5-10 - No brooms by the Bay as Rangers fall 2-0 to A’s

The Texas Rangers did not score but the Oakland Athletics scored twice.

Marcus Semien led off today’s contest with a single and then the Rangers went all the way until there was two out in the 8th before Semien doubled for the club’s second hit of the afternoon. They eventually doubled that total with a two-out rally in the 9th before the door was shut on the sweep.

While the Texas hitters went cold, the difference in this game ended up being one swing of Stephen Piscotty’s bat as his two-run homer off of Spencer Howard in the bottom of the 4th accounted for all of the scoring in this one.

All in all, the Rangers finished their first West Coast AL West tour 3-3 and they even claimed their first series of the year, a stark improvement over the season’s first ten or so days.

Player of the Game: Though it was a bummer that Texas couldn’t manage the three runs needed to back up another well-pitched game, it should be recognized that a beleaguered group of arms allowed just three runs total during this weekend series in Oakland.

Obviously the A’s aren’t world beaters with the bats this year but the Rangers had the league’s worst ERA coming into this series and the exit it with something to be proud of. Today Texas used a combination of six pitchers with a better Howard pitch to Piscotty away from a different ballgame.

We’ll give a nod to Kolby Allard who, after being perhaps the worst pitcher on the staff so far this year, pitched the final two scoreless frames with a couple of strikeouts.

Up Next: The Rangers return home to begin a four-game series against the Houston Astros tomorrow with RHP Dane Dunning set to make the starter in the opener against LHP Framber Valdez for Houston.

Monday night’s first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 7:05 pm CDT.