Don’t mess with Texas, apparently.
The Oakland A’s went to Arlington looking to build on their hot streak, and instead lost two out of three games to the last-place Texas Rangers. The finale Sunday ended with a 7-4 defeat, with the Rangers in control for the entire afternoon.
Texas jumped all over A’s starter Sean Manaea, with a combination of legit hard contact and also plenty of luck, and the 1st inning offered examples of both factors.
Manaea got squeezed terribly against his first batter of the game, resulting in an undeserved walk. The next batter crushed a double, and the runner scored from first, but replay suggested he might really have been tagged out at the plate if Oakland had chosen to challenge (which they declined to do).