KXLT - Fox 47 Rochester MN News, Weather and SportsBlalock leads Rangers to win
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OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Hank Blalock homered and drove in four runs, leading the Texas Rangers to a 9-8 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night.
David Murphy and Marlon Byrd each added a pair of RBIs as the Rangers won for the third time in 10 games. Nelson Cruz also drove in a run for Texas, which trails Boston by seven games for the AL wild card and the Angels by 6½ in the AL West.
Eric Patterson hit a home run and Cliff Pennington drove in two runs for the A's, who lost for the third time in 11 games.
Tommy Hunter (9-4) won for the third time in four decisions after giving up seven runs on nine hits over 5 2-3 innings. He struck out two and did not walk a batter.
Four Rangers' relievers - Dustin Nippert, Darren O'Day, C.J. Wilson and Frank Francisco - held off the A's. Francisco pitched the ninth for his 24th save in 27 chances.
A's starter Clayton Mortensen (2-3) had his two-game winning streak stopped after giving up seven runs - three earned- on six hits over 4 2-3 innings. He walked one and struck out six.
Murphy and Blalock each drove in runs in the first to put the Rangers on top. Blalock's two-run shot in the fourth made it 4-0.
With one out in the bottom of the fourth, five consecutive A's hit safely and all five scored. Pennington's two-run single was the big blow and gave the A's a 5-4 edge. Ryan Sweeney and Mark Ellis each doubled in a run and Jack Cust singled home a run.
The Rangers regained the lead in the fifth as Byrd singled in two runs, Blalock added an RBI double and Nelson Cruz singled home a run for an 8-5 lead.
After Patterson homered for the A's in the fifth, Murphy's two-out single in the sixth gave the Rangers a 9-6 advantage.
Daric Barton singled a home in the sixth and Davis doubled home another in the seventh to make it 9-8.
NOTES: Davis singled in the fourth to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. ... The Rangers went 32 innings between home runs. ... Murphy has 17 hits and 12 RBIs against the A's this year, his most against any team. ... The Rangers stole four bases and moved past the Angels into second in the AL with 143 steals.
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