Yu Darvish is one of the most talented pitchers in all of base..."/> Yu Darvish is one of the most talented pitchers in all of base..."/> Yu Darvish is one of the most talented pitchers in all of base..."/>
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Athletics Establish Dominance Over Yu Darvish in 6-2 Win

By Sean Davis

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Yu Darvish is one of the most talented pitchers in all of baseball, but that didn’t phase the Oakland Athletics as they got to him early and often en route to a 6-2 victory in Arlington.  After a classically Arlington style slugfest Monday night, when the A’s fell a single run short after falling behind, storming back, then falling behind again, tonight’s victory was definitely a welcome sight.  I wouldn’t come anywhere close to saying it was a must win game, but it would certainly do wonders for the team’s confidence.

Jun 18, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish (11) watches Oakland Athletics catcher John Jaso (5) round the bases after hitting a home run in the third inning of the game at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Moss kicked things off in the 2nd inning with an absolute laser shot to right-center field for his 13th home run of the year to get the A’s on the board, Eric Sogard would tack on the second run of the night for the A’s later on that inning with a single.  John Jaso would take Darvish deep in the 3rd inning, his second homer of the year.  The Rangers would get two runs on an RBI single by A.J. Pierzynski to cut the lead down to 3-2, but that would be as close as they would get.  The A’s added two more runs in the 4th inning thanks to a wild pitch and an error.  They would cap their scoring with a sac fly by Josh Donaldson in the 8th inning.

A’s starter Jarrod Parker showed once again why he’s been regarded as the ace of this staff for now and the future.  After scuffling to begin the season, Parker has now evened his record at 6-6 and has lowered his ERA down to 4.30 after hovering over 7 for most of the first month of the season.  He allowed just 2 hits in his 7 innings of work, he walked two and struck out 4 while allowing just those 2 ER.  This was his 8th consecutive quality start.

With the series now even, the A’s look to guarantee themselves a 2 game lead at worst upon leaving Arlington on Thursday, and a series split as well.  Tommy Milone (6-6, 3.61 ERA) takes on Justin Grimm (5-5, 5.59 ERA) tomorrow at 5:05 PST.