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OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -
Josh Hamilton
piled up RBIs throughout the first half and reached 100 for the first time in his career Friday night.
The
Texas Rangers
slugger is ready to add to his impressive total, too.
Hamilton hit a two-run homer to reach the century mark in his 99th game of the season and Texas overcame a five-run deficit
to beat the
Oakland Athletics
14-6.
''It's nice to get it under your belt, especially the first one,'' Hamilton said with a grin. ''We just try to hit the ball
hard all the time and we feed off each other.''
Chris Davis
added three hits and a home run for Texas, which won for the fifth time in seven games and moved into second in the AL West.
Vicente Padilla
(12-5) went six innings for his second win in as many starts since coming off the disabled list.
''You can't hold us down for long,'' outfielder
Marlon Byrd
said.
A's reliever
Brad Ziegler
pitched 1 1-3 scoreless innings to match
Philadelphia Phillies
right-hander
George McQuillan
's 101-year-old major league record with 25 scoreless innings at the start of a career.
''There are a lot of major league pitchers who have made their debuts since 1907,'' Ziegler said. ''Hopefully I can get an
out before I give up a run. It's exciting one way or another.''
Jack Hannahan
drove in two runs for Oakland, which has lost eight of nine to fall into third. The A's are a half-game behind the Rangers
and 11 back of the division-leading
Los Angeles Angels
.
Hamilton capped off Texas' five-run fourth with his 23rd homer, hitting
Sean Gallagher
's first pitch over the right-field fence to tie it at 5.
David Murphy
also hit a two-run homer in the inning and
Michael Young
had a sacrifice fly.
''I think rhythm-wise it got us back in the ballgame,'' Rangers manager
Ron Washington
said.
The Rangers went ahead for good in the seventh. Davis reached on a one-out double against
Jerry Blevins
(0-1), who struck out
Jarrod Saltalamacchia
before Ziegler entered and surrendered a go-ahead RBI single to
Ian Kinsler
.
Texas added a season-high eight runs against
Alan Embree
and
Andrew Brown
in the ninth, two on Davis' homer.
''It was an ugly finish,'' A's manager
Bob Geren
said. ''We went into the last inning one run down.''
Padilla, who threw seven shutout innings in Minnesota on Sunday, gave up five runs and seven hits. He struck out nine after
fanning eight in his previous four starts combined.
''After we scored five runs he started locating better,'' Geren said. ''He's a tough pitcher and he settled down.''
The A's scored five runs in the third on five hits and a walk. Hannahan had a two-run single,
Bobby Crosby
walked with the bases loaded and
Carlos Gonzalez
and
Brooks Conrad
had RBI singles. It was Conrad's first major league hit and RBI.
Gallagher lasted 5 1-3 innings, allowing five runs - one earned - and nine hits. He walked five and struck out five.
Notes: A's slugger
Jack Cust
walked once and struck out four times to extend his AL lead in both categories to 73 and 130 respectively. ... Texas RHP
Joaquin Benoit
(right shoulder) faced five batters, allowing three hits, walking two and throwing a wild pitch, in his first rehab appearance
for Double-A Frisco. Benoit threw 20 pitches, nine for strikes. Veteran MLB umpire Randy Marsh, also on rehab, was behind
the plate. ... Conrad was hitless in his first 11 at-bats before singling in the third. ... A's DH
Frank Thomas
(right quadriceps) ran for the first time since he went on the DL. ... A's RHP
Joey Devine
threw a simulated game and is slated for a rehab start on Monday. ... The A's allowed their most runs in a game and an inning.
... Padilla has a five-game winning streak against the A's.
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