Recap: Texas vs. Oakland
Sports Network | September 23, 2008
Arlington, TX (Sports Network) - Hank Blalock hit the go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning to give the Texas Rangers a 6-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics in the middle tilt of a three-game set.
Marlon Byrd also drove in a pair of runs for the Rangers, who halted their five-game slide. Milton Bradley went 3-for-3, drove in a run and scored in the win.
Starter Dustin Nippert lasted 6 1/3 innings and surrendered four runs on six hits but got a no-decision. Jamey Wright (8-7) took the win after recording the final two outs in the seventh. Frank Francisco tossed a perfect ninth to record his fifth save of the year.
Travis Buck had a two-run homer for the A's, who only have two losses over their last 10 games. Jack Cust added a solo shot in defeat while Cliff Pennington drove in the other run.
Josh Outman, making the third start of his career, received a no-decision after giving up three runs on 10 hits, while fanning four and walking a pair over six stanzas. Alan Embree (2-5) was charged with the blown save and the loss after giving up all three runs in the seventh.
Trailing by a run, Bradley smacked a two-out single off Embree in the home seventh and stole second base. Byrd's single then plated the runner and he nabbed second base. Blalock then clubbed his 10th homer of the year to right field, and it was 6-4.
Francisco took the mound in the ninth and retired the side in order to make it official.
Cust gave the A's a 1-0 lead as he opened the second stanza with a homer to right.
Blalock led off the home second with a double, moved to third two batters later and crossed home on Travis Metcalf's sacrifice fly to knot the score.
Oakland went up 3-1 in the third as Buck's homer scored Jeff Baisley, who led off with a double.
Michael Young and Josh Hamilton led off the third with back-to-back singles. Bradley then laced a single to center which scored Young and moved Hamilton to third, before Bradley was out at second trying to stretch the hit into a double. Byrd's single plated Hamilton to make it 3-3.
Daric Barton opened the seventh with a single, moved to second on Rob Bowen's walk, took third on Buck's free pass and crossed home as Pennington grounded out off Wright to make it 4-3.
Oakland left five runners on base to Texas' seven...Time of game was 2:34...Attendance was 18,408...Texas has won 11 of the 18 meetings between these divisional foes this season, including five of the eight tests held in Arlington. Oakland is just 6-11 at Rangers Ballpark over the past two years.
