Texas Rangers (4-8) at Oakland Athletics (5-7) RHP A.J
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Texas Rangers (4-8) at Oakland Athletics (5-7) RHP A.J. Griffin (1-0, 6.75) vs. RHP Jharel Cotton (1-1, 3.97) Game #13 • Road #7 (2-4) • Mon., April 17, 2017 • Oakland Coliseum • 9:05 p.m. (CDT) • FSSW / 105.3 FM / 1270 AM RANGERS AT A GLANCE WINS AND LOSSES: The Rangers suffered a walk-off loss CHOO IN CHARGE: Shin-Soo Choo had 5 RBI in yester- to the Mariners yesterday, 8-7, as club has lost 3 in a row to day’s loss in Seattle, his most RBI in a game since 9/17/10 Overall ..................................4-8 match longest skid in ‘17…had won 2 straight and 4 of pre- at KC while with CLE, when he had career-high matching 7 vious 6 before current 3-game drought…team has gone 2-4 RBI…it was Choo’s 5th career game with 5+ RBI, his most Home ....................................2-4 Road .....................................2-4 entering the final series of this 9-game, 9-day road trip to LAA with Texas. (2-1), SEA (0-3), and OAK (3 G)…club has opened season • Choo’s HR yesterday was his 1st since 7/5/16 at BOS, one Standing .................5th, -4.0 GB with a 4-8 record for the 1st time since 2006 (4-8), matching of his 2 XBH in the game (also a 2B)…he had one game with lowest 12-G win total since opening 3-9 in 2002…after 13 G, multiple XBH in 2016 (HR, 2B on 7/3/16 at MIN), a product of Road Trip ..............................2-4 team was 7-6 in 2016 and 5-8 in 2015…have not had a 4-9 his limited action due to 4 DL stints. One-Run ...............................0-4 or worse record thru 13 G since 2002 (3-10). • Choo also walked yesterday and his 5 BB are T3rd on the 2-Run ....................................0-0 • The Rangers are 4.0 games back in the A.L. West behind club…the only Texas regular (25+ PA’s) with a higher OBP division leader HOU, dropping into 5th place with yesterday’s than Choo’s .349 is Nomar Mazara (.377). HR ........................................4-6 No HR...................................0-2 loss…current 4.0-game deficit is largest since 8/31/15 (-4.0 GB), and this is latest point in a season that the team has BIG GAMES: The Rangers now have 3 individual games of White ....................................2-2 been in 5th place since 5/5/15. 5+ RBI over the club’s last 9 contests beginning 4/7 (others w/ Blue ................................1-0 by Mazara and Gallo)…in 2016, the Rangers had just 4 such w/ Red ................................1-2 Texas has is 2-2-0 in its 1st 4 series in 2017, games for the entire season…Texas owns a major league- Gray ......................................2-2 SERIES STUFF: Alt. Blue ................................0-3 winning a rubber game series finale in the 2 victories and get- best 3 of the 14 individual games of 5+ RBI in MLB this sea- Blue Home .........................0-1 ting swept in the 2 defeats (4/3-5 vs. CLE; Fri-Sun at SEA). son, as only other teams with multiple instances are CLE (2) Blue Road ..........................0-2 and WAS (2). Alt. Red (all home) ...............0-1 ON THE ROAD: Rangers have opened this season with a Throwback ............................0-0 2-4 road record, needing to win all 3 games here in Oakland MAZARA’S CLUTCH DRIVE: Nomar Mazara hit a go-ahead Last 5 Games .......................2-3 to finish this initial trip with a winning record…the Rangers HR in the top of the 9th yesterday ahead of the Rangers’ Last 10 Games .....................4-6 were 42-39 (.519) in road games in 2016, T3rd-best in the walk-off loss to the M’s…Texas had not lost a game when re- A.L…club has winning road records in 2 straight and 5 of last ceiving a go-ahead HR in the 9th-or-later since 5/17/16 here Come From Behind Wins ........ 1 Losses After Lead ................... 4 6 seasons, and .518 (255-237) away win pct. since 2011 is in Oakland, when Ian Desmond’s 2-R HR with 2 outs in the 2nd-best in MLB (STL: .526, 259-233). 