a call for Robertson to enter from the bullpen and face pinch hitter Seth Brown.
Robertson struck out Brown to kill the threat, and Jacob Latz threw a scoreless ninth in a non-save situation to close out Texas’ win.
After the A’s got on the board with an unearned run off Bradford in the first delivered by a Nevin RBI single, the Rangers jumped on Oakland starter Ross Stripling (0-3) for three in the bottom of the inning.
Texas’ rally started after Stripling retired the first two batters. A double by Evan Carter and walk to Carter set up an RBI single by Josh Smith. Stripling then uncorked a wild pitch, and Heim followed with a two-run single for a 3-1 lead.
Texas completed its scoring in the sixth when Marcus Semien smacked an RBI double and Garcia delivered a two-run single.
Stripling was pulled after six innings, charged with all six Rangers runs on 11 hits. He walked three and struck out five.
Bradford allowed five hits and just the one unearned run in 6 2/3 innings with one walk and seven strikeouts.
Garcia finished 3-for-3, while Semien and Leody Taveras joined Heim with two hits apiece for the Rangers, who went homerless in the contest.
Abraham Toro collected three of Oakland’s nine hits, and Nevin had two hits.
–Field Level Media