OAKLAND (AP) — Donnie Murphy homered twice, Colby Lewis overcame an uneven start to win for the first time in more than three weeks and the Texas Rangers beat the Oakland Athletics 14-8 on Monday night.
Michael Choice and Robinson Chirinos also homered, and Adrian Beltre drove in three runs to lead the Rangers to their fourth straight win at the Coliseum. Texas swept a three-game series in Oakland in April.
Murphy hit a two-run home run in the fourth and a solo shot in the ninth.
The Rangers, who began the night eight games behind the division-leading A’s, nearly let it slip away. They led 11-3 before Oakland scored four times in the sixth and once in the eighth.
Yoenis Cespedes hit a three-run home run while Brandon Moss added his 17th for Oakland.
Lewis (5-4) allowed 10 hits and five runs over 5 1/3 innings to win for the first time since May 25. The one-time A’s farmhand, pitching on five days’ rest, worked in and out of trouble most of the night off the same mound he made his final appearance on in 2012 before missing nearly two full seasons due to a series of injuries. Lewis struck out two and walked three.
Coco Crisp got the A’s going early when he doubled past diving Texas center fielder Robertson and scored on John Jaso’s single. Cespedes added a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
Texas tied it on Chirinos’ two-run single off Oakland starter Drew Pomeranz in the second, then broke the game open with a six-run fourth. Murphy hit a two-run home run, Dan Robertson added an RBI single and Rougned Odor scored on a fielder’s choice to chase Pomeranz.
Beltre’s two-run double off reliever Ryan Cook made it 8-2. Beltre added a sacrifice fly in the sixth.
Lewis and five relievers made it hold up.
The A’s, who scored twice in the first, pulled to 10-3 on Moss’ towering solo home run in the fifth.
Lewis left after giving up back-to-back doubles to Alberto Callaspo and Crisp in the sixth. Pinch-hitter Kyle Blanks drew a walk off reliever Robbie Ross Jr. before Cespedes hit his 13th home run to cut the gap to 11-7.
Murphy and Chirinos hit back-to-back home runs off Fernando Abad in the ninth.
Pomeranz (5-4) struggled in his shortest outing since joining the A’s rotation in early May. He allowed eight hits and eight runs — seven earned — with two walks and four strikeouts.
Callaspo had four hits for Oakland in his first game since being reinstated from the paternity list.
NOTES: A’s starters had not allowed a home run in seven games before giving up four to Texas. ... A moment of silence was held before the game for Hall of Fame OF Tony Gwynn who died earlier in the day. ... The A’s activated INF Jake Elmore from the 60-day DL and optioned him to Triple-A Sacramento. ... Oakland agreed to terms with 3B Matt Chapman, their first-round pick, and SS Trace Loehr, a sixth-rounder. ... RHP Yu Darvish (7-2) pitches for Texas on Wednesday seeking to extend his career-best four-game winning streak. He’ll oppose Oakland LHP Tommy Milone (4-3).
