Manaea collects first win as A's down Rangers
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Rookie left-hander Sean Manaea gave up one run over 6 2/3 innings for his first major league victory, Marcus Semien hit his 10th home run of the season, and the Oakland A's defeated the Texas Rangers 3-1 at the Oakland Coliseum on Monday night.
Manaea (1-1) came into the game with an 11.37 ERA after giving up 16 earned runs in his first three major league starts. On Monday, he allowed four hits, struck out three and walked one.
Manaea, who came to the A's from the Kansas City Royals in the Ben Zobrist deal on July 28, lasted only 2 2/3 innings in his previous start, giving up eight runs on 10 hits in a 13-5 road loss to the Boston Red Sox.
Rangers left-hander Derek Holland (3-3) bounced back with a strong outing after back-to-back poor performances. He gave up two runs on three hits over six innings, striking out one and walking one. Holland didn't make it out of the third inning in either of his previous two starts.
The A's took a 2-0 lead in the fourth, but Texas scored a run in the seventh. Adrian Beltre and Ian Desmond hit back-to-back singles, then advanced on a groundout. Drew Stubbs brought Beltre home with a sacrifice fly.
Semien answered with a solo shot with two outs in the bottom of the inning off right-hander Luke Jackson, who was called up Monday from Triple-A Round Rock. Semien drilled Jackson's 95 mph fastball over the 400-foot sign in center.
A's left-hander Sean Doolittle struck out the only batter he faced to end the seventh. John Axford pitched a scoreless eighth, and Ryan Madson a perfect ninth for his 11th save in 11th chances.
The A's struck for two runs in the fourth to open the scoring.
With one out, Holland hit Billy Burns with a pitch after getting ahead 1-2 in the count. Josh Reddick blooped a single to center for Oakland's first hit of the game, moving Burns to second, and Danny Valencia walked to load the bases.
Khris Davis hit a sacrifice fly to right in a nine-pitch plate appearance, bringing Burns home. Billy Butler then lined a single to center, driving in Reddick.
Manaea cruised through the first six innings, blanking the Rangers on two hits, a two-out double by Ryan Rua in the second and a leadoff single by Elvis Andrus in the fourth.
NOTES: Rangers 2B Rougned Odor said he expects to be suspended "a couple games" but has no regrets for punching Toronto's Jose Bautista on Sunday during an eighth-inning brawl. ... Rangers RHP Tom Wilhelmsen was demoted to Triple-A Round Rock, and RHP Luke Jackson was called up to replace him. Wilhelmsen went 2-2 with a 9.98 ERA in 17 relief appearances and allowed six home runs and 17 runs. Jackson, the 45th overall draft pick in 2010, had a 3.68 ERA over 14 2/3 innings for Round Rock. ... A's RHP Henderson Alvarez had "his first little setback" in his recovery from July 28 shoulder surgery, manager Bob Melvin said. Alvarez experienced some soreness in his shoulder during his latest rehab start for Triple-A Nashville, and he might undergo an MRI exam. ... A's 2B Jed Lowrie (right shin contusion) hit off a tee Sunday and took ground balls during batting practice Monday. "That's encouraging," Melvin said.