Olson’s 4 RBIs Lead A’s Past Rangers For 3rd Straight Win

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics recognize the ups and downs of a season, having started 2021 with six consecutive losses earlier soon winning 13 successful a row.

They are counting connected a September rotation carrying them to a 4th consecutive playoff berth.

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Matt Olson had 4 hits and drove successful 4 runs, Starling Marte added an RBI triple and the A’s bushed the Texas Rangers 10-5 connected Friday nighttime for their 3rd consecutive victory.

“We’re playing loose,” Tony Kemp said.

Elvis Andrus took a transportation disconnected his near hep from Rangers starter Glenn Otto to unit location the go-ahead tally successful a six-run 2nd inning. Andrus aboriginal scored connected Marte’s triple successful the 4th that chased Otto (0-1).

“I deliberation it was much trying to bash a small spot excessively overmuch astatine times. I request to spot successful my stuff,” Otto said.

Olson deed a three-run azygous successful the 2nd — called retired astatine 2nd aft a replay reversal erstwhile Texas challengegd — and an RBI azygous successful the fourth. He acceptable a vocation precocious for RBIs with 95, topping his erstwhile champion of 91 from 2 years ago.

Josh Harrison had a two-run azygous successful the 5th for the A’s (77-64), who on with the Mariners are 1 crippled backmost for the 2nd AL chaotic paper with Toronto lone trailing the Yankees by a half-game.

The A’s cognize they person enactment to do, a antithetic script than erstwhile they won the AL West during the shortened 2020 season.

“It puts america successful a antithetic presumption erstwhile you’re a fewer games backmost than successful the division,” manager Bob Melvin said. “The chaotic paper has meant a batch to baseball, it’s meant a batch to teams that person a accidental due to the fact that of it. And I deliberation truthful instrumentality bases are much engaged and determination are much teams that are portion of it.”

Deolis Guerra (4-1) pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings for the win.

Nathaniel Lowe deed a two-run treble successful the 3rd past Nick Solak’s RBI azygous 1 retired aboriginal chased A’s starter Paul Blackburn, who is inactive waiting for his archetypal triumph since 2018.

Blackburn allowed 4 earned runs connected six hits implicit 2 2/3 innings with 3 strikeouts and a locomotion successful his 5th commencement of the year. He has filled successful admirably since right-hander Chris Bassitt took a enactment thrust to the look astatine Chicago connected Aug. 17 and needed country to repair 3 cheekbone fractures.

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Adolis García deed an RBI azygous successful the archetypal for the Rangers (51-89), who had their four-game winning streak snapped that matched their longest of the year.

KEMP IN CHARGE

Kemp, who played near field, had 3 hits and hasn’t struck retired successful 51 sheet appearances since his past K connected Aug. 17 astatine the White Sox.

“Just trying to support things elemental and effort to assistance the squad triumph immoderate mode I can,” helium said of his approach.

REUNITED

Oakland slugger Khris Davis caught up with his aged Texas teammates and manager Chris Woodward during pregame work.

The Rangers released him June 13 and the A’s brought backmost their fashionable designated hitter connected a insignificant league woody Aug. 4 aft helium spent astir 2 months grooming connected his ain astatine location successful Arizona. Davis, who led the majors with 48 location runs successful 2018, was called up Sept. 1.

He struck retired arsenic a pinch-hitter to extremity the 4th past stayed successful the crippled arsenic designated hitter.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: RHP Dane Dunning was activated from the COVID-19 injured database and helium pitched 1 inning — with a deed and strikeout — arsenic Woodward planned arsenic the Rangers easiness him backmost into enactment initially. Texas optioned Demarcus Evans to Triple-A Round Rock.

Athletics: RHP Bassitt worked retired catching footballs to get backmost accustomed to having a shot coming astatine him again, according to diversion trainer Nick Paparesta. Bassitt played drawback Thursday and volition propulsion astir 20 pitches disconnected the mound Saturday. … RHP Mike Fiers faced hitters successful a cardinal measurement arsenic helium works backmost from a strained pitching elbow that has kept him retired since May 7. … OF Seth Brown was activated from the COVID-19 IL that sidelined him since Aug. 27 pursuing a rehab outing with Class A Stockton connected Thursday.

UP NEXT

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LHP Kolby Allard (3-12, 5.00 ERA) pitches for Texas trying to drawback a two-start skid and debar a team-high 13th loss, portion Oakland counters with lefty Cole Irvin (9-13, 4.10) who has mislaid his past 2 decisions.