Darvish Loses Eighth Straight To A's
Yu Darvish has had his way with almost every team in the American League during his career.
The Athletics are one of the few exceptions. That point was emphatically reinforced again Tuesday night when the Texas Rangers' ace had the longest winning streak of his career snapped by Oakland.
Darvish gave up a career-high tying seven runs in 5-plus innings - his shortest outing in nearly two months - and the A's beat the Rangers 10-6.
"He just couldn't command the fastball," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "If he would have been able to command the fastball it'd have been a different story. There wasn't much he could find to get in the strike zone to make something happen. It just wasn't his night."
No team has peppered Darvish (7-3) like the A's. He beat them the first time he faced them in 2012 but has gone winless since. In 10 career starts versus AL West-leading Oakland, Darvish is 1-8 with a 4.95 ERA.
"For some reason they have really good numbers against me," Darvish said through a translator. "It's not how they approached me. I just didn't have my stuff. That was the reason."
Derek Norris hit a home run and drove in five runs, and Stephen Vogt was 3 for 3 for Oakland.
Tommy Milone (5-3) gave up three runs and five hits over 5 2-3 innings in improving to 5-0 in his last eight starts. He walked one and struck out three.
Darvish allowed only four earned runs but he walked five. He also struck out eight, including Brandon Moss in the first for career strikeout No. 600.
"He was out there searching, which he always does," Washington said. "Usually he finds something, but tonight he just didn't find it. He just didn't find anything to get them out with."
Roughned Odor hit a home run, tripled and drove in three runs for the Rangers.
Aaron Poreda, recalled from Triple-A Round Rock earlier in the day, took over for Darvish with two runners on in the sixth and got two outs before giving way to Shawn Tolleson, who gave up Norris' home run.
Adrian Beltre gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead in the first with a two-out RBI single.
The A's scored twice in the second. Jed Lowrie, Vogt and Alberto Callaspo hit consecutive singles to open the inning. Lowrie scored on Callaspo's hit, and Vogt came in on right fielder Alex Rios' throwing error.
Vogt added RBI singles in the third and fifth, and Coco Crisp hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth. Norris hit a three-run home run, his fourth career pinch-hit shot, in the sixth.
Odor hit a solo homer in the fifth and added a two-run triple in the seventh. Rios added a sacrifice fly in the sixth, and Daniel Robertson drove in a run in the seventh.
Norris smacked a two-run double in the eighth.
NOTES: Robbie Ross was optioned to Round Rock to make room for Poreda. ... The Rangers signed IF Carlos Pena to a minor-league deal. ... Darvish owns a 7.59 ERA in four career starts at 0akland. ... RHP Nick Tepesch (2-2, 3.94) will start for the Rangers on Wednesday in the series finale. He has won three straight over AL West opponents. RHP Sonny Gray (6-3, 2.93) will start for the A's. He has lost his last two.
Updated June 18, 2014
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