Michael Helman hit a three-run homer, his first major league long ball, and drove in a run with a bunt as the Texas Rangers dismantled the Athletics 7-2 on Monday in the opener of a three-game series in Arlington, Texas.
Josh Jung homered and scored three runs for the Rangers, who have won four of their past five games and moved above .500 for just the second time since May 20.
Texas rookie right-hander Jack Leiter (6-6) allowed two runs on four hits and four walks over six-plus innings while matching his career high of seven strikeouts.
A’s starter Jacob Lopez (3-6) was lifted after five innings in which he gave up five runs on four hits and three walks while striking out six.
The Athletics, 1-3 since the All-Star break, managed just five hits off four Texas pitchers on Monday.
Texas jumped in front in the third inning when Jung, who was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock earlier in the day, ripped a solo home run to center field.
The Athletics responded in the fourth, tying the game on Tyler Soderstrom’s single that plated Nick Kurtz, who had doubled.
The Rangers took the lead for good in the fifth. Josh Smith singled with one out and moved up when Jung walked. Cody Freeman drove in Smith with his first major league hit, a double to left-center field that also sent Jung to third. Freeman and Jung then trotted home on a soaring homer over the left field fence by Helman.
The Athletics pared the deficit to 5-2 as Kurtz opened the sixth with an opposite-field home run to left.
Texas all but cemented the win in the seventh. Smith doubled and went to third on a single by Jung. After a strikeout, Helman executed a perfect safety squeeze bunt to allow Smith to hustle home. Corey Seager then extended his on-base streak to 22 games with an RBI single to left that pushed the lead to 7-2.
–Field Level Media
