Oakland A’s 12, Texas Rangers 5

Rangers end the regular season with a whimper.

The Texas Rangers lost the division on the final day of the season Wednesday in Oakland, losing 12-5 to the A's. The loss dropped Texas to 93-69, a game behind the A's for first place in the AL West, the division Texas had led since the beginning of the season. The Rangers were assured of a wild card spot and will face either the Baltimore Orioles or the New York Yankees in a one-game playoff before advancing.

Photo not provided by the Texas Rangers

The Rangers backed in to the playoffs Wednesday with yet another demoralizing loss.

Rangers starter Ryan Dempster was terrible, allowing five runs on six hits over just three innings, but the bullpen was worse. Derek Holland, pitching in relief, surrendered three more runs in under three innings, and the bullpen as a whole served up seven runs over the final five innings to ensure the loss. Derek Holland was credited with the defeat and fell to 12-7 on the year.

A's rookie starter A.J. Griffin was awful as well, giving up five runs in two-plus innings, but the Oakland bullpen dominated the Rangers once again, giving up just four harmless hits over the final six-plus shutout innings. Evan Scribner was credited with the win, his third this season.

Oakland opened the scoring in the bottom of the first when Brandon Moss hit an RBI double to put the A's up 1-0. Texas responded with an offensive explosion in the fifth, as Texas poured on six hits, including five singles, and scored five runs to take a commanding 5-1 lead.

That lead evaporated and more in the bottom of the fifth, when the A's responded with their own big inning. Oakland scored six runs on four hits --including two runs scored when Josh Hamilton failed to catch a routine fly ball to center-- to put themselves ahead for good at 7-5.