Shea Langeliers and Brent Rooker each homered while combining for six hits and eight RBIs, propelling the Oakland Athletics over the visiting Texas Rangers 9-4 on Wednesday afternoon in the opener of a doubleheader.
Brett Harris also homered and the Oakland bullpen held the Rangers scoreless over the final 5 2/3 innings, helping the A’s snap a three-game losing streak.
Seeking a third straight win in the series and a fifth in a row overall, the Rangers led twice, including 4-2 in the fourth when Leody Taveras smacked his second homer of the season, a two-run shot off Oakland starter JP Sears (3-2).
But the A’s did the rest of the scoring, starting with a game-tying, two-run double by Langeliers in the bottom of the fourth.
The Oakland catcher earlier hit a two-run homer, his eighth, off Rangers starter Michael Lorenzen (2-2) to give the hosts a brief 2-1 lead in the second.
Harris put the home team on top for good when he led off the fifth with his third home run, and Langeliers capped a five-RBI day with his third hit, a triple in the sixth that scored J.D. Davis for a 6-4 lead.
Rooker completed the scoring with a three-run homer, his ninth, in the seventh after Rangers reliever Cole Winn had hit Abraham Toro with a pitch and walked JJ Bleday.
Rooker finished with a single, double and homer, three RBIs and three runs scored. Langeliers’ three hits were a double, triple and home run.
Sears was credited with the win after allowing four runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out three.
Austin Adams and Mason Miller combined for the shutout relief work, with Miller retiring all six men he faced, four via strikeout, in the final two innings.
Lorenzen, who began the day with a 4-0 record and 0.29 ERA in his career against the A’s, took the loss after giving up six runs and nine hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out six.
Davis scored twice for the A’s, who were beaten 4-2 and 15-8 in the first two games of the series.
Marcus Semien homered for the second consecutive day for the Rangers as part of a 3-for-5 performance. The homer was his seventh.
