Shea Langeliers went 4-for-4 with a double and an RBI and Lawrence Butler homered to lead the Athletics to a 5-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday in West Sacramento, Calif.
Gio Urshela added two doubles and an RBI for the A’s, who snapped a two-game losing streak. First baseman Nick Kurtz, rated the team’s No. 1 prospect and 35th overall by MLB Pipeline, hit an RBI single in his first major league at-bat and finished 1-for-4.
Athletics starter JP Sears (3-2) allowed two runs on five hits in five-plus innings. He walked one and struck out five. Mason Miller, who hit 102 mph on the radar gun with a fastball to Marcus Semien, struck out three in the ninth for his seventh save in seven tries.
Wyatt Langford homered and Kyle Higashioka doubled for Texas. Kumar Rocker (1-3) gave up five runs on seven hits over 1 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out two.
The Athletics, who entered the contest with the fewest home wins in the majors (2-8) while getting outscored 70-38 in the process, jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning.
Butler led off with a 425-foot homer to center, capping an eight-pitch at-bat. One out later, Tyler Soderstrom doubled, and he scored on a single by Langeliers. With two outs, Jacob Wilson singled and Kurtz followed with a ground single to center to drive in Langeliers. Urshela then knocked in Wilson with a single.
The A’s made it 5-0 in the second inning when Wilson, batting with the bases loaded, drew his first walk of the season. It was his 88th plate appearance of the year. Rocker had walked two before reliever Jacob Latz walked JJ Bleday and Wilson.
Texas cut into the deficit in the fourth on Langford’s sixth homer of the season, a 431-foot solo blast to left-center, and closed within 5-2 in the sixth inning on an RBI groundout by Adolis Garcia, driving in Kevin Pillar, who singled.
Texas’ Joc Pederson ended an 0-for-41 slump with a two-out, pinch-hit double to center in the ninth. Miller rebounded to strike out Heim to end the game.
