Rangers 2, Athletics 1
ARLINGTON, Texas, Aug 15 — The Texas Rangers came out on top in their pitcher’s duel with the Oakland Athletics by a final score of 2–1 on Monday. The Rangers had several good hits in this game, but it was a home run by second baseman Marcus Semien that really stood out. This was the first in a four-game series against the Athletics. It should prove to be a good test for interim manager Tony Beasley. He was able to get his first win out of the way quickly. The Rangers fired manager Chris Woodward earlier in the day, and the buzz from that situation was more than noticeable throughout the aisles and concourses of Globe Life Field. The second game between these two teams is on Tuesday evening at 7:05 PM Central. Oakland will send lefty JP Sears (3–0, 2.30 ERA) to the hill. The Rangers, meanwhile, will give the starting nod to right-hander Kohei Arihara (0–0. -,– ERA)
Pitcher’s Duel
Monday night’s game was a pitcher’s duel at Globe Life Field. The Athletics got on the board first in the top of the third inning. A home run by shortstop Nick Allen gave the A’s a 1–0 lead. That lead, however, would not last long. The Rangers responded with a home run of their own in the bottom of the third inning.. That home run came off the bat of Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien. The Rangers grabbed a 2–1 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. An single by left-fielder Bubba Thompson was just enough to drive in centerfielder Leody Taveras. Those three runs would make up the entire offense for both teams on the evening.
Pitching Notes
Rangers starter Glenn Otto earned his first win since June 4. That game was against the Seattle Mariners. It snapped a streak of nine straight winless starts. He allowed just two hits in this pitcher’s duel, but issued a career-high six walks, most by a Rangers pitcher since A.J. Alexy on September 20, 2021 against the New York Yankees (six walks), and most by a Rangers pitcher at home since Tyson Ross on August 17, 2017 against the Chicago White Sox (six).
Otto joins Yu Darvish (September 19, 2013 against the Tampa Bay Rays: five IP, two R-ER, six BB) as the only Texas pitchers since 2008 to earn the win when issuing six or more walks. He threw just 49 of 90 (54.4%) pitches for strikes, and did not record his first strikeout until the final batter of his outing. He still managed a quality start (6 IP, 1 R-ER), joining Kyle Gibson (July 24, 2021 against the Houston Astros: 6 IP, 3 R-2 ER, 8 BB) as the only Texas Rangers pitchers since 2011 to log a quality start while also issuing six plus walks.
Miscellaneous Notes
Adolis Garcia singled in the third inning to extend his career-best hit streak to 12 games. It is the longest streak by a Ranger this season. It is also the longest streak since Isiah Kiner-Falefa had a 14-game hitting streak. He did this two seasons ago (14 games from August 28-September 11, 2020). Bubba Thompson recorded the game-winning RBI with a go-ahead RBI single in the sixth inning. He has RBI in three straight games, and all of those have been go-ahead RBI. Thompson also drew his first career walk in the fourth inning in his 36th career plate appearance.
The Athletics fell to season-high 34 games under .500 (41–75) for the 1st time since finishing 1979. They have lost nine straight games. This ties their second-longest skid of the year, and they are one shy of matching their season-long losing streak. They are 0–4 on their current road trip after being swept in Houston over the weekend. They have gone 9–14 since the All-Star break.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players/Managers Mentioned:
Marcus Semien, Chris Woodward, JP Sears, Kohei Arihara, Nick Allen, Marcus Semien, Bubba Thompson, Leody Taveras, Glenn Otto, A.J. Alexy, Tyson Ross, Yu Darvish, Kyle Gibson, Adolis Garcia, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Tony Beasley
