By STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Baseball Author
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Marcus Semien homered, rookie Bubba Thompson had a tiebreaking RBI single and the Texas Rangers gained a one-run recreation solely hours after supervisor Chris Woodward was fired.
With Tony Beasley managing his first large league recreation, after being named the interim supervisor for the ultimate 48 video games of the season, the Rangers overcame 9 walks by their pitchers in a 2-1 win over the last-place Oakland Athletics on Monday night time.
“Yeah, it was nerve-wracking. It was a one-run ball recreation, and so each pitch mattered, each play mattered,” Beasley stated. “Walks creating alternatives for the opposite workforce to attain, we persevered and by some means obtained by way of it.”
Ultimately, Beasley stated it was enjoyable, with good vitality within the dugout and gamers responding after an extended day of serious change. The Rangers entered the sport 6-24 in one-run video games.
Woodward, who was in his fourth season and two video games shy of his five hundredth recreation as supervisor, was let go along with the Rangers (52-63) on tempo for his or her sixth consecutive shedding season. He was the fourth large league supervisor fired this season.
Nick Allen homered for the last-place A’s, who misplaced their ninth recreation in a row.
The Rangers even have their first three-game successful streak in additional than two months — since June 11-13. They accomplished a sequence victory in opposition to Seattle over the weekend by successful what have been Woodward’s ultimate two video games, giving him a 211-287 report.
Beasley is the longest-tenured member of the Rangers teaching employees in his eighth season. He had a 590-472 report in eight seasons as a minor league supervisor within the Washington (2011-13) and Pittsburgh (2001-05) organizations.
“Clearly, we’re all very grateful for every little thing that Woody’s poured into us,” successful pitcher Glenn Otto stated. “Very fortunate to have Tony Beasley able to hold working, and hopefully make these subsequent six weeks actually imply one thing.”
Otto (5-8) went six innings for his first victory since June 4 regardless of a career-high six walks, together with the sport’s first two batters. The younger right-hander was 0-6 his final 9 begins. His solely strikeout was in opposition to the final batter he confronted, and the homer was one among solely two hits allowed.
“We had (runners on) first and second within the first inning and the double play ball actually bailed them on the market. Offensively, we obtained three hits tonight, and also you’re not going to win many video games whenever you get three hits, regardless of when you have 9 walks,” A’s supervisor Mark Kotsay stated. “Offensively, we simply didn’t do sufficient tonight to attain sufficient for us to win a baseball recreation.”
Jonathan Hernandez overcame two walks within the ninth for his fourth save in as many probabilities.
James Kaprielian (3-7) struck out 5 and walked one over 5 1/3 innings. He was pulled after Leody Taveras had a one-out triple within the sixth.
“He had swing-and-miss stuff tonight … he was within the zone,” Kotsay stated. “They did have some some at-bats that they'd some exhausting contact.”
Taveras went to 3rd on reliever Sam Moll’s errant pickoff throw, then scored when Thompson hit a pointy grounder by way of the appropriate facet of the infield.
Semien tied the sport at 1 together with his 18th homer within the backside of the third. All of his homers have come over the previous 71 video games since Could 28.
Allen, Oakland’s No. 9 batter, lined a homer simply over the wall in left-center main off the third. The rookie infielder has gone deep in back-to-back video games after just one homer his first 54 profession video games.
GOOD GLOVE WORK
Taveras ran an extended solution to make a leaping catch on the warning monitor in straightaway heart on Cal Stevenson’s drive that ended the seventh inning. … Stevenson, the Oakland heart fielder, additionally had a spotlight play with a diving catch on Corey Seager’s sinking liner within the left-center hole within the third. … Thompson, in his tenth large league recreation, had a working, sliding catch of Tony Kemp’s popup to shallow left within the third.
TEXAS STREAKING
Rangers 1B Nathaniel Lowe prolonged his on-base streak to 21 video games in a row with a single within the third. That's the longest energetic streak within the majors, and 4 wanting his profession excessive. That got here proper after Adolis Garcia singled. Garcia’s 12-game hitting streak is the longest of his profession, and the longest by a Texas participant this season.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Athletics: OF Ramón Laureano (left facet soreness) was out of the lineup a day after he felt discomfort on a swing throughout his at-bat within the fourth inning at Houston, and left that recreation.