The Sports Xchange
Sep 30, 2017
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Joey Gallo hit two home runs and had three RBIs in the Texas Rangers' 8-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday.
Gallo hit a two-run homer in Texas' four-run second off Oakland starter Daniel Gossett and a towering solo shot to right in the third off right-hander Simon Castro.
The multi-home run game was the fourth of his career, all this season. He has a team-leading 41 home runs this season.
Willie Calhoun and Elvis Andrus had RBI singles in the sixth. Jared Hoying and Delino DeShields also had RBIs for Texas to help make a winner out of right-hander Andrew Cashner (11-11).
The Rangers (78-83) have won two straight after losing seven in a row.
Cashner threw six innings, giving up two runs -- both in the sixth -- and five hits and two walks while striking out two.
Designated hitter Khris Davis, who was 2-for-3, and third baseman Matt Chapman had RBIs for Oakland (74-87).
Right fielder Matt Joyce hit his 25th home run in the eighth off Texas reliever Matt Bush. Marcus Semien hit a home run in the ninth off right-hander Paulo Espino.
Cashner worked out of a bases-loaded jam with one out in the second following errors by Odor, the second baseman, and third baseman Will Middlebrooks, and a walk to Bruce Maxwell.
He got out of it with a 4-6-3 double play, the same combo that erased leadoff singles in the third.
The A's were 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
Gossett (4-11) took the loss for Oakland, which used six pitchers in relief of the right-hander.
A's starting pitchers had allowed one earned run or fewer in nine of the last 14 games entering play Saturday, but Gossett gave up four runs on five hits and a walk over 1 2/3 innings.
In the Rangers' four-run second, Texas opened with Mazara's leadoff base hit followed by Gallo's long blast to center.
Gossett recorded the next two outs, but couldn't get the third and wound up throwing 30 pitches in the inning, which he didn't complete.
Odor's double was followed by Hoying's run-scoring double to left and DeShields' RBI single. A walk to Calhoun was the final straw, as manager Bob Melvin walked to the mound.
A trend on Gossett suggested his night wasn't going to get any better. Gossett owns a 3.35 ERA over the first three innings of a game, and a 9.08 ERA from the fourth on.
NOTES: Texas 3B Adrian Beltre (hamstring) has been out of the lineup since the Rangers were eliminated, a period of four games. Manager Jeff Banister said Beltre might make an appearance Sunday for the fans. ... Oakland RHP Jharel Cotton (elbow) threw an extended bullpen session Saturday with no complications.