After getting off to a good start in a game that included home runs by Sean Murphy and Chad Pinder, the Athletics bats went silent for the final two-thirds of the game The A’s bullpen, which has exceeded expectations this season, faltered and the Rangers scored six runs in the last three innings after a strong start by left-hander Cole Irvin.

After getting off to a good start in a game that included home runs by Sean Murphy and Chad Pinder, the Athletics bats went silent for the final two-thirds of the game The A’s bullpen, which has exceeded expectations this season, faltered and the Rangers scored six runs in the last three innings after a strong start by left-hander Cole Irvin.

It’s the weekend, Athletics Nation! While a stellar starting pitching performance by Frankie Montas was spoiled on Thursday by late Rangers runs, his seven innings of one-run ball still helped Frankie move up his stature in A’s history. As detailed on mlb.com by Martín Gallegos, Thursday’s start was Montas’ ninth appearance with 10+ strikeouts.

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Texas Rangers (21-23, third in the AL West) vs. Oakland Athletics (19-29, fifth in the AL West) Oakland, California; Saturday, 4:07 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Rangers: Taylor Hearn (2-3, 5.77 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, 33 strikeouts); Athletics: Zach Logue (2-3, 4.43 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 20 strikeouts) LINE: Rangers -114, Athletics -105; over/under is 7 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Oakland Athletics take on the Texas Rangers looking to break a three-game home slide.

Rangers first. Marcus Semien singles to left field. Corey Seager lines out to left field to Chad Pinder.

The A’s would never publicly admit that hanging onto a pitcher with experience closing games was a bad move, but entering Friday’s game against the Rangers, Trivino had posted a 7.94 ERA in 16 games this year. The ninth-inning of Thursday’s game against Texas was another low point for Trivino, who entered a 1-1 game and struck out the first batter he faced before surrendering a single to former A’s catcher Jonah Heim and a double to Adolis García.

The A’s would never publicly admit that hanging onto a pitcher with experience closing games was a bad move, but entering Friday’s game against the Rangers, Trivino had posted a 7.94 ERA in 16 games this year. The ninth-inning of Thursday’s game against Texas was another low point for Trivino, who entered a 1-1 game and struck out the first batter he faced before surrendering a single to former A’s catcher Jonah Heim and a double to Adolis García.

Gray took the loss after being blitzed for five runs in 2 1/3 innings in his lone appearance vs. Oakland last June, while Irvin is 3-2 with a 3.44 ERA in six career starts against Texas. The Rangers rode a ninth-inning uprising to a 4-1 win Thursday in the first game of the series. Adolis Garcia drove home pinch-runner Eli White with the lead run, and Nathaniel Lowe followed with a two-run homer to help the Rangers to their second straight win after three consecutive losses.

Happy Friday, Athletics Nation! Eno Sarris gets deep into baseball nerd-lore like few others. Yesterday, in a terrific piece in The Athletic, he detailed the demise of the hitters’ count and its root cause: the rise of the slider.

Gray took the loss after being blitzed for five runs in 2 1/3 innings in his lone appearance vs. Oakland last June, while Irvin is 3-2 with a 3.44 ERA in six career starts against Texas. The Rangers rode a ninth-inning uprising to a 4-1 win Thursday in the first game of the series. Adolis Garcia drove home pinch-runner Eli White with the lead run, and Nathaniel Lowe followed with a two-run homer to help the Rangers to their second straight win after three consecutive losses.

Texas Rangers (20-23, third in the AL West) vs. Oakland Athletics (19-28, fourth in the AL West) Oakland, California; Friday, 9:40 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Rangers: Jon Gray (1-2, 5.14 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 27 strikeouts); Athletics: Cole Irvin (2-2, 3.21 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 22 strikeouts) LINE: Rangers -137, Athletics +116; over/under is 7 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Texas Rangers face the Oakland Athletics with a 1-0 series lead. Oakland has a 19-28 record overall and a 6-16 record in home games.

Adolis Garcia doubled home pinch runner Eli White from first base in the ninth inning and Nathaniel Lowe followed with a two-run home run as the visiting Texas Rangers beat the Oakland Athletics 4-1 on Thursday in the first game of a four-game series between the American League West rivals. Texas produced its deciding run in the ninth. Jonah Heim singled with one out, off Lou Trivino.

Rangers second. Kole Calhoun singles to center field. Jonah Heim reaches on error.

The Texas Rangers scored four runs while the Oakland Athletics scored just once. It took until one out in the top of the 9th before either of these teams produced a hit that drove in a run as Martin Perez and Frankie Montas were dueling on the mound. Montas had the flashier evening with 11 Ks in 7 innings with just one run allowed on a bases loaded walk.

Rangers Athletics Baseball Texas School Shooting

From the moment the season began, there was a palpable buzz around a young A’s outfielder who was given the opportunity to prove he belonged at the major league level. Nearly two months into the season, there’s a different type of buzz about a different type of outfielder. It’s far too soon to call Cristian Pache a bust, but with the production Luis Barrera has given the club of late, it’s easy to see why the A’s are thrilled about a player who is finally taking a chance and running with it.

From the moment the season began, there was a palpable buzz around a young A’s outfielder who was given the opportunity to prove he belonged at the major league level. Nearly two months into the season, there’s a different type of buzz about a different type of outfielder. It’s far too soon to call Cristian Pache a bust, but with the production Luis Barrera has given the club of late, it’s easy to see why the A’s are thrilled about a player who is finally taking a chance and running with it.

Oakland is just 4-6 in the past 10 games but returns home with a bit of momentum, having scored 34 runs in the past eight contests. The rate of 4.3 runs per game is significantly better than the club's 3.4 average for the season. Still, the A's have won just two of their past 10 series.

WHIP, 55 strikeouts) FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Athletics -125, Rangers +105; over/under is 7 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Oakland Athletics start a four-game series at home against the Texas Rangers on Thursday. Oakland is 19-27 overall and 6-15 at home. The Athletics have a 6-1 record in games when they hit at least two home runs.