OAKLAND, Calif. _ The Oakland Athletics got even Tuesday night on the strength of a six-run fourth inning in an 11-5 win over the Texas Rangers at the Coliseum.
The win improved the Athletics' record to 13-13 before a warm-weather crowd of 10,496 as they seek a sweep in Wednesday's getaway game and embark on a nine-game road trip. Texas fell to 12-10.
Frankie Montas (4-1) was the winning pitcher, and although he's had more dominant games, the right-hander escaped a bases-loaded no out jam in the top of the fourth preceding the Athletics' big inning in the bottom of the inning.
The Athletics broke it open with a six-run fourth inning against Rangers starter Lance Lynn (2-2) that included a broken bat RBI single by Ramon Laureano, two-run doubles by Josh Phegley and Marcus Semien, and a run-scoring single by Khris Davis.
That ended the day for Lynn, who departed having given up eight earned runs and nine hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Matt Chapman's solo home run (his seventh) in the first and an RBI grounder by Kendrys Morales following Stephen Piscotty's leadoff triple in the second accounted for the A's scoring up until then. Piscotty finished the game 4-for-5.
Montas gave up Nomar Mazara's RBI double in the first and a run-scoring single by Asdrubal Cabrera in the second. His highlight was working out of a bases-loaded, no out jam in the top of the fourth _ just before the A's big uprising _ by getting a third-to-home-to-first double play turned by Chapman and Phegley and a ground out by Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
By the time manager Bob Melvin removed Montas in favor of Yusmeiro Petit, he'd given up nine hits, three earned runs (Logan Forsythe hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth) and thrown 107 pitches in 5 2/3 innings.
The Athletics also scored two runs in the fifth on an RBI double by Laureano and a Rangers infield error and again in the eight on Chad Pinder's run-scoring single.
Petit had 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, and Ryan Dull pitched the last two innings, giving up a two-run home run to Danny Santana in the ninth.
