Oakland A’s 3, Texas Rangers 2 (10 innings)

A's even up series with extra-innings win.

ARLINGTON — The Texas Rangers couldn't get anything going offensively Tuesday night, losing 3-2 to the Oakland A's at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The loss dropped Texas to 91-62, four games ahead of the A's for first place in the AL West and two ahead of the New York Yankees for best record in the American League. Oakland improved to 87-67.

Photo not provided by the Oakland A's

Oakland evened up the series Tuesday night in Arlington.

With the score tied at 2-2 heading into the top of the tenth, mop-up reliever Mark Lowe promptly served up a leadoff home run to light-hitting catcher George Kottaras to make it 3-2 Oakland. Texas had a chance to come back in the bottom frame, but went three-up-three-down with a pair of strikeouts.

Rangers starter Scott Feldman was mediocre, allowing two runs on four hits over four innings before the Texas bullpen stepped in. Before Lowe allowed the game-winner, three Ranger relievers combined for five shutout innings in which they allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out nine. Lowe fell to 0-2 on the season.

A's starter Tommy Milone was much more fortunate, giving up two runs --neither of them earned-- over six innings. Evan Scribner pitched a flawless ninth for the win.

Texas opened the scoring in the bottom of the first on an error. After Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus singled to lead off the game, Josh Hamilton singled to right to load the bases --but when Brandon Moss misplayed the ball, Kinsler and Andrus scored while Hamilton advanced to third. Following that sequence, however, the rest of the game Texas managed just four total hits and never threatened again.

Moss recovered somewhat in the top of the second when he led off the inning with a walk, advanced to second on Chris Carter's one-out walk and then scored on Daric Barton's RBI double. Carter tied it with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth, and neither team managed much of anything offensively until the final inning.