Ten-Run Second Inning Fuels Rangers’ Rout of A’s

Josh Smith of the Texas Rangers watches his RBI single against the Oakland A's in Oakland, Calif., on May 7, 2024. (Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo)

OAKLAND, Calif.—Marcus Semien had four hits and five RBIs, and the Texas Rangers scored 10 times in the second inning Tuesday on the way to a 15–8 victory over the Oakland Athletics.

Jonah Heim added four hits and two RBIs as Texas extended its season-high winning streak to four games. The Rangers have outscored opponents 37–16 during that stretch.

“It was good to break out,” Texas Manager Bruce Bochy said. “We had a lot of good things going on there. ... Really, throughout the lineup, somebody did something to score or knock in a run.”

The Rangers sent 16 batters to the plate in the second in their biggest inning since May 23, 2015, when they also scored 10 in the third against the New York Yankees.

“I feel like momentum is a real thing,” Semien said. “We came out, obviously, slow yesterday, so it was good to start off like that.”

Texas’ 15 runs matched a season high, and its 19 hits set a new mark.

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“When we can put the game kind of out of hand in the second inning, it’s good for our pitching staff,” Heim said. “It’s good for our offense just to go up there, stay calm, put together good at-bats, keep the line moving.”

Kyle McCann and Seth Brown homered for Oakland, which lost its third straight game after having won six in a row.

The game drew an attendance of 3,965, on the heels of Monday night’s season-low 2,895. The A’s have announced plans to play the next three seasons in Sacramento while a new stadium is built in Las Vegas.

Semien connected against Ross Stripling on the first pitch of the game for his third leadoff homer this season and the 27th of his career. He hit an RBI single and a two-run double in the second.

Stripling (1–6) allowed a career-high 11 runs, five of them earned, in 1 2/3 innings. He permitted 10 hits and walked two.

“This was one of the tightest [strike] zones I’ve seen this year in a game,” A’s Manager Mark Kotsay said. “We had to elevate the baseball. There wasn’t really a bottom of the zone for Strip to pitch to. These guys are really good hitters, and when you’ve got to come to the middle of the plate, it can be challenging.”

José Ureña (1–2) made his first start of the season for Texas. He allowed two runs, one earned, and four hits in five innings.

“His stuff got better,” Mr. Bochy said. “He maintained his stuff. [His] last three innings were really good. He had good velocity. He had a good changeup, slider going, so good day’s work for him.”

Trainer’s Room

Athletics: Shortstop Darell Hernaiz exited in the second inning with a left-ankle injury after landing awkwardly on first base while running out a groundball. Hernaiz remained on the ground for a few minutes before limping off the field with a trainer. He had an MRI after the game.

“Hopeful that this isn’t something serious,” Mr. Kotsay said. “I know it’s most likely a sprain. But we’ll have better results after he gets out of the [MRI].”

Roster Moves

Oakland brought up right-hander Tyler Ferguson from Triple-A Las Vegas and optioned right-hander Dany Jiménez to its top minor-league affiliate. Minor-league outfielder Lazaro Armenteros was designated for assignment.

Up Next

The Rangers and Athletics play a doubleheader Wednesday afternoon to close out their four-game series. Right-hander Michael Lorenzen (2–1, 3.52 earned-run average) is scheduled to start the first game for Texas, opposite Oakland lefty JP Sears (2–2, 3.89). Rangers right-hander Jack Leiter (0–0, 17.18) will make his second career start in Game 2, while righty Osvaldo Bido will make his A’s debut.