A's Shut Down By Colby Lewis In 3-1 Loss To Rangers
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - A day after almost everything went right for Sonny Gray and the Oakland Athletics in their season opener, they watched Prince Fielder and the Texas Rangers get the big hits.
Fielder had a pair of run-scoring singles as the Rangers bounced back from an opening-day shutout, earning manager Jeff Banister his first victory at the major league level with a 3-1 win against the A's on Tuesday night.
Colby Lewis (1-0) struck out four and shut down his former club over six sharp innings in his season debut.
"He had a good cutter, a good slider," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "In counts where he gets behind he's not going to throw fastballs."
The Rangers snapped a scoreless streak of 21 regular-season innings when Fielder punched a single to shallow center that just eluded the outstretched glove of shortstopMarcus Semien in the third.
"A fantastic night for the Texas Rangers," said Banister, who saved the wrinkled lineup card as a souvenir for his 13-year-old son, Jacob.
Fielder also had an RBI single in the fifth, and the Rangers got another run on an error by right fielder Craig Gentry.
Sam Fuld tripled in the sixth and scored Oakland's lone run on a groundout by Eric Sogard.
Lewis gave up three hits and walked two, then gave way to Keone Kela, who made his big league debut and immediately allowed Billy Butler's single. Ike Davis walked and Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux paid the rookie a visit. After Brett Lawrie struck out swinging, Stephen Vogt singled to load the bases.
Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus then turned nice double play by taking it himself to second before firing to first to end the inning.
"He keeps a good pace out there," said Lawrie, whose four strikeouts matched his career high. "They got a couple on us and we couldn't respond."
Neftali Feliz pitched the ninth for his first save, and 88th in 99 career opportunities.
"It was amazing," Andrus said. "Especially after what happened last night, to turn the page."
Gray took a no-hit bid into the eighth inning of Monday's 8-0 victory, but 6-foot-5 right-hander Jesse Hahncouldn't make it another win by the rotation in his Oakland debut.
Hahn (0-1), who came to the A's from San Diego in one of nine trades Oakland made during a busy offseason even by this club's standards, was tagged for three runs and seven hits in six innings. He struck out three and didn't walk a batter but plunked two with pitches.
"It's not the outcome I wanted," Hahn said. "Except for one or two mistake pitches, overall I felt good about it."
His next start comes Sunday against Seattle ace Felix Hernandez, who shut down the Angels on opening day.
Fielder went 0 for 4 with a strikeout in Monday's opener after missing most of 2014 following a cervical fusion of two disks in his neck last May, ending his then-major league-best streak of 547 consecutive games played since 2010.
FAVORITE FOE
Lewis has his way with the A's. He is 9-4 with a 3.15 ERA in 23 appearances and 21 starts - his most victories against any opponent.
"The first inning was kind of shaky," he said. "I had to start making some pitches."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Athletics: RHP Jarrod Parker threw 30 pitches in a two-inning simulated game and is set to throw three innings Monday at extended spring training in another step toward his return from a second Tommy John surgery that kept him out all of 2014. ... RF Josh Reddick (oblique) is scheduled to return Saturday after beginning the season on the DL.
UP NEXT
Rangers: LHP Ross Detwiler makes his Texas debut Wednesday night against the A's after being acquired from the Nationals in December.
Athletics: LHP Scott Kazmir, a 15-game winner last season, looks to improve to 10-5 in his career against the Rangers after going 3-1 vs. Texas in 2014.