|
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME LOG
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Darren Oliver has made quite a
turnaround for the Texas Rangers.
|  | | Darren Oliver won his fourth game to match the Twins' Brad Radke. |
Oliver, winless in his final 10 starts last season, joined
Minnesota's Brad Radke as the only four-game winners in the major
leagues this season as the Rangers beat the Oakland Athletics 9-6
Friday night.
"Hopefully it erases some of the questions," Oliver said. "It
feels kind of good to just talk about the game instead of last
year."
A year ago, Oliver was 0-6 in his last 10 starts and finished
2-9 overall. In 14 April starts from 1988-2000, he won just three
games.
Oliver won his fourth straight start this season, going 6 2/3
innings against Oakland. He struck out seven and walked two,
allowing four runs and six hits.
"We'll take 4-0. Tonight was legit," Texas manager Johnny
Oates said. "The first three, he had to get a few breaks here and
there. But in every game there has been progress. Of his four
outings, this by far was the best."
Radke pitched a complete game Friday night in Minnesota's 4-1
victory over the Chicago White Sox to earn his fourth victory.
Oliver is 4-0 for the second time in his career. The
left-hander's 4-0 record in 1994 came as a reliever for the
Rangers.
Rusty Greer, a former roommate of Oliver's, homered and drove in
four runs for Texas. Alex Rodriguez homered for the second straight
day, giving him six home runs this season, all against the
Athletics.
Ivan Rodriguez and Frank Catalanotto also hit solo home runs for
the Rangers.
"This is big for Darren Oliver, not to mention our team because
he's an integral part of our staff. Right now, he's throwing
well," Greer said. "He won't take this for granted. He will
appreciate this 4-0 start and work hard to continue on."
Gil Heredia (0-4) lost his fourth straight game, a career high. He
gave up six runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings.
"I know it looks ugly being 0-4 with a high ERA (8.85), but I
remember pitching the last few seasons when I lost five in a row.
It happens," said Heredia, who won 15 games last year and winning
13 in 1999. "You just have to even yourself out and try to put
some magic together and try to work something out."
Jason Giambi's solo homer in the first gave Oakland a 1-0 lead,
but the Rangers quickly got even when Alex Rodriguez homered in the
bottom of the inning and extended his hitting streak to 10 games.
The Rangers went ahead to stay in the second after Ivan
Rodriguez led off with a triple. After Andres Galarraga walked, Ken
Caminiti had an RBI single and Greer's groundout scored another run
to make it 3-1.
Greer's three-run homer, off reliever Mark Guthrie, capped a
five-run outburst by Texas in the fifth. Ivan Rodriguez led off the
fifth with his third homer, and Heredia was pulled after Chad
Curtis hit an RBI double.
Catalanotto greeted reliever Luis Vizcaino with a solo homer to
start the eighth.
Giambi, who is 14-for-24 (.583) in his career against Oliver,
doubled to lead off the fourth and scored on Terrence Long's RBI
double to get the Athletics within 3-2. But with runners on second
and third, Oliver got two straight strikeouts to get out of the
jam.
"We had some opportunities but Oliver kept the bleeding to a
minimum," Oakland manager Art Howe said.
Long's two-run homer in the sixth, his third hit, made it 8-4.
After going just 4-for-23 (.174) in the first seven games, Long has
a 10-game hitting streak during which he is 18-for-37 (.486).
Giambi had an RBI single in a two-run ninth.
Game notes
Ivan Rodriguez is 8-for-15 in his career against Heredia.
... Oakland, which won the opener of the four-game series 9-5
Thursday night, has won consecutive games only once this season.
... Their 5-12 record matches their worst record after 17 games.
... Caminiti left the game in the seventh with a right groin pull.
Oates said the third baseman was day-to-day, but likely would not
play Saturday.
 Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
| |
OTHER GAMES
Baseball Scoreboard
Oakland Clubhouse
Texas Clubhouse
RECAPS
Cleveland 5
Detroit 4
NY Yankees 6
Boston 1
Baltimore 6
Tampa Bay 3
Minnesota 4
Chi. White Sox 1
Toronto 12
Kansas City 4
Texas 9
Oakland 6
Seattle 4
Anaheim 1
Cincinnati 9
NY Mets 5
Florida 5
Montreal 1
Philadelphia 8
Atlanta 3
Chicago Cubs 8
Pittsburgh 2
Houston 10
St. Louis 1
Arizona 3
Colorado 2
Los Angeles 3
San Diego 1
San Francisco 3
Milwaukee 1
|
