Athletics 4, Rangers 3
Coco Crisp delivered the decisive RBI single in the eighth inning to lift the Oakland Athletics to a 4-3 victory over the visiting Texas Rangers on Thursday.
Rookie Jemile Weeks hit a one-out double and scored his third run of the contest on Crisp’s single to right off Mike Adams (1-3) as Oakland prevented Texas from moving closer to clinching the American League West.
The Rangers, who saw their four-game winning streak come to an end, lead the Los Angeles Angels by five games. The Angels lost at Toronto, 4-3 in 12 innings, on Thursday night.
Grant Balfour (5-2) pitched a perfect eighth inning and Andrew Bailey worked the ninth for his 21st save in 23 opportunities in Oakland’s final home game of the season.
Weeks had three hits and hit his first major-league homer in the sixth to pull Oakland within 3-2. The Athletics tied the score in the seventh on Scott Sizemore’s infield out.
Adrian Beltre had a run-scoring double, Nelson Cruz hit a sacrifice fly and David Murphy had a run-scoring single for the Rangers.
Josh Willingham had a run-scoring double in the first for the Athletics.
Texas starter Colby Lewis gave up three runs and four hits in 6 1/3 innings. Oakland’s Trevor Cahill gave up three runs and 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings.