ARLINGTON, Texas – Admirably, a group of fans wearing matching shirts near the left field foul pole started a, “Let’s go Rangers,” chant in the top of the eighth inning on Wednesday. The rest of the crowd showed little interest in joining in and the chant quickly ran out of steam.
It’s understandable, considering Oakland rookie Shea Langeliers – a former star at Keller High School and Baylor – had just hit a two-run home run, turning Wednesday’s game into what would be a lopsided, 7-2 loss for the Rangers.
“I believe the game of baseball is filled with moments every game,” interim manager Tony Beasley said. “It presents moments and we have to recognize those moments … and take advantage of them. I don’t think we’ve done that.”
Adolis García had a RBI double in the bottom of the first that tied the game. That extended García’s hitting streak to a career-high 14 games, marking the longest active streak in Major League Baseball.
Utility man Mark Mathias, acquired in the deal that sent reliever Matt Bush to Milwaukee, made his team debut as a pinch hitter in the ninth and delivered with a RBI double.
That was about it in terms of highlights for the Rangers on Wednesday.
Rookie starting pitcher Cole Ragans pitched well in five innings, except against one A’s hitter. Sean Murphy hit two home runs off Ragans, including a two-run shot in the fourth inning that re-gave the A’s the lead. Murphy would also score in the eighth as a part of a four-run inning for Oakland.
Ragans said Murphy’s first home run was a case of Murphy not missing a fastball that Ragans left for him. On the second home run, Ragans said he learned from his mistake, but once again Murphy found a way to send it over the fence.
“I felt like I definitely took a big step forward,” said Ragans, who made his third MLB start on Wednesday. “I commanded all four pitches, landed the curveball, got the change up in the zone, commanded the fastball both sides and up.
“Two pitches, that’s the biggest thing. Those two pitches, that’s really it.”
Before Tuesday’s win over the Rangers, the A’s were on a nine-game losing streak. Now they’ve won two in a row, dropping the Rangers to a 52-65 record on the season.
