The four-RBI dinger came as the first of Davis’s career and gave Oakland an 8-5 win over the Texas Rangers. Texas left Derek Holland has allowed 15 runs over his last 5 innings in his last two starts.
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One batter earlier, Danny Valencia had drilled a 92 mile-per-hour two-seamer to left field on a 3-0 count. He’s not expected to play again this season. Billy Burns popped out, then Tolleson intentionally walked Josh Reddick to load the bases even though that meant bringing up Valencia and then Davis, the men who’d been driving all the A’s runs.
Instead, Valencia popped out.
“As long as we’re winning, we’re building chemistry, ” Khris Davis said.
The A’s took a 2-0 lead in the second inning when Valencia and Davis hit back-to-back home runs off Hamels.
Davis had two solo home runs to go with his grand slam, which came off closer Shawn Tolleson, and drove in a career-high six runs.
As for Davis, he hammered his 12th homer of the season in the bottom of the seventh to push the lead to 4-1. “I want to be with my team all year”.
And if the homers were done, the scoring wasn’t.
Marcus Semien had two hits and drove in two runs for the As, who have won four straight and five of six overall.
The Rangers were swept for the second time this year.
The homer was Davis’ sixth in his past 13 games and his 11th of the season. He had command of the strike zone, kept the ball down except when catcher Matt McBride asked him to elevate it and had the game on cruise control for six innings. Desmond collected a pair of hits. “It was great seeing the guys making awesome plays”.
Athletics: OF Mark Canha will undergo season-ending surgery on his back. “It’s not such a bad day in my world, ” he said.
The A’s have put Henderson Alvarez’s move into the rotation on hold after an MRI of the right-handed starter’s shoulder didn’t get specific. He felt some discomfort in it at the end of his final injury rehabilitation start Saturday for Triple-A Nashville.
“It took you a minute to focus and realize what happened”, A’s manager Bob Melvin said. The club will know more once the MRI is read as to when the 2014 National League All-Star will be ready to go. Oakland recalled INF Max Muncy from Triple-A Nashville.
After a 6-0 loss on Saturday, the A’s were facing another disheartening defeat on Sunday when they were down to their last out in Tampa. “I thought everybody was pretty healthy”.
Eric Surkamp was originally scheduled to start this game.
(AP Photo/Ben Margot). Oakland Athletics pitcher Jesse Hahn works against the Texas Rangers during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 17, 2016, in Oakland, Calif.
For all the home run potency and run production, the sweep was created in large part by the team’s best series of starting pitching.
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Sonny Gray was satisfactory in his start against Texas, but the A’s still need more from the rightful ace of the staff, and will need Sean Manaea to build off his last performance, the best start of his young career.
