Rangers sweep A's for 6th straight win
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Nomar Mazara had the go-ahead hit for the second game in a row and the Texas Rangers extended their winning streak to a majors-best six in a row with a 6-4 win over Oakland on Sunday.
Mazara hit a tiebreaking RBI single with two outs in the seventh right after Elvis Andrus' RBI double, both off reliever Ryan Madson (0-3).
Since coming home after an 11-0 win at San Diego last Tuesday, the Rangers have come from behind to win their last five games. That included game-ending three-run homers Thursday and Friday before Andrus and Mazara had consecutive two-RBI hits in the seventh inning Saturday night against the A's.
Carlos Gomez had three hits, including a single to start the seventh, but left the game with a right hamstring strain after scoring from second base on Delino DeShields' two-out infield single that chased Oakland starter Kendall Graveman.
DeShields hit a slicing chopper that third baseman Trevor Plouffe fielded near the line with Gomez running in front of him. The speedy DeShields beat the throw to first, and Gomez kept running and scored when appearing to lunge toward the plate with a bat also still in the way.
Dario Alvarez (2-0) got the final outs of the seventh for the Rangers. Sam Dyson pitched the eighth before Matt Bush worked the ninth for his fourth save in five chances.
Plouffe, Adam Rosales and Matt Joyce all homered for the A's, who have gone deep 16 times their last eight games.
Joyce hit a two-run homer in the fifth off Rangers starter A.J. Griffin for a 4-2 lead. That came after Rosales led off with a shot that just cleared the 14-foot wall in left field and Rajai Davis then doubled.
The Rangers were held hitless by Graveman on April 8 until Mike Napoli's homer with two outs in the seventh inning. They started this game with three consecutive singles for a quick 2-0 lead, and didn't score again until the single by DeShields in the seventh.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Athletics: Manager Bob Melvin said RHP Daniel Mengden, out all season recovering from right foot surgery, is getting the kinks out but has good velocity and feels good in his rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville. ... RHP John Axford (strained right shoulder) is expected to get at least one more rehab appearance. He could rejoin the A's sometime soon after they get home Thursday.
Rangers: RF/DH Shin-Soo Choo reported lower back stiffness. He didn't play after being listed on an early lineup tweeted out by the team.
UP NEXT
Athletics: Sean Manaea (1-2) is set to come off the disabled list to start Monday night at Seattle.
Rangers: After a day off Monday, the Rangers open a three-game series at home Tuesday with Yu Darvish (3-2) facing the Philadelphia Phillies.