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Oakland Athletics v. Texas Rangers: Undefeated Streak At Hohokam Stadium Ends In Loss To Rangers

By Samantha Riley

May 15, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics left fielder Coco Crisp (4) at bat against the Chicago White Sox during the fourth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
May 15, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics left fielder Coco Crisp (4) at bat against the Chicago White Sox during the fourth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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96. 10. 126. Final. 3

The Oakland Athletics unbeaten streak at Hohokam Stadium came to an end in a crushing 10-3 loss to the Texas Rangers. Oakland took a pounding on Tuesday against the Rangers in their sixth preseason game this spring. Even though the A’s were able to get nine hits, they were not able to score. Unlike Oakland, the Rangers scored their 10 runs on 15 hits.

Highlights

The Rangers got on the board early in the third inning and stay in the lead throughout the entire game. The Oakland Athletics came close to tying the game in the third when Billy Burns scored due to a fielding error on a hit by Coco Crisp to deep right field and Jed Lowrie then drove in Crisp on a single to make it 3-2 Rangers. The A’s score one more run in the fourth when third base prospect Matt Chapman hit a sacrifice fly to right in order to allow Marcus Semien to score. Unfortunately, the Oakland Athletics’ bats were silent for the rest of the game.

When it came to defense, Chapman facilitated a nice double play on a hard line drive hit directly at him in the third inning. Additionally, today’s starting pitcher, Eric Surkamp, was able to pick off Rangers’ center fielder Delino Deshields, who was trying to steal second in the first inning. Sadly, the Oakland Athletics efforts to win Tuesday’s home game and continue the unbeaten streak at Hohokam Stadium was thwarted by the Rangers’ powerful bats.

The Good and The Bad

  • Starting pitcher Dillon Overton came into the game in the top of the sixth and pitched two scoreless innings while also striking out five. Overton, who was drafted in 2013 by the Oakland Athletics, is a non-roster invitee and has not yet risen above Double-A. In 2015, he split his time between High-A and Double-A ball.
  • Billy Burns demonstrated his offensive skills by collecting two hits and one run in just three at bats on Tuesday. Per his normal batting behavior as lead off hitter, Burns swung at the first pitch in the first inning and was able to connect. However, Burns as yet to steal a base this spring, which is quite surprising. It will be interesting to see if this changes throughout spring training.
  • Even though the Oakland Athletics did not make any fielding errors during this game, their defense was far from perfect. There were some almost overthrown balls as well as some bobbles that should have been outs. For example, former Athletic Ike Davis popped up to left field in the fourth but Semien deflected the ball with his glove, which allowed Joey Gallo, who was on first, to easily move to second base. The A’s need to tighten up their defense if they want to be successful this spring and the regular season.

Notes and News

On Wednesday, the Oakland Athletics will travel to Camelback Ranch in Glendale to face off against the Chicago White Sox at 12:05 PT. As reported by Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area, Sonny Gray is set to make his Cactus League debut tomorrow. It will also be interesting to see if the White Sox’ new third baseman Brett Lawrie will play against his former team. Let’s hope the A’s can get back on track and that Gray will lead the team to a win on Wednesday.

Prior to Tuesday’s game against the Texas Rangers, three former teammates from the Oakland Athletics’ early 2000s team reunited. Mark Ellis, A’s former second baseman, joined Scott Hatteberg, former first baseman, and Mark Kotsay, former outfielder, at Hohokam Stadium. Ellis has joined the A’s organization as a special spring instruction while Hatteburg is a special advisor to the Oakland Athletics and Kotsay is the A’s new bench coach. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle captured this moment and posted a picture to twitter:

Lastly, pitcher Henderson Alvarez, who is expected to be the A’s No. 2 starter behind Gray once healthy, threw a 25-pitch bullpen session on Tuesday. Jane Lee of MLB.com reported that Melvin said Alvarez looked good. This is a great sign for this right handed pitcher who underwent shoulder surgery in July 2015.

Next: A's 2016 Preview: Reliever Ryan Dull

How will Sonny Gray do in his exhibition debut tomorrow? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!