Texas wrapped up what proved to be an exhausting four-game series with Oakland, as the Rangers defeated the Athletics 10-3 on Thursday afternoon at Globe Life Field.
The win allowed the Rangers (53-65) to salvage a series split with the Athletics (43-76) in a series that featured plenty of off-the-field drama.
The Rangers spent the series remaking their organization. The Rangers fired team president Jon Daniels and put general manager Chris Young in charge of all baseball operations on Wednesday. The move, made by the team’s principal owner, Ray Davis, came two days after Daniels and Young fired manager Chris Woodward and elevated third-base coach Tony Beasley to interim manager.
As the Rangers head on the road for a six-game trip that starts in Minnesota on Friday, Young will travel with the team and address the franchise’s changes with the players, according to Davis.
After three games in which the Rangers scored a total of four runs, they took out their frustrations on Athletics starter Zach Logue (3-7), who ended up being responsible for seven of the Rangers’ eight runs.
The Rangers played with power at the plate, as Mark Mathias hit just his second Major League home run, and his first with Texas, since his call-up from Triple-A Round Rock earlier this week. Meanwhile, Nathaniel Lowe’s three-run home run in the fifth inning, his 17th of the season, blew the game open and allowed starter Dane Dunning (3-6) and the bullpen to cruise to a win.
Mathias, who was acquired in the Matt Bush trade earlier this month, hit a solo home run in the second inning. On Wednesday, he made his first appearance as a pinch-hitter. He finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs Thursday.
Lowe, who saw his 22-game on-base streak snapped Wednesday, started a new one, as he went 1-for-3 with three RBI and two runs. Adolis García had a hit, which extended his career-high hitting streak to 15 games. It’s also the longest current streak in the Majors.
Catcher Jonah Heim and outfielder Bubba Thompson also had multiple hits. Heim had two RBI, including his triple in the second inning that scored García and gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead.
Dunning put together a solid outing, going six innings. He gave up four hits, two runs (both earned), three walks and struck out four. Sheldon Neuse’s two-run home run tied the game in the top of the fourth, though only momentarily.
Dunning is now 2-0 in August, with two starts that lasted at least six innings. He’s left all three games in August with the lead.
The Rangers will play four in Minnesota, which features a wraparound game to Monday. The Rangers have set the rotation for the series, as they will start Martín Pérez on Friday, Glenn Otto on Saturday, Kohei Arihara on Sunday and Cole Ragans on Monday. Friday’s game will be on Apple TV+, while Saturday’s game will be on KRLD’s 1080-AM band as 105.3 The Fan will carry the Dallas Cowboys’ preseason game.
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