OAKLAND, Calif. — The Texas Rangers took a four-game winning streak into Monday night’s opener of a three-game series against the struggling Oakland A’s. They had pounded out 17 hits and scored 12 runs in a victory over Houston on Sunday and owned a six-game lead in the American League West.
Apparently, A’s right-hander A.J. Griffin didn’t get the memo.
Griffin allowed just one run on six hits over seven innings, lifting the A’s to a 5-1 victory over Texas at the O.co Coliseum. He struck out eight and walked none. He continually baffled the Rangers with his big, slow curveball and consistently got ahead in the count.
“I’d probably say that was my best start command-wise that I’ve had in the pros, in the major leagues,” Griffin said.
“It makes your job much easier when you’re getting ahead and throwing strikes. That’s just a huge part of my game. I’m much better when I’m ahead. Everyone’s better when they’re ahead in the count, you don’t want guys to feel comfortable at the plate. It’s just keep plugging away, keep throwing strikes and good things happen.”
A’s outfielders Yoenis Cespedes and Brandon Moss provided the power, hammering back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning off Rangers rookie right-hander Justin Grimm.
Grimm took the loss, dropping his third straight decision in May while allowing five runs on seven hits over 5.0 innings.
Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland hit his seventh home run of the season, a solo shot in the second, but that was their only extra-base hit. They had seven hits, six of them singles, and struck out 11 times.
“He kept the ball down with the fastball, and his breaking ball’s really slow,” said Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus, who fanned twice against Griffin, taking a called third strike both times. “Sometimes it’s not that easy to adjust to that many miles he takes off the pitch. They did a great job. They beat us today. They played better than us. Nothing else you can do.”
The A’s and Rangers met for the first time since their season-ending, three-game series at the Coliseum last year, when Oakland swept Texas to win the American League West crown. The A’s trailed the Rangers by 13 games on June 30 and passed them on the final day of the regular season.
Now the A’s are chasing the Rangers again. Oakland cut their lead in the West to 5.0 games.
“More just a good win for us as opposed to a statement game,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “We just need to get on a roll and start playing a little bit better and hopefully this is the first sign of that.”
The Rangers took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when Moreland crushed a two-out homer to deep right off Griffin. Moreland hit a belt-high fastball with a 2-2 count for his seventh home run of the season, extending his hitting streak to seven games.
The A’s answered with two runs in the bottom of the second and two more in the third off Grimm, building a 4-1 lead. In the second, the A’s used singles by Josh Donaldson, Eric Sogard and John Jaso and a walk to strike for two runs.
Then in the third, Cespedes and Moss hit back-to-back home runs to center field. Cespedes lined a high fastball over the 400-foot mark, and Moss sent another fastball even higher and deeper over the center-field fence. Moss’ homer was the 7,000th in Oakland A’s history.
“Unfortunately left a couple fastballs over the plate,” Grimm said. “Couple guys hit it well. They did their job. There in that second inning, it was just unfortunate. Guy got a broken-bat single up the middle and scored a run or two. I wasn’t mad with myself about that. I went out in the next inning and left a couple pitches over the plate when they were supposed to be inside. That can’t happen.”
Cespedes left the game after the end of the fourth inning with what the A’s said was a stomach ailment. He went out to his position in center field but ran back to the dugout.
“It came on during the game,” Melvin said. “Threw up a couple times in the bathroom. We’re calling it a stomach ailment. They don’t think it’s a virus. They think he should be in good shape to play tomorrow, but you risk getting dehydrated, maybe pulling something and we didn’t want to go there with him.”
NOTES: A’s right fielder Josh Reddick (sprained right wrist) said he hasn’t swung a bat since going on the disabled list on May 7 and that surgery is a possibility if he still has problems once he resumes swinging, likely in a week. “I don’t think you rule anything out at this point,” Melvin said, “although I’d like to think that would be a last resort.” … A’s outfielder Chris Young (strained left quad) went 1-for-5 with a home run and played seven innings at extended spring training Monday, but “he wasn’t 100 percent,” Melvin said. The A’s hope to activate Young on Wednesday, the first day he’s eligible, but might push him back to Friday, after the team’s off day Thursday. … A’s center fielder Coco Crisp (strained left hamstring) ran the bases and took batting practice before Monday’s game and, barring a setback, will likely be activated from the disabled list Wednesday, Melvin said. … Rangers right-hander Colby Lewis, who’s on the disabled list after undergoing right elbow surgery in July, had an anti-inflammatory injection to treat mild triceps tendinitis, the team announced. Lewis won’t make his next rehab start until Monday or Tuesday for Double-A Frisco. … Rangers catcher A.J. Pierzynski (strained right oblique muscle) hit off the tee Monday for the first time since going on the disabled list on May 10, retroactive to May 6, taking 40 swings. He also threw for the second straight day. “The swing felt good, throwing felt good,” Pierzynski said.