Athletics Return Favor, Rangers Shut Out in Oakland, 2-0
The Texas Rangers were returned the favor on Sunday afternoon in Oakland, as they were shut out by the Athletics, 2-0. The Rangers finished their West Coast road trip with a 3-3 record, and are now 5-10 overall.
The offense had a hard time getting anything going throughout the entire afternoon. Prior to the ninth inning, the team only registered two hits—both off the bat of former Oakland A, Marcus Semien.
The Rangers fought back in the final frame. After two quick outs, Nathaniel Lowe ripped a single to the opposite field, then former Athletic Jonah Heim followed with a flair out to right field for another single, bringing the go-ahead run to the plate in the form of Willie Calhoun.
Calhoun, a Bay Area native, hit the ball hard down the right field line, but it was knocked down by first baseman Christian Bethancourt for the final out of the game.
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
Despite the offensive struggles, the Rangers had another great day on the mound. Garrett Richards opened the game for Texas, and logged two scoreless innings before handing the ball off to Spencer Howard, who came off the 10-day Injured List prior to the game.
Howard allowed the only two runs of the game, which came off a two-run homer by Stephen Piscotty. The Rangers found themselves in trouble in the fifth inning as Albert Abreu struggled mightily with his command, issuing three walks to load the bases after recording just one out. Brett Martin came in and tight-roped out of danger, striking out the next two batters, keeping the deficit at 2-0.
Dennis Santana, who returned Sunday from the COVID-19 IL, and Kolby Allard combined for three scoreless innings to keep the Rangers in the game until the very end.
What's Next?
The Rangers will fly home Sunday night and prepare for a seven-game homestand at Globe Life Field. First, the Rangers will welcome the Houston Astros to Arlington for the first installment of this year's Silver Boot Series. Rangers right-hander Dane Dunning (0-1, 5.68 ERA) is scheduled to start against Houston southpaw Framber Valdez (1-1, 4.50 ERA) on Monday night.
