Santana keys 8th-inning rally, Rangers stun A’s 8-7

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This article was published 14/04/2019 (2686 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Danny Santana packed a lot into his first major league game of the season despite entering in the eighth inning.

Santana had a two-run, pinch-hit triple and scored the go-ahead run during a four-run inning, lifting the Texas Rangers over the Oakland Athletics 8-7 Sunday.

Santana tripled into the gap in right-centre to tie it at 7, then scored on Delino DeShields’ bunt single two batters later. Santana, in his sixth major league season, was called up from Triple-A on Saturday to replace Rougned Odour, who was placed on the 10-day injured list.

Jeffrey Springs (2-0) pitched a scoreless eighth, and José Leclerc struck out three in the ninth for his third save as Texas rallied from a five-run deficit.

“We always have that dog in us,” DeShields said. “A lot of times we don’t know how, who’s going to come up clutch.”

Joakim Soria (0-2) got one out in the eighth and was charged with four runs as Oakland had a four-game winning streak snapped.

“They just made (Soria) throw the ball over the plate, and he got some balls up and got some good swings on them,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said.

With DeShields up and two out, Santana was told by third base coach Tony Beasley that DeShields might bunt.

“I looked down at Beasley and just kind of said, ‘Hey, make sure Santana’s aware that he might bunt here,’ because why not?” Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. “(A’s third baseman Matt) Chapman’s playing pretty deep.”

“They weren’t respecting (the bunt) in my opinion,” said DeShields, who beat out catcher Josh Phegley’s throw to first base.

“He just put it in the one place where our catcher had to go get it,” Melvin said. “It was the perfect bunt.”

Elvis Andrus was a double shy of the cycle for his ninth multihit game this season. Andrus also had his club-record fifth steal of home plate, coming on a pickoff throw to first base by starter Brett Anderson, who allowed three runs in six innings.

Texas starter Adrian Sampson allowed seven runs in four innings during his first start of the season after getting an extra day of rest following Saturday’s rainout. Sampson moved into the rotation to replace Edinson Vólquez, who’s on the 60-day injured list with a right elbow sprain.

Stephen Piscotty and Chapman hit solo homers for the A’s, who hit multiple homers for a club-record seventh straight game. They have 36 homers and went into Sunday second in the majors to the Seattle Mariners with 38.

JUST A BIT SHORT

Khris Davis leads the major leagues this season with 10 home runs and has homered 16 times in 116 at-bats at Globe Life Park. He nearly homered for the fourth straight game when his first-inning opposite-field double came about a foot short of clearing the fence.

“The wind was a little funky early in the game there and kind of blew it down,” Melvin said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Athletics: LHP Sean Manaea (February shoulder surgery) is throwing out to 120 feet.

Rangers: LHP Mason Englert, the team’s fourth-round pick in last June’s amateur draft, had Tommy John surgery Friday. Englert was drafted out of Forney High School, about 40 miles from the Rangers’ home ballpark.

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Athletics: RHP Marco Estrada (0-1, 4.87 ERA) will start Tuesday at home against Houston. Estrada allowed six runs in his previous outing after giving up six runs total in his previous three starts.

Rangers: RHP Shelby Miller (0-1, 9.53 ERA) was also pushed back a day after Saturday’s rainout and will start the series opener at home against the Angels on Monday. Miller pitched 5 2/3 total innings in his previous two starts. He’s working on seven days of rest, allowing four runs in two innings last Sunday in a 7-2 loss to the Angels.

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