Rangers Routed by A’s 12-3, Wild-Card Hopes Fading

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Sep 24, 2009

Rangers Routed by A's 12-3, Wild-Card Hopes Fading
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland
Athletics and Texas Rangers have gotten to know each other better this
month — as in seven meetings in 11 days.

Last-place Oakland won five of those games and put a big damper on Texas' wild-card hopes in the process.

Jack Cust homered to help rookie
Brett Anderson win his fourth straight start, Cliff Pennington hit a
two-run triple and the A's salvaged a split of their four-game series
against the Rangers with a 12-3 rout Thursday.

Eric Patterson drove in three runs,
Adam Kennedy doubled twice among his three hits and Rajai Davis had an
RBI triple in a balanced offensive attack for Oakland, which sent the
Rangers to just their second loss in their last seven road games.

The A's swept a three-game series at Texas from Sept. 14-16.

"It's nice to have guys up and down
the lineup swinging the bat well," A's manager Bob Geren said. "There
are a lot of guys in our lineup now who can run. It's fun, an exciting
group. We're utilizing every different which way."

Anderson (11-10), who has struggled
for run support much of the year, allowed three runs, one earned, and
six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He improved to 8-3 over his last 16 starts.

It had to be nice to receive all that offense for a change.

"We're getting guys on base and we're
getting hits when we need to," Patterson said. "Usually when you're
winning games, it's because you're doing things like that."

Anderson's strikeout of Craig Gentry
to start the third was his 142nd, moving him past Rick Langford for
most by a rookie in Oakland history. Langford struck out 141 in 1977.

"It's pretty special considering some of the great guys who have made their debuts in this uniform," Anderson said.

Anderson also leads major league
rookies in Ks. He received a standing ovation when he was replaced by
Brad Ziegler with two runners on in the sixth.

David Murphy and Chris Davis each
singled in a run for the Rangers, who couldn't do enough to back Scott
Feldman
on a day when the right-hander didn't have his best stuff.

"They're playing good baseball. We
thought we had a chance to take three out of the four," Texas manager
Ron Washington said. "Coming in that was the worst I felt we had to
do."

The Rangers, who had won three of
five following a five-game skid, were trying to earn consecutive wins
for the first time since they won three straight from Sept. 8-9 at
Cleveland, which included a doubleheader sweep.

"I really give a lot of credit to
the A's and what they've had to do as far as the injuries and the way
their hitters battle," Rangers catcher Taylor Teagarden said. "They're
not necessarily going to beat you with the long ball but they get guys
on base and they seem to get those runs in somehow."

Feldman (17-6) lost to Oakland for
the second time in three starts. His home defeat to the A's — a 9-0
loss — on Sept. 14 ended his career-best seven-game winning streak.

On Thursday, he got through a 1-2-3
first on 11 pitches but didn't have another clean inning. He was done
after 3 1/3 innings, leaving after Cust's solo homer.

Feldman also matched his career high with five walks — three of those coming in Oakland's four-run third.

"I just stunk today, pretty much to sum it up," Feldman said.

The A's committed two errors that led to an unearned run for the Rangers in the first.

Notes
Anderson didn't walk a batter
for the fifth time. … Davis matched his career-best hitting streak at
12 with the fourth-inning triple, his fifth of the year. … Anderson
and Teagarden were Olympic teammates last year, earning a bronze medal
for the U.S. team in the Beijing Games. … Much of the A's top brass
traveled to Phoenix for the funeral of Cheryl Polakowski, wife of
longtime director of minor league operations, Ted Polakowski. She died
Saturday at age 47 of pancreatic cancer. Cheryl Polakowski worked for
the A's at their Papago Park minor league complex. … Oakland has
committed three errors in consecutive games for the first time since
May 12-13, 2007, vs. Cleveland. … Texas starters are 10-11 this
month.

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