Sep 23, 2008 - 11:51 PM
0 shoutsARLINGTON, Texas (Ticker) -- Hank Blalock homered for the third straight game as the Texas Rangers pulled out a 6-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday.
Blalock connected on a two-run shot in the seventh inning off Alan Embree to snap a 4-4 tie and help Texas end a five-game losing streak.
Sidelined for nearly half the season due to a recurring shoulder injury, Blalock continues to finish the year on a high note, improving to .346 (27-for-78) with six home runs and 17 RBI in 20 games in September.
Marlon Byrd also drove in a pair of runs for the Rangers, including an RBI single with two outs in the seventh that knotted the game at 4-4.
To try and help limit the former All-Star MVP's injury issues, the Rangers have decided to move Blalock across the diamond to first base. So far, the lack of long throws have benefited the 27-year-old, who has a team option for next season worth slightly more than $6 million sitting on the table.
After hitting a three-run shot in a 7-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Sunday and a solo blast among his three hits in Monday's extra-inning loss to Oakland, Blalock continued his blistering pace at the plate with a leadoff double in the second and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Travis Metcalf to tie the score at 1-1.
The Athletics, who were looking for their fifth straight win, pulled back ahead in the third as Travis Buck hit a two-run homer off Rangers starter Dustin Nippert. It was the second blast in September for the left fielder, who went without a homer in his first 74 at-bats of the season.
Making his third career start, Oakland starter Josh Outman struggled to hold another lead, giving up four straight singles to lead off the third including run-scoring hits to Milton Bradley and Byrd that knotted it at 3-3.
The contest remained tied until the seventh when the A's took their third lead of the game, grabbing a 4-3 edge when Daric Barton led off with a single and later scored on a fielder's choice by Cliff Pennington.
Once again, it was a short-lived lead for Oakland as Byrd lined a second RBI single to left-center field off Embree (2-5) in the bottom half and Blalock followed with his 10th home run of the season.
The homer made a winner out of Rangers reliever Jamey Wright (8-7), who retired the two batters he faced in the seventh to limit the A's to a single run. Warner Madrigal threw a perfect eight and Frank Francisco set down all three batters he faced for his fifth save.
From the Bleachers
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OAKLAND: 4
TEXAS: 6
Final
Sep 23 10:39 PM -
AL
AT TEXAS - SCORING UPDATE
TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY HANK BLALOCK (10) TO RIGHT WITH 2 OUT
IN THE 7TH OFF ALAN EMBREE SCORED MARLON BYRD.
CURRENT SCORE: OAKLAND 4, TEXAS 6
DUE UP FOR TEXAS: N CRUZ (.320, 2-FOR-3)
Sep 23 10:18 PM -
AL
AT TEXAS - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY MARLON BYRD SCORED MILTON BRADLEY.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, M BYRD ON FIRST, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: OAKLAND 4
TEXAS 4 BOTTOM, 7TH
DUE UP FOR TEXAS: H BLALOCK (.283, 1-FOR-2, BB)
Sep 23 10:15 PM -
AL
AT TEXAS - SCORING UPDATE
FIELDER'S CHOICE BY CLIFF PENNINGTON SCORED DARIC BARTON.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, C PENNINGTON ON FIRST, R BOWEN ON THIRD, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: OAKLAND 4
TEXAS 3 TOP, 7TH
DUE UP FOR OAKLAND: R SWEENEY (.291, 0-FOR-3)
Sep 23 10:02 PM -
AL
AT TEXAS - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY MARLON BYRD SCORED JOSH HAMILTON.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, M BYRD ON FIRST, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: OAKLAND 3
TEXAS 3 BOTTOM, 3RD
DUE UP FOR TEXAS: H BLALOCK (.285, 1-FOR-1)
Sep 23 8:51 PM -
AL
AT TEXAS - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY MILTON BRADLEY SCORED MICHAEL YOUNG.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, J HAMILTON ON THIRD, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: OAKLAND 3
TEXAS 2 BOTTOM, 3RD
DUE UP FOR TEXAS: M BYRD (.295, 0-FOR-1)
Sep 23 8:49 PM -
AL
AT TEXAS - SCORING UPDATE
TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY TRAVIS BUCK (5) TO RIGHT WITH 1 OUT IN
THE 3RD OFF DUSTIN NIPPERT SCORED JEFF BAISLEY.
CURRENT SCORE: OAKLAND 3, TEXAS 1
DUE UP FOR OAKLAND: C PENNINGTON (.259, 0-FOR-1)
Sep 23 8:42 PM -
AL
AT TEXAS - SCORING UPDATE
SACRIFICE FLY BY TRAVIS METCALF SCORED HANK BLALOCK.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, N CRUZ ON FIRST, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: OAKLAND 1
TEXAS 1 BOTTOM, 2ND
DUE UP FOR TEXAS: J ARIAS (.268, 0-FOR-1)
Sep 23 8:35 PM -
AL
AT TEXAS - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY JACK CUST (31) TO RIGHT WITH 0 OUT IN THE
2ND OFF DUSTIN NIPPERT.
CURRENT SCORE: OAKLAND 1, TEXAS 0
DUE UP FOR OAKLAND: B CROSBY (.243, 7 HR, 61 RBI)
Sep 23 8:22 PM
