OAKLAND, Calif. – Oakland A’s left-handed pitcher Cole Irvin struck out eight, allowed three hits and one earned run in Oakland’s 5-4 victory over the Texas Rangers.
After going through a tough five-game stretch where opponents were hitting .263 off him, Irvin has bounced back nicely by going 3-1 in his last four starts with a 1.67 ERA and allowing two walks in the span. He was just one strikeout short of matching his career-high total (nine).
The A’s (34-62) have won two out of three games since returning from the All-Star break and 9-9 in July, which is better than their June slate when they only won five games.
Vimael Machin brought Skye Bolt home on ground rule double to give the A’s the 1-0 lead in the second inning. Adolis Garcia tied the game for the Rangers by hitting a single to left field that scored Corey Seager in the fourth inning.
The tie was short-lived. In the fifth inning Ramon Laureano hit a full-count fastball from Spencer Howard for an opposite-field homer, his 10th of the season, to put the A’s up 2-1. Seth Brown cushioned the lead two-run home run, his 12th of the season.
Former A’s player Marcus Semien cut Texas’ deficit to two runs after singling in Leody Taveras in the eighth inning, but Stephen Vogt followed the home half of the inning by hitting a pinch-hit RBI single to make it 5-2.
Lou Trivino, who is filling in for injured closer Dany Jimenez, gave up two runs in the ninth inning, which included a solo home run in the ninth inning to Nathaniel Lowe. A.J. Puk came in to close the game, earning his first of the season.
The A’s and Rangers will play the second game of the series Saturday at 6:40 p.m. The A’s will send James Kaprielian, while Taylor Hearn will be on the bump for the Rangers.
