Adolis Garcia scored the go-ahead run on an error and added a grand slam to cap an eight-run eighth inning and lift the visiting Texas Rangers to an 11-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Sunday.
Robbie Grossman launched a homer to highlight his three-hit, three-RBI performance and Garcia and Marcus Semien each added an RBI single to fuel the Rangers to their seventh win in their last nine games. Semien scored three times and Nathaniel Lowe went 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 13 games.
Shea Langeliers belted a two-run homer and had an RBI single for the Athletics, who committed four errors en route to losing for the seventh time in the last eight games.
After Langeliers’ two-run homer forged a 3-3 tie in the seventh inning, Texas quickly regained the advantage in the eighth. Garcia ripped a double off Austin Pruitt (0-1) to lead off the inning before coming around to score on center fielder Esteury Ruiz’s error two batters later.
Jonah Heim scored an insurance run on a fielder’s choice from Leody Taveras, and Semien and Grossman each followed with an RBI single to stake the Rangers to a 7-3 lead.
Garcia capped the uprising by depositing a 1-0 sinker from Zach Neal over the wall in left-center field for a grand slam. The homer was Garcia’s team-leading 10th of the season and first since May 7.
The late offense made a winner out of Jonathan Hernandez (1-1), who surrendered Langeliers’ seventh homer of the season and first since April 27.
Pruitt took the loss after yielding two runs on as many hits in one-third of an inning.
Semien was hit by a pitch to lead off the game and Grossman deposited a 1-2 offering from JP Sears off the left-field foul pole. Grossman’s homer was his fifth of the season and second in the last three games.
Oakland halved the deficit in the second inning after Ramon Laureano reached on a one-out double and came around to score on Langeliers’ infield single.
Texas regained its two-run advantage in the third. Semien reached on an error, advanced to second on a two-out walk before coming around to score on Garcia’s single to left field.
–Field Level Media
