Field Level Media
Aug 14, 2021
Matt Chapman hit a pair of solo home runs, and the Oakland Athletics tallied four times in the seventh to beat the host Texas Rangers 8-3 Saturday night.
The two teams will play for the series win Sunday after Texas took the opener on Friday night.
Texas, which was looking to win consecutive games for the first time since July 31-Aug. 2, has now lost 21 of 27 games since the All-Star break.
Oakland has won 12 of its past 15 and is now 19 games over .500.
The Athletics broke open a tie game as Mitch Moreland and Chapman led off the seventh with home runs off starter Jordan Lyles (5-10).
Starling Marte doubled in a run and then scored on a single by Matt Olson off reliever Brett Martin to make it 7-3.
Oakland opened the scoring in the first as Marte singled, stole second, and scored on a two-out single by Jed Lowrie.
Texas tied the score in the home half of the inning when Nathaniel Lowe doubled in Yonny Hernandez.
The A's retook the lead in the second on a home run to left by Chapman.
Both pitchers settled in after that and the game stayed at 2-1 until the sixth when Olson hit his 30th home run, a solo shot to left.
Texas chased A's starter James Kaprielian by leading off the sixth with three consecutive singles; the third from Lowe again plated Hernandez.
Jonah Heim then tied the score with a sacrifice fly to left off reliever Andrew Chafin (1-2), who picked up the win thanks to the A's seventh-inning outburst.
Oakland got its final run when Seth Brown led off the ninth with a home run.
Before the game, three-time Gold Glove winner Adrian Beltre and long-time public address announcer Chuck Morgan were inducted as the 23rd and 24th members of the Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame.
--Field Level Media