A's pull away in 11th for win over Rangers

*Photo from the GazetteXtra*

   Jed Lowrie has had an up and down season for the Oakland Athletics. Against the Texas Rangers, he went up. Lowrie homered and drove in two runs, Seth Brown homered, and the Athletics defeated the Rangers 8-4 in 11 innings on Saturday afternoon.

   Lowrie said "Unless you have batters one-through-nine hitting home runs all year, it’s not gonna be a consistent thing. So you have to find ways to score runs other ways as well, but it’s definitely a strength of ours. And we’re definitely gonna win a lot of games because of it."

   Brown and Sean Murphy started the scoring for Oakland in the second inning, with two solo homers, tying the game 2-2 at the time. In the 4th, Lowrie gave the A's a 3-2 lead with a solo homer to center field. In the 10th inning, Ramon Laureano hit an RBI single to give Oakland a 4-3 lead. In the 11th, Lowrie hit an RBI single, Matt Olson scored on a wild pitch, and Stephen Piscotty hit a two run homer, breaking it open and making it 8-4.

   A's manager Bob Melvin said of Brown's homer that "Every ball that’s hit pretty good here sounds really good. To do it at that trajectory means he squared it up about as good as he can hit it. It’s good to see Brownie swing the bat well, because when he swings the bat well he’s a guy that we’ve hit in the middle of the lineup before. Sometimes it just takes a couple decent at-bats and you get your confidence back."

   For the Rangers, Adolis Garcia and Joey Gallo each hit solo homers in the first inning, giving Texas a quick 2-0 lead. They did not score again until the 8th, when Jonah Heim tied the game 3-3 with an RBI single to right field. In the 10th, Heim tied it 4-4 with another RBI single, this one not leaving the infield. 

   JB Wendelken got the win for the A's, despite blowing the save opportunity in the 10th inning, pitching two innings and allowing one run. James Kaprielian got the start for Oakland, giving up two runs on 4 hits, walking 4 and striking out 4 hitters in 5 innings pitched. Deolis Guerra and Yusmeiro Petit each picked up holds, with Jake Diekman and Lou Trivino also pitching.

   Spencer Patton got hit with the loss for the Rangers, allowing all 4 runs in the 11th inning, while getting just two outs, with Dennis Santana needing to come in to finish the 11th. Mike Foltynewicz put up a solid start for the Rangers, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits, walking no one and recording 6 strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings pitched. 

   Rangers manager Chris Woodward said We had our opportunities. Runners on second and third three times, I think, and multiple times during the game, we had the winning run at third. The 11th got away from us, but before that, we just couldn't get the big hit."

   The A's and Rangers wrap up their series on Sunday as baseball heads into the all star break, with Chris Bassitt getting the start for the A's, and Kolby Allard starting for Texas.