Major League Baseball

Canha leads way as A's use 7-run 8th inning to rally past Rangers

Published May. 2, 2015 1:40 a.m. ET

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For most of Friday night, the Oakland Athletics looked lost.

Even after Mark Canha ''ambushed'' the Texas Rangers' bullpen for a home run on the first pitch of the eighth inning, the A's still trailed by four.

But their at-bat didn't end until Canha's single drove in the seventh run. Oakland went on to win 7-5.

''If you get behind them, they don't get out of their swings,'' Texas manager Jeff Banister said. ''Other than Canha with the ambush on the first pitch.''

Canha said, ''I was just looking for a good pitch.''

His teammates did a lot of looking after that.

Ten Athletics batted in the inning against three Texas relievers. Two Oakland batters walked and four others had hits in between Canha's two hits.

Rookie pinch hitter Max Muncy fouled off pitches until he drew a two-out walk to load the bases. Josh Reddick's two-run single cut the deficit to 5-4.

Then Brett Lawrie took Texas closer Neftali Feliz to the ninth pitch before lining a two-run double to give the A's the lead.

''There were just so many key at-bats in that inning,'' Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. ''You could say Muncy's walk. Lawrie had a fighting at-bat. He wasn't going to be denied there.''

Lawrie's at-bat and the inning almost ended on a 2-2 checked swing. The Rangers appealed, but first base umpire Jordan Baker ruled that Lawrie didn't swing.

The Rangers disagreed.

Feliz said, ''I saw the video. He swung the bat. He was out.''

Each team entered the game with six losses in seven games. Texas saw a five-run lead turn into a fourth straight loss.

Melvin was relieved.

''Any time you win a game that looked like you were going to lose, it gives you some confidence.

Dan Otero (2-1) picked up the win. Tyler Clippard pitched the ninth for his second save in three opportunities.

Texas had led 5-0. Colby Lewis pitched six scoreless innings, and Kyle Blanks and Prince Fielder hit solo home runs against Oakland starter Scott Kazmir.

Blanks' homer was his first hit in four at-bats for Texas since being recalled from Triple-A Round Rock. His most recent major league homer had been on May 31, 2014, when he played for Oakland.

Kazmir allowed three runs in six innings. Fernando Abad and Otero allowed three hits and two runs in the seventh, but Evan Scribner and Clippard allowed no hits in the final two innings.

STREAKING

Reddick stretched his hitting streak to nine games, tying his career high.

Texas' Elvis Andrus extended his to seven games.

NOT NO. 9

RF Reddick dropped Fielder's first-inning fly ball, but recovered in time to force Leonys Martin at second base. That avoided a ninth outfield error for the A's, who lead the majors in that category.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Athletics: LF Coco Crisp, who hasn't played this season after elbow surgery on April 3, has joined Class A Stockton on a rehab assignment. Manager Bob Melvin said Crisp was scheduled to take batting practice Friday and Saturday, and play in games Sunday and Monday. He could rejoin Oakland on the current trip that includes stops at Minnesota and Seattle.

Rangers: 1B Mitch Moreland, two days removed from elbow surgery, walked past manager Jeff Banister's office and showed him a small bandage above the elbow. Banister said, ''He was swinging a sledgehammer, so .''

UP NEXT

Athletics: LHP Drew Pomeranz (1-2, 4.50) will start the second game of the series. He has lasted only five innings in each of his last three starts. Against Texas he's 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA in 4 2-3 innings.

Rangers: RHP Nick Martinez (2-0) has a major league-best 0.35 ERA. Texas is 4-0 in his starts, each of those following a loss. Martinez is 2-1, 1.91 in five games against Oakland.

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