Marcus Semien bashed a grand slam and had five RBIs, while Corey Seager and Adolis Garcia also homered as the visiting Texas Rangers dismantled the reeling Oakland Athletics 11-4 on Saturday afternoon.
Texas won its season-high fourth straight game and recorded a season-best 18 hits. Seager, Kole Calhoun and Andy Ibanez each had three hits for the Rangers as every starter reached base and seven players scored runs.
After winning the first two games of the series in their final at bat, the Rangers put an early stamp on Saturday’s game. Seager’s two-run home run in the third off Oakland starter Zach Logue gave Texas a 2-0 lead and was followed by a solo homer by Garcia.
Later in the third inning, Nathaniel Lowe’s triple brought home Calhoun to push the Rangers’ lead to 4-0.
Oakland cut its deficit to 4-1 in the fourth on Sheldon Neuse’s groundout that allowed Elvis Andrus to score.
The Rangers broke open the game in the fifth. Andy Ibanez singled home Calhoun before Semien ripped a grand slam to centerfield off Jacob Lemoine. It was Semien’s first home run of the season in his 44th game after hitting 45 with the Toronto Blue Jays last season.
Calhoun added to the lead in the fifth with an RBI single in his second at-bat of the inning to make it 10-1.
Ramon Laureano homered for the A’s in the bottom of the fifth, his first, but that run was answered by Semien’s bases-loaded walk in the sixth.
Neuse had an RBI single for Oakland in the sixth and Laureano scored on an Andrus fielder’s choice grounder in the seventh.
Rangers starter Tayler Hearn (3-3) went six innings, allowing three runs on eight hits with a walk and five strikeouts. He was followed by relievers Brett Martin, Albert Abreu and Garrett Richards.
Logue (2-4) had his second straight rocky outing since a short stint at Triple A Las Vegas. He lasted just 2 1/3 innings for the A’s, surrendering four runs on seven hits with one walk and one strikeout.
Oakland had 10 hits in the loss, its third straight after two wins at Seattle. Laureano, Chad Pinder and Christian Bethancourt had two hits apiece for the A’s.
-Field Level Media