Athletics Snap Out Of Scoring Slump With 7-2 Win Over Rangers
OAKLAND (AP) -- Conor Jackson had two hits and two RBIs, Gio Gonzalez pitched into the seventh inning to snap a three-start skid and the Athletics snapped out of their scoring slump in a 7-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Sunday.
Lead off hitter Coco Crisp added two hits in his return to the lineup and Kurt Suzuki had two RBIs to help the A's score more than six runs for only the fourth time this season. They knocked out Rangers starter Matt Harrison (3-3) in the second inning.
Gonzalez (3-2) scattered five hits with seven strikeouts over 6 2-3 innings to win for the first time since April 9. The left-hander didn't give up a hit until the fourth inning and allowed only three runners past second base.
Michael Young and Ian Kinsler drove in runs for Texas, which committed three errors and lost for the fifth time in seven games.
Gonzalez held down the Rangers a day after Texas shelled Oakland ace Brett Anderson for seven runs and nine hits in five innings.
Despite falling awkwardly on the mound after Elvis Andrus hit a sharp grounder up the middle in the fourth, Gonzalez never ran into serious trouble and stayed unbeaten over his last four starts against the Rangers.
It was Oakland's offense—and Texas' shoddy defense—that made the biggest difference.
Crisp provided a spark after sitting out three games with a sore left quadriceps while Jackson continued his recent tear. Jackson is hitting .360 with four extra base hits and seven RBIs over his last seven games.
The Rangers didn't help themselves defensively, either. The three errors led to two unearned runs.
Crisp doubled on Harrison's second pitch of the game and scored on Jackson's two-run double down the right field line. Suzuki singled through a drawn-in infield to give the A's a 3-0 lead.
Crisp, back hitting leadoff in Oakland's lineup after missing three games with a sore left quadriceps, made it 4-0 with a two-out, RBI single in the second.
Harrison, who lasted just three innings in his previous start against Toronto, was gone two batters later after Daric Barton doubled and Jackson walked to load the bases.
Reliever Dave Bush struck out Josh Willingham to end the threat but the Rangers never recovered from the rough start.
Harrison's quick exit marked the third straight game in which he's struggled after opening the season with consecutive wins over the Red Sox, Orioles and Yankees. Harrison's earned run average has spiked from 1.23 to 4.59 since then, and his loss to the A's was his first in four career starts against Oakland.
The A's added two runs off Bush in the third after Suzuki reached on a throwing error by shortstop Andrus to open the inning. Hideki Matsui followed with a run-scoring double then scored on Cliff Pennington's two-out soft single to center.
Gonzalez did the rest, holding the Rangers scoreless until the sixth when Andrus doubled, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Young's single to left.
Typical of Texas' day, first baseman Mike Napoli tumbled hard into the Rangers dugout while chasing Jackson's foul ball in the seventh but was unable to make the catch and lay on the ground for a few moments. He returned but Suzuki singled in Willingham two batters later to make it 7-2.
Notes: The run scored by Matsui in the third was the 1,500th of his career combined between Japan and America. ... The Rangers are 1-2 on this seven-game, two-city road trip ... Daric Barton played in his 387th game at first base for the A's, tying Bruce Bochte for fourth-most in franchise history. ... RHP Ryan Tucker threw a scoreless inning for Texas after making his Rangers debut on Friday.
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