The Oakland Athletics lost 112 games last year. The Texas Rangers won the World Series.
With one month left in this season, the teams are much closer in the standings — five games apart in the middle of the American League West — than many likely expected at this point.
For one team, that’s a sign of promise. For the other, not so much, and a reminder of what was.
As the teams get set for the rubber match of their three-game series Sunday afternoon in Arlington, Texas, the narratives continue.
Leody Taveres’ bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth gave Texas a 3-2 win on Saturday night.
“It’s all about playing hard for nine innings, and we did that,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “That’s our style now. … We like to put up some big numbers, but that really hasn’t happened for the most part this year.”
Texas (64-72) has just 16 runs in its past six games, though it has won four of them. Three of those victories came against the lowly, 31-win White Sox in Chicago. Taveres’ winning knock Saturday was Texas’ only hit of the night with runners in scoring position.
Oakland (59-77), meanwhile, has continued to show more promise and Texas-sized firepower as 2024 has developed, going 22-16 since the All-Star break and hitting 175 homers this season. That’s the fifth-highest total in the majors.
The A’s have won four of their past six games, and Lawrence Butler has led the way.
The 24-year-old outfielder has six homers in the past five games. On Saturday, he hit his 20th of the season, a low liner that traveled 367 feet and just cleared the right-field wall — and left manager Mark Kotsay wowed.
“The way he’s swinging the bat right now, he’s pretty locked in,” Kotsay said postgame. “It doesn’t seem to make a difference if it’s (a) left-handed or right-handed (pitcher). The swing he put on that ball to hit that line drive out of the ballpark was pretty impressive.”
Rookie right-hander Mitch Spence (7-9, 4.54 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound on Sunday for Oakland.
Spence is coming off a no-decision at Cincinnati on Tuesday, when he surrendered one earned run on five hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings but didn’t figure in his team’s 5-4 win. He’s thrown just three career innings against Texas, giving up a run on two hits in a 4-3 win on April 9.
Walter Pennington (0-0, 3.00 ERA), a left-hander, will come out of the bullpen to make his first major league start on Sunday for the Rangers. The rookie tossed one-third of an inning in relief and allowed two hits in Texas’ 9-2 series-opening loss on Friday.
Pennington has made seven appearances this season for Texas, surrendering 10 hits and four runs (three earned) in 8 1/3 innings.
Infielder Justin Foscue and right-hander Chase Anderson joined the Rangers on Saturday from Triple-A Round Rock. Right-hander Dane Dunning was optioned to Triple-A.
The A’s claimed right-handed reliever Janson Junk off waivers on Saturday from the Houston Astros.
–Field Level Media