9th gave TEX a 5-4 lead before Khris Davis hit a 2-out walk- Score First ............................4-3 off grand slam off Shawn Tolleson in the bottom half of the Opp. Score First ...................0-5 STAYING WEST: The Rangers’ first 42 games - over a quar- inning in an 8-5 Rangers defeat. ter of the way into the 2017 season - are scheduled to take • Mazara ranks among A.L. leaders in RBI (T1st, 13), hits Columns below listed in a Home/Road/Total format place in the Central and Pacific Time Zones, as each of those (T2nd, 17), multi-hit games (T2nd, 6), runs (T2nd, 11), TB contests will be played in just 3 states: Texas, California, (T3rd, 31), HR (T5th, 4), and batting average (8th, .340)… vs. AL West ............. 2-1/2-4/4-5 and Washington…the Rangers’ 1st game outside of those 3 the only ML players with at least 4 HR, 13 RBI, and 11 R are vs. AL Central .......... 0-3/0-0/0-3 states, or in the Eastern Time Zone, does not come until a Mazara and Bryce Harper. vs. AL East .............. 0-0/0-0/0-0 Interleague .............. 0-0/0-0/0-0 3-city road trip from May 19-28 to DET, BOS, and TOR. GO BIG OR GO HOME: The Rangers hit 2 HR yesterday to Series ..............1-1-0/1-1-0/2-2-0 VS. OAKLAND: Texas took 2 of 3 in 1st meeting from 4/7- bring club’s season long ball total to an A.L.-leading 20, 3rd- Series Openers............... 1-1/0-2/1-3 9 in Arlington, as clubs are playing 6 times over a 13-day most in MLB (22-MIL/NYM)…the 20 HR mark the 4th-highest Series Finales ................1-1/1-1/2-2 Rubber Games ........ 1-0/1-0/2-0 span…teams also play 5/12-14 at TEX, but then do not meet total in club history through 12 G, trailing 2009 (24), 2003 again until late August…Rangers have won 8 of 12 and 12 of (23), and 2012 (22)…yesterday’s 3-R HR by Choo was the Lead after 6 ............. 2-2/2-2/4-4 last 18 overall…Texas won season series 10-9 last year, 4th team’s MLB-high 5th clout of 3+ runs this season, as CLE (4) Lead after 7 ............. 2-2/2-1/4-3 straight season for TEX/OAK season series to be decided by is the only other club with more than 3…5 teams have no HR Lead after 8 ............. 2-1/2-1/4-2 10-9 margin…Texas clinched division on 9/23/16 at OAK… of 3+ R in ‘17…in ‘16, Texas did not hit its 5th HR of 3+ R until Trail after 6 .............. 0-2/0-1/0-3 club was 5-5 at the Coliseum in 2016, with loss in last game 5/8/16 at DET, a Bobby Wilson grand slam off Mark Lowe. Trail after 7 .............. 0-2/0-2/0-4 here on 9/25/16 snapping a 5-G win streak at OAK that was Trail after 8 .............. 0-2/0-2/0-4 club’s longest in this facility since 2011…all-time, Rangers OFFENSE IN GEAR: After scoring one run in the 1st 2 games lead 355-342, but A’s have 178-169 edge at the Coliseum. in Seattle, Texas posted 7 runs yesterday, but still remained Tied after 6 .............. 0-0/0-1/0-1 Tied after 7 .............. 0-0/0-1/0-1 winless when scoring less than 8 runs…Texas ranks among Tied after 8 .............. 0-1/0-1/0-2 MORE TOUGH LUCK FOR HAMELS: Cole Hamels exited A.L. leaders in R (T1st, 62), HR (1st, 20), XBH (3rd, 38), and yesterday’s game with a 6-4 lead, but Tony Barnette allowed SLG (4th, .427)…club has extra-base hits in each of 1st 12 Decided 7th/later............. 0-2/0-3/0-5 single runs in the 6th and 7th innings for a blown save… G to open the season, longest season-opening streak since Shutouts ........................... 0-0/0-1/0-1 Decided final AB .........0-2/0-2/0-4 Hamels has exited in position to win in each of his 3 starts in 2014 (1st 18 G). Walk-off games ....................0-2 2017, but has 3 no-decisions after blown saves by the bull- • Texas has 11 innings of 3+ R in ‘17, most in MLB (ARI/BOS pen…Hamels is the only MLB pitcher with 3 “wins lost” this have 9 each). season, and the 3 instances are already one more than his ALL-TIME HOME RUN LIST Texas total in 2015-16 (2) after the trade from Philadelphia. GRIFFIN AT THE COLISEUM: Texas starter A.J. Griffin Rank HR Player makes his return to the Coliseum tonight, where he has not 37 452 Carl Yastrzemski 38 449 Jeff Bagwell HOLD ON: Yesterday’s 2 blown saves gives the Rangers 5 appeared since 9/18/13 vs. LAA in his final home start with 449 Vladimir Guerrero in 2017, T1st in MLB (also SEA) and tied for most through 12 the A’s…the California native is 10-4, 3.44 (56 ER/146.1 40 448 Miguel Cabrera games in club history…only other season with 5 BS thru 12 IP) in 24 G/GS in his career at the Coliseum with 14 quality 41 445 Adrian Beltre G was 2005, when current pitching coach Doug Brocail had starts, and the A’s went 18-6 in those starts…his .714 win pct.