ARLINGTON, Texas -- If the Oakland Athletics are to celebrate the clinching of a wild-card berth this weekend, the Texas Rangers made sure they would not be doing so Saturday night on the Globe Life Park diamond.
Oakland's magic number to gain a wild-card playoff berth remained at one following the Rangers' 5-4 victory over the Athletics before 35,326.
The Athletics would still clinch if the Seattle Mariners lost to the Los Angeles Angels.
A few observations:
Busy bullpen: It figured interim manager Tim Bogar would be utilizing a September-sized bullpen once an emergency starter was pressed into service. And he didn't disappoint, with a call going out to seven relievers: Alex Claudio, Shawn Tolleson, Michael Kirkman, Spencer Patton, Neal Cotts, Roman Mendez and, finally, Neftali Feliz for his 13th save. Only Cotts was charged with runs.
Quick on the trigger?: It appeared Bogar might have been too quick putting in the call for Mendez. The Athletics had Derek Norris in the on-deck circle to possibly hit for the left-handed Brandon Moss, but Norris was not announced. So when Mendez came on, Norris went back to the dugout and Moss stayed in the game. It worked out for the Rangers because Mendez struck out Moss on a 3-2 pitch.
Striking early: The Rangers turned consecutive singles by Elvis Andrus, Rougned Odor and Adrian Beltre into two runs in the first inning for a 2-1 lead. A stolen base by Andrus and Odor's advance to second on a throw to the plate factored in the runs. Andrus aggressively scored from second on Odor's bullet to right field thanks to a Josh Reddick throw that arrived in time but a few feet offline.
Filling in: Emergency starter Scott Baker in four innings limited Oakland to two runs and four hits and left with a lead but no possible way to get a victory without the minimum five innings pitched. The versatile Baker was pressed into service when Derek Holland (migraine headache) was scratched an hour before game time. A Josh Donaldson home run that traveled an estimated 396 feet into the left-field stands off Baker gave Oakland a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.
Gunned down: Catcher Robinson Chirinos notched his 24th and 25th runners caught stealing, initially in the third inning, when his throw to Andrus beat Eric Sogard at second base. More dramatically, he erased pinch runner Billy Burns in the ninth. Chirinos ranked fourth in the American League coming into the game despite having made only 88 starts.
Offensively, Chirinos' two-run home run in the seventh increased the Rangers' lead to 5-2. It came on an 0-1 pitch, his 13th of the season, and it traveled an estimated 414 feet.
No ordinary Smo: Jake Smolinski increased the Rangers' lead to 3-1 with a fourth-inning home run that traveled an estimated 375 feet before touching down in the left-field stands. The home run was his third, all of which have come since he returned from the 15-day disabled list on Sept. 16.
Up for review: Andrus was originally ruled safe on a stolen-base attempt in the third inning, but after a challenge by Oakland manager Bob Melvin and a 32-second review, the call by crew chief Bill Welke was overturned.
The Rangers unsuccessfully challenged the safe call on Athletics baserunner Donaldson at the plate in the eighth inning.
Defensive gems: Ryan Rua turned the wrong way on a scalded liner by Donaldson in the third inning but recovered in time to make a leaping catch in deep left field.
Beltre grabbed a sizzling liner off the bat of former teammate Geovany Soto leading off the third frame.
Leonys Martin got a good jump on a line drive to his left and made a sliding catch on one knee to retire pinch hitter Alberto Callaspo in the seventh.
The Rangers turned snappy double plays in the fifth (started by Andrus) and sixth (started by Odor) innings.
Up next: The Rangers put a cap on the 2014 season in a 2:05 p.m. CT Sunday start against Oakland at Globe Life Park. In a matchup of 24-year-old right-handers, Nick Martinez (5-11, 4.61 ERA) will be opposed by Sonny Gray (13-10, 3.21 ERA) on ESPN 103.3 FM and Fox Sports Southwest.
