ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - A sweeping comeback for the Texas Rangers, who suddenly have the longest winning streak in the major leagues.
Nomar Mazara had the tiebreaking RBI single, the second game in a row he had the go-ahead hit in the seventh inning, and the Rangers wrapped up a week filled with comebacks in a 6-4 win over Oakland on Sunday.
“We’re seeing some results now,” Mazara said after the three-game sweep of the Athletics that gave the Rangers six wins in a row.
“We believe everything is back on track,” shortstop Elvis Andrus said. “We knew as a team we weren’t playing the way we know how we know we can play.”
Mazara’s two-out single that made it 5-4 came right after Andrus’ tying RBI double, both off reliever Ryan Madson (0-3).
Since coming home after an 11-0 win at San Diego last Tuesday, the Rangers have come from behind to win their last five games. That included game-ending three-run homers Thursday and Friday before Andrus and Mazara had consecutive two-RBI hits in the seventh inning Saturday night against the A’s.
“Anytime you put wins together, there’s a lot of momentum. There’s a lot of feel-good,” manager Jeff Banister said. “We knew that this offense would get going at some point.”
Carlos Gomez had three hits, including a single to start the seventh, but left the game with a right hamstring strain after scoring from second base on Delino DeShields’ two-out infield single that chased Oakland starter Kendall Graveman.
DeShields hit a slicing chopper that third baseman Trevor Plouffe fielded near the line with Gomez running in front of him. The speedy DeShields beat the throw to first, and Gomez kept running and scored when he lunged toward the plate while also avoiding a bat still on the ground.
“I was going full speed and I didn’t want to try to slide because I thought I could get hurt and I accelerated again,” said Gomez, who will have an MRI on Monday, an off day at home for the Rangers.
Dario Alvarez (2-0) got the final outs of the seventh for the Rangers. Sam Dyson pitched the eighth before Matt Bush worked the ninth for his fourth save in five chances.
Plouffe, Adam Rosales and Matt Joyce all homered for the A’s, who have gone deep 16 times their last eight games.
Joyce hit a two-run homer in the fifth off Rangers starter A.J. Griffin for a 4-2 lead. That came after Rosales led off with a shot that just cleared the 14-foot wall in left field and Rajai Davis then doubled.
“It’s frustrating that for roughly two-thirds of the game we had the upper hand on it and then we lose it,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “We feel good about all our guys in our bullpen. Kendall pitched for us today, it just got away from us again at the end.”
NOT ANOTHER NO-NO BID
The Rangers were held hitless by Graveman on April 8 until Mike Napoli’s homer with two outs in the seventh inning. This time, DeShields, Andrus and Mazara had consecutive singles to start the first, when Texas quickly went ahead 2-0. “The good news for me is bounce back after the first,” Graveman said. “I didn’t lose my composure.”
LESS SUPPORT
Rangers starter A.J. Griffin trailed 4-2 when he left the game in the sixth, after allowing all three homers. He was coming off a four-hit shutout in his hometown of San Diego in his last start, the first win in the Rangers streak. This was the first time in Griffin’s six starts this season that he got fewer than five runs from the offense while pitching.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Athletics: Melvin said RHP Daniel Mengden, out all season recovering from right foot surgery, is getting the kinks out but has good velocity and feels good in his rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville. … RHP John Axford (strained right shoulder) is expected to get at least one more rehab appearance. He could rejoin the A’s sometime soon after they get home Thursday.
Rangers: RF/DH Shin-Soo Choo had spasms in his lower back and was scratched from the lineup.
UP NEXT
Athletics: Sean Manaea (1-2) is set to come off the disabled list to start Monday night at Seattle.
Rangers: After a day off Monday, the Rangers open a three-game series at home Tuesday with Yu Darvish (3-2) facing the Philadelphia Phillies.
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