Marcus Semien had two home runs among his four hits to help the Texas Rangers to a 9-4 win against the Oakland Athletics in the rubber game of their three-game series on Sunday afternoon in Arlington, Texas.
Corey Seager blasted his 30th homer of the season and Nathaniel Lowe and Robbie Grossman each drove in two runs for Texas (78-64), which moved within a half-game of the Seattle Mariners for the final wild-card spot in the American League.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy pulled his starter in the third inning for the second straight game, but Andrew Heaney (10-6) provided 3 2/3 shutout innings of relief for Texas.
Jon Gray was lifted after allowing four runs (three earned) and four hits in 2 2/3 innings. He struck out three and walked two. Heaney allowed four hits, struck out six and walked one.
A’s starter Luis Medina (3-9) allowed five runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out three and walked three.
Tyler Soderstrom homered and Jordan Diaz and Seth Brown each had two hits and an RBI for the A’s (44-99), who had won five of eight.
Texas scored two runs in the fifth inning and four in the sixth to take the lead for good.
Medina departed after surrendering a two-run single to Lowe in the fifth that moved Texas ahead 5-4.
Josh Smith delivered an RBI triple in the sixth before scoring on a sacrifice fly to make it 7-4.
Semien and Seager followed with back-to-back solo homers to make it 9-4.
Semien lined the first pitch from Medina into the seats in left for a 1-0 lead. Grossman’s two-run ground-rule double over the head of center fielder Lawrence Butler later in the inning made it 3-0.
Oakland came back with four runs in the third to take the lead.
Soderstrom led off the inning with a home run to right to trim the lead to 3-1. Gray got the next two batters out, but surrendered consecutive walks before Brown and Diaz followed with back-to-back RBI singles to tie the score 3-3.
Heaney entered the game and Butler slapped a routine grounder at Smith at third, but he was unable to make the play and the ball went into shallow left, allowing Brown to score from second and give the A’s a 4-3 lead.
–Field Level Media
