Kazmir Shines As A's Pound Rangers 10-0
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OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - The Texas Rangers have scored three runs so far this season and been shut out twice.
Shut down by Sonny Gray on opening night, this time it was Scott Kazmir who kept Texas off the scoreboard with 10 strikeouts in a 10-0 win by the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night.
"We had some tough at-bats tonight," shortstop Elvis Andrus said. "Kazmir was really good commanding his pitches. He threw his fastball and change and was really effective.'"
Mark Canha hit a three-run double that was nearly a grand slam as Kazmir was backed by a couple of rookies getting their first big league hits. Canha's double came in the third and he added an RBI double in the sixth for four RBIs. Fellow rookie Tyler Ladendorf hit an RBI triple for his first hit earlier in the third and had two RBIs.
Canha had a forgettable first opportunity as a big league first baseman. In the first, he thought he had scooped up leadoff man Leonys Martin's bunt and tried to reach and tag him but didn't have the ball.
"That was a great bunt," Kazmir said.
Then, Canha's drive hit the top of the wall in right-center then bounced back onto the grass. The call stood as a double after a review lasting 1 minute, 27 seconds.
Lefty Ross Detwiler (0-1) was done after 4 1-3 innings in his first start since July 3, 2013, with the Nationals in a season cut short by back problems. He was tagged for eight runs — seven earned — and nine hits with two strikeouts and two walks.
And he didn't get much help from a defense that committed two of its four errors in the fourth inning alone that led to the A's adding on.
"Command was terrible today," Detwiler said. "If I want to help this team compete, I need to be a lot better. ... I definitely thought my debut with a new team would go a lot better. I put us in a hole early, a big hole. We got good momentum last night after the way Colby (Lewis) threw and I just gave it right back today."
Delino DeShields entered to play center field in the seventh for his major league debut. He was the last position player who hadn't been in a game as first-year manager Jeff Banister tries to get everybody some early playing time. DeShields singled in the eighth for his first career hit.
Texas reliever Logan Verrett joined all the others making major league debuts when he followed Detwiler.
Kazmir received all the support he needed and then some for the new-look A's.
The left-hander and 15-game winner last season had his 23rd game with 10 or more strikeouts. He allowed one hit over seven innings in a dazzling season debut.
Brett Lawrie added three hits a night after striking out four times on 12 total pitches and Oakland outhit Texas 14-3.
The A's shut out Texas in another win after Sonny Gray carried a no-hit bid into the eighth inning of Monday night's 8-0 victory, a combined one-hitter with Evan Scribner. Oakland has outscored the Rangers 19-3 over the first three games heading into Thursday's finale.
A's athletic trainer Nick Paparesta and manager Bob Melvin came out in the fourth to check on Kazmir (1-0) when his back tightened up, but he was able to get stretched out between innings and finish his outing.
Cody Ross added an RBI single and drove in two runs in his Oakland debut after arriving just before batting practice. He was released last weekend by Arizona and chose to join the A's over other clubs that expressed interest in signing the veteran outfielder, who earned NL championship series MVP honors while leading the San Francisco Giants to the 2010 World Series title across the bay.
"It was just a fun game all around," Ross said. "A lot of young guys who swing really hard and they're fun to watch."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rangers: RHP Kyuji Fujikawa, on the disabled list with a strained right groin, will throw off a mound for the first time in his rehab Friday once the team returns home.
Athletics: RF Josh Reddick, scheduled to come off the DL on Saturday from a strained oblique, is schedule to make a rehab start for Class A Stockton on Thursday.
UP NEXT
Rangers: RHP Nick Martinez starts the finale, the only member of the Rangers' season-opening rotation a year ago.
Athletics: RHP Kendall Graveman makes his Oakland debut after being acquired from Toronto in the trade that sent All-Star third baseman Josh Donaldson to the Blue Jays.
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