The Texas Rangers celebrate after Game 7 of the baseball AL Championship Series against the Houston Astros Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, in Houston. The Rangers won 11-4 to win the series 4-3. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Rangers outslug A’s to earn doubleheader split.
Adolis Garcia, Josh Smith and Jonah Heim had consecutive RBI hits in a three-run eighth inning Wednesday night that helped the Texas Rangers outlast the host Oakland Athletics 12-11 and salvage a split of their doubleheader.
The A’s won the first game 9-4, riding a home run apiece and a combined six hits and eight RBIs from Shea Langeliers and Brent Rooker.
Getting home runs from Langeliers, his second of the day, and Tyler Soderstrom, the A’s hung within 7-6 in the nightcap before Texas jumped on Oakland’s fourth pitcher, Kyle Muller, in the decisive eighth.
A pair of walks put two on with one out before Garcia doubled in a run, Smith singled in a second and Heim singled in a third, helping the Rangers extend the lead to 10-6.
Evan Carter and Nathaniel Lowe produced insurance runs in the ninth with RBI singles, allowing the Rangers to survive a four-run uprising by the A’s in the last of the inning that had the potential tying and winning runs aboard when Kirby Yates got Tyler Nevin to fly out.
Heim finished with two hits, two runs and three RBIs, the first two of which came in a four-run third that gave Texas the lead for good. He greeted Oakland reliever Michael Kelly with a two-out, bases-loaded single that flipped a one-run deficit into a 3-2 lead, after which a Travis Jankowski single and passed ball on Kyle Muller added a run apiece to the margin.
Marcus Semien and Ezequiel Duran chipped in with three hits apiece, while Lowe, Heim and Jankowski finished with two each for the Rangers, who banged out 16 hits (15 singles). Five Rangers scored twice and Lowe drove in three runs.
The homers were the ninth of the season for Langeliers and first for Soderstrom, who was promoted from Triple-A Las Vegas earlier in the day.
Osvaldo Bido (0-1), also called up from Las Vegas to make his A’s debut, took the loss after giving up four runs on three hits in 2 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out four.
David Robertson (2-0), the most effective of seven Texas pitchers, was credited with the win. The bullpen worked five innings in relief of starter Jack Leiter, who allowed six runs (four earned) and seven hits in four innings. He struck out three and did not issue a walk.
Langeliers finished with two hits, two runs and three RBIs, giving him a single, double, triple, two home runs, three runs and eight RBIs in the two games.
Soderstrom and JJ Bleday drove in two runs each, while Abraham Toro had three hits for the A’s, who completed a 6-4 homestand that began with five straight wins.
