OAKLAND — The A’s need a few things to break their way if they hope to catch the Houston Astros for first place in the American League West. With no head-to-head meetings left between the two teams, Oakland only controls so much.
So the A’s need to beat the teams they’re supposed to beat, like the last-place Texas Rangers.
They took care of business Friday, as Ramón Laureano hit two solo home runs — including one to lead off the game — and Marcus Semien added a two-run shot to help give the A’s an 8-3 win over the Rangers before a crowd of 15,572 at the Coliseum.