OAKLAND, Calif. _ Matt Olson just needed one at-bat to play a starring role for the A's in their game against the Texas Rangers on Saturday.
Coming on as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning, Olson went the opposite way for his 25th home run of the season to help lead the A's to a wild 8-6 win over the Rangers before an announced crowd of 20,504 at the Coliseum.
Olson began the game on the bench as Mark Canha started Saturday at first base. Pinch-hitting for Canha, Olson, who has now played in all 143 A's games this season, took a one-strike change-up from Chris Martin over the left-field fence for a one-run Oakland lead.
Matt Chapman added an RBI double for some insurance later in the eighth, as the A's stayed within 3{ games of the Houston Astros for first place in the American League West.
Oakland, which also got home runs from Khris Davis and Chad Pinder, closes out its series with the Rangers on Sunday, then begins a six-game road trip on Tuesday in Baltimore.
The A's now have a record of 63-0 this season when they enter the seventh inning of a game with a lead.
As Saturday's game showed, though, they haven't all been easy. The A's were up by two with one out in the eighth when Adrian Beltre smacked a two-run homer to left off reliever Fernando Rodney to tie the game 6-6.
Ryan Buchter earned his fourth win of the year with the A's, giving Oakland's bullpen its 37th victory of the season, breaking an Oakland record that had been standing since 1997. Blake Treinen picked up his 37th save.
Jed Lowrie's two-RBI double with two outs in the fifth inning off Martin Perez tied the game 4-4. After Pinder's home run to left, the A's added some insurