Baseball: Oakland A's hold off Texas Rangers

Khris Davis continued his slugging ways with an eighth-inning solo homer that completed the visiting Oakland A's rally from a five-run deficit to top the Texas Rangers, 8-6, Friday night. It was Davis' third homer in the last two games and his 10th of the season. His grounder to third base in the sixth inning scored Mark Canha as part of a four-run rally that included a two-run double from Stephen Piscotty that shrunk a 6-1 Rangers lead to 6-5.

In his first game against his former team, A's second baseman Jurickson Profar had two hits, an RBI and scored in the ninth as Oakland tacked on a final insurance run. Ramon Laureano tied it at 6-6 in the seventh, crushing an opposite-field homer off Rangers reliever Shawn Kelley, getting Oakland starter Mike Fiers off the hook. Fiers departed after just five innings and allowing six runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out six.

Four Oakland relievers kept the Rangers scoreless with three hits, no walks and six strikeouts through the final four innings. Texas had a shot in the eighth after Nomar Mazara doubled with one out. But Joey Gallo struck out swinging against Ryan Buchter and then Asdrubal Cabrera whiffed at a Blake Treinen off-speed pitch to end the threat. In the ninth, Texas had a baserunner on first with one out but left him there. Shin-Soo Choo went 3-for-5 but struck out looking to end the game.

Rangers starter Drew Smyly held the A's offence in check through five innings but ran out of gas in the sixth. He gave up a leadoff single followed by consecutive walks to load the bases to summon a bullpen that blew the lead. All three runners reliever Jesse Chavez inherited scored and were charged to Smyly, running his ERA to 7.15 through three starts. Kelley gave up the eighth-inning blast to Davis.

The Rangers opened the game with two quick runs on consecutive doubles from Choo and Logan Forsythe, and a fielder's choice grounder from Mazara. Cabrera hit his fourth homer of the season in the fourth to make it 3-1, and shortstop Elvis Andrus' three-run shot in the fifth made it 6-1 Rangers.