Texas Rangers receive 12-1 hammering from Oakland Athletics – MLB Update
Texas Rangers received 12-1 hammering at the hands of Oakland Athletics at O.co. Coliseum in Oakland, California on Monday, June 5 in the opening game of their four match series of the 2012 Major League Baseball regular season.
The A’s, who were shut out twice in their previous three games series against Kansas City, gave Rangers a taste of what they can expect to face in next three games of this series.
It was Oakland’s only second win in twelve games and it will be exciting to see if they can continue their impressive form against one of the best teams in American League.
Rookie pitcher Jarrod Parker produced a match winning performance as he took the no hitter into the seventh inning, denting Rangers’ confidence levels.
Considering the way his fastballs and curveballs worked against some of the best hitters in the business, it will not be a surprise to anyone if he puts together his career best season this year.
Only Michael Young managed to get a hit off him in the eighth inning. Parker got standing ovation from the crowd when he headed off the mound.
"We had a good tempo going," catcher Kurt Suzuki said. "In the beginning part he was kind of settling into his own. In the third inning he really settled in and started throwing quality pitches. Against a team like the Rangers, to do that was impressive."
"From the side I didn't see a whole heck of a lot that he had but undoubtedly he had something going on," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He made it through some pretty good hitters. He used his fastball, he used his changeup, he threw some good breaking balls every now and then."
Mike Napoli scored the only run for Rangers, thanks to a 400 feet home run to right that came in the closing stages of the match-up.
Former Tigers’ third baseman, Brandon Inge also played a key role in deciding the outcome of the clash. Inge drove in four crucial runs as Oakland asserted dominance over their rivals in all departments of the game. Kila Ka’aihue also had a decent time on the plate, adding a two run homer for the A’s in the fifth inning.
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