Jacob Wilson delivered a two-run single, Jeffrey Springs tossed 6 1/3 strong innings and Denzel Clarke robbed a homer as the Athletics recorded a 2-1 victory over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night at West Sacramento, Calif.
Springs (3-0) allowed one run and three hits. He struck out five and walked two to help the A’s win for the sixth time in the past seven games.
Mark Leiter Jr. struck out two during a perfect ninth for his second save.
Jake Burger had an RBI single for the Rangers, who had won five of their previous seven games.
Texas starter MacKenzie Gore (2-1) gave up two runs and three hits over 4 2/3 innings. He walked a career-high-tying six and struck out five.
Gore retired the first two batters in the third inning before Clarke doubled and Shea Langeliers and Nick Kurtz walked to load the bases. Wilson followed with a two-run single to the left of third baseman Josh Jung, giving the A’s a 2-1 lead.
There were two outs in the top of the fourth when the Rangers’ Andrew McCutchen hit a deep drive to center. Clarke ran back, measured the drive and leaped up above the fence to make the catch, furthering his reputation as a defensive wizard.
The Rangers threatened in the eighth when Wyatt Langford and Corey Seager drew back-to-back two-out walks against Hogan Harris.
Elvis Alvarado entered, and Burger jumped on the first pitch and lined it directly to Athletics left fielder Tyler Soderstrom to end the inning.
Leiter fanned Evan Carter and Jung to start the ninth before retiring pinch hitter Joc Pederson on a fly to right to end it.
Texas scored in the first. Brandon Nimmo led off the game with a double and was stationed at third when Burger stroked a two-out RBI single to left center. Burger has recorded five RBIs while the Rangers have split the first two games of the four-game series.
Rangers reliever Luis Curvelo exited after throwing two pitches to Wilson in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Curvelo grabbed his right biceps after the first pitch, and his second offering was about 10 feet wide of the plate, allowing Langeliers to move to second on the wild pitch. The right-hander immediately called for the Texas training staff, dropped his glove to the ground and was removed from the game.
Tyler Alexander entered and escaped the inning without allowing a run.
