Rangers 2, A's 1
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Nick Martinez pitched six shutout innings, Mitch Moreland hit a solo home run, and the surging Texas Rangers defeated the Oakland A's 2-1 Tuesday night at the O.co Coliseum.
The Rangers (31-27) won for the eighth time in their past 10 games and pulled to within two games of the first-place Houston Astros in the American League West.
Oakland (23-37) lost its fourth consecutive game as right-hander Sonny Gray's three-game winning streak ended.
Martinez (5-2) allowed just one hit, struck out three, walked three and hit a batter. The right-hander had lost back-to-back starts, allowing a career-high-tying nine hits in each, before facing the A's. He lasted a season-low 3 1/3 innings and gave up seven runs in his previous start, a 9-2 loss to the White Sox on June 3.
Gray (7-3) gave up two runs on nine hits over six innings. He struck out six, walked one and threw 95 pitches. He had a streak of 26 1/3 scoreless innings against the Rangers until they scored a run with two outs in the third.
Texas extended the lead to 2-0 in the sixth when Moreland crushed a leadoff home run to center, high and deep over the 400-foot sign. The home run was the first baseman's seventh of the season, and it came on a 2-1 pitch, a Gray fastball.
Oakland cut Texas' lead to 2-1 in the eighth. Ben Zobrist hit a leadoff double against reliever Ross Detwiler that left fielder Delino DeShields appeared to hold up on before diving. Catcher Stephen Vogt singled to center, and Zobrist scored standing, barely ahead of catcher Robinson Chirinos' sweep tag after a strong throw from center fielder Leonys Martin. The Rangers challenged the safe call, but it stood after a video review.
Jon Edwards, Detwiler, Tanner Scheppers and Shawn Tolleson combined to hold Oakland to one run on four hits over the final three innings. Tolleson got his eighth save, pitching a scoreless ninth.
The Rangers snapped a scoreless tie with a run in the third. DeShields drilled a 2-1 fastball to deep right-center field for a one-out triple. Gray struck out right fielder Shin-Soo Choo, but first baseman Prince Fielder blooped a single to left, driving in DeShields.
NOTES: Rangers LHP Martin Perez, who underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2014, is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Frisco on Friday, throwing three innings. ... Rangers 1B/OF Kyle Blanks, recovering from surgery to remove a cyst in his tailbone area, remained on the disabled list Tuesday, but manager Jeff Banister said it was a realistic possibility that Blanks would be activated during the three-game series. ... A's RHP A.J. Griffin (Tommy John surgery in April 2014) is scheduled to pitch five innings Friday in a rehab start for Triple-A Nashville. Griffin pitched a combined seven shutout innings in two rehab starts for Class A Stockton. ... Oakland 1B Ike Davis (strained left quadriceps) will run the bases Wednesday. If all goes well, he is expected to begin a rehab assignment this weekend, A's manager Bob Melvin said.