The Texas Rangers fell to the Northern California Athletics 8-3 on Friday night in Sacramento, continuing a troubling pattern of offensive struggles. The game encapsulated the Rangers’ season-long inability to capitalize on scoring opportunities, as they left the bases loaded with two outs in the opening inning without recording a run. The Athletics, by contrast, immediately answered with a bases-clearing double in their half of the first.
Texas managed just four hits through most of the evening, though Jake Burger provided a brief spark with a three-run home run in the sixth inning that temporarily tied the contest. However, the Rangers’ defense unraveled in the eighth inning, allowing the Athletics to score multiple runs and put the game out of reach. The loss proved particularly frustrating given Oakland’s status as baseball’s worst team entering the night.
The defeat also carried standings implications, as the Angels lost to Kansas City on the same evening. That result dropped Los Angeles back to last place in baseball, bumping Oakland ahead of them due to Friday’s victory over Texas. The Rangers will attempt to rebound Saturday evening at Sutter Health Park, with MacKenzie Gore set to pitch against Oakland’s J.T. Ginn in a matchup scheduled for 8:40 p.m. CDT.
Originally reported by Sports.yahoo →
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