Rooker homers twice, A’s beat Rangers 9-2 for first consecutive winning months since 2021

AP Baseball Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Brent Rooker homered twice to give him 33 this season, JJ Bleday and Shea Langeliers also went deep and the Oakland Athletics beat the Texas Rangers 9-2 on Friday night for their first consecutive winning months in more than three years.

Oakland is 14-11 in August with one game remaining this month, after going 15-9 in July to snap a franchise-record streak of 11 consecutive full months with losing records. The A’s (59-76) hadn’t had consecutive winning months since May-June 2021.

“These guys have really taking a mindset that they want to accomplish this … build this confidence going into the offseason,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said.

“It shows the progress we’ve made. We’ve done a good job throughout the course of the year kind of setting small goals for ourselves to achieve,” Rooker said. “Super proud of our guys the way we competed the last two months. And obviously we want to continue that moving forward and do it again in September.”

Bleday, after a five-hit game Thursday, broke a 1-1 tie and put the A’s ahead to stay in the third with his 20th homer, lining a three-run shot that just cleared the angled wall in right-center. That came after No. 9 batter Jacob Wilson and Rooker walked against Texas starter Jon Gray (5-6).

“Long ball got him. That third inning when he needed his command, he lost it,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “Was good at times, but was just too erratic with his command tonight.”

Rooker went deep in the first and seventh innings. Langeliers capped a four-run ninth with his 23rd long ball, a two-run shot right after an RBI double by Bleday.

The four homers by the A’s came after they hit 11 at Cincinnati to match their most ever in a three-game series.

“Their at-bats have been good this road trip,” Kotsay said. “There’s a lot of momentum to the offense.”

Nathaniel Lowe homered for the reigning World Series champion Rangers (63-72), who had their three-game winning streak snapped. Those wins came in a series sweep at the 105-loss Chicago White Sox.

JP Sears (11-9) allowed one run over seven innings while scattering five hits and striking out one. The lefty is the only A’s pitcher who hasn’t missed a start this season, after making 32 starts while also being in the rotation all of last year.

Rooker hit a 416-drive deep into the seats in left-center field on Gray’s third pitch of the game. Rooker notched his third multihomer game this season when his 397-foot drive in the same direction in the seventh off Dane Dunning, the third Texas reliever and who finished the game.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Athletics: LHP Scott Alexander (left rotator cuff tendonitis) threw about 20 pitches in the bullpen. Kotsay, who stood in as a left-handed hitter during the session, said Alexander looked good and that they will see how he recovers before determining the next step. Alexander’s last game was Aug. 17. … 1B Tyler Soderstrom (stress reaction in left wrist), out since July 9, is still going through his hitting progression. Kotsay said he could possibly hit foam balls off a machine this weekend.

Rangers: Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (right shoulder fatigue), who last pitched July 30, threw a bullpen session. … Two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom (elbow surgery) is scheduled to make his third rehab start Sunday with plans to throw four innings for Triple-A Round Rock. Manager Bruce Bochy said there would be one more rehab start after that, on Saturday, Sept. 7.

UP NEXT

Rookie right-hander Joey Estes (6-6, 4.37 ERA) starts for the A’s in the middle game of the series Saturday night. Rangers lefty Cody Bradford (4-2, 3.31) has lost back-to-back starts — Texas scored a combined three runs in those games.

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