A's starter Trevor Cahill (above) shut down the Rangers' offense, allowing only two hits over eight innings. (AP Photo/Cody Duty)The Texas Rangers (59-42) have run into quality young pitchers in back-to-back games that have showcased the youth of the Oakland Athletics' (51-49) staff.
The Rangers have managed only one run in the first nine innings of each game, as the lineup has been suffocated by A's starting pitching. First, it was Gio Gonzalez on Tuesday who shut down the Rangers potent offense. Now Trevor Cahill got his shot, and the 22-year old right-hander didn't disappoint - shutting down the Rangers for eight innings for his 10th win of the season.
"You think about the environment he's pitching in, the weather, the team, that's about as good as you can do," A's manager Bob Geren said.
Cahill (W, 10-4) was able to induce weakly hit ground-ball outs all game, culminating with a line of eight innings, two hits, no runs and four strikeouts.
"I just try to keep the ball down and get lucky, I guess," Cahill said. "Just a coincidence."
Texas managed only four hits total, all singles, and seemed more-than-willing to ground-out, swinging at pitches near the dirt all evening.
Rangers' starter Colby Lewis (L, 9-7) was also no slouch on the mound. Lewis pitched seven innings, striking out eight, and allowed one run on five hits. The only run allowed was in the sixth inning, a deep blast to left field off the bat of A's catcher Kurt Suzuki, that put Oakland up 1-0. The Rangers' righty was able to mix his pitches well, catching Oakland hitters off-guard using change-ups and sliders as his punch-out pitches, but he made a mistake with a hanging slider and Suzuki made him pay.
"It was one pitch, a hanging slider, and Suzuki hit it," Lewis said. "If I bury it, he's out."
Suzuki had another RBI in the eighth, a single to right that scored Coco Crisp.
In the last two outings, Rangers' starters have given the team a total of 16 innings, allowing only one earned run while striking out a total of 21, and neither Lewis or Cliff Lee have a win to show for it. It's strange to say this, but Rangers' batters have flat-out let down the pitching staff the last two games.
This has been a streaky team on offense in the month of July, which, especially recently, has struggled to put runs on the board. In fact, Texas has scored three runs or less in five of it's past six games (the start of the homestand), but - thanks to the improved Rangers' pitching staff - the Rangers have still won three of those five games.
The rubber-match of the series will take place Thursday night, with a 7:05 p.m. start time. C.J. Wilson (9-5, 3.03 ERA) gets the nod for the Rangers while Vin Mazzaro (6-2, 3.45), another Oakland starter with a sub-3.50 ERA, takes the mound for the A's.
News and Notes:
- Ian Kinsler got the day off after an 0 for 4 showing Tuesday night. (Update: Kinsler headed to 15-day D.L. with groin injury.)
- Last night's hero Nelson Cruz went 1 for 4 in this game, extending his career-long hitting streak to 16 games.
(Portions of this article were taken from The Associated Press)
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