Offense Falters as Texas Rangers Fall Short in Loss to Athletics

The Texas Rangers failed to extend their winning streak as every phase of their game fell apart on Friday night against the Oakland Athletics.

Kade Kistner | Apr 22, 2023

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The Texas Rangers lost to the Oakland Athletics on Friday night in 5-4 fashion. Donning their Nike City Connect uniforms for the first time, the Rangers got off to a hot start and then ran into some trouble as starter Jon Gray began to struggle.

Gray pitched three strong innings before the trouble began in the fourth. He allowed an Athletics run in the fourth before giving up the lead in the sixth. The righty was then pulled after 5 1/3 innings pitched and four runs )three earned), allowing the Athletics to tie the game.

Manager Bruce Bochy then turned to the bullpen where Jonathan Hernandez, Brock Burke, Jose Leclerc and Will Smith combined for 3 2/3 innings of one-run ball.

The winning run came on a Jordan Diaz pinch-hit home run in the ninth off of Smith.

Smith was credited with the loss.

Offensively, catcher Jonah Heim continued his hot streak as he launched a three-run home run in the first inning to make it 4-0. Heim's home run travelled 396 feet and came off the bat at 103.4-mph.

Texas was unable to produce anymore runs after the first inning outburst.

Texas (12-7) will play again on Saturday night as they host Oakland for the second of the three-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. and Andrew Heaney is slated to take the mound for Texas.

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Published Apr 22, 2023

KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies, Cubs and Astros. He is also an editor for Inside the Rangers. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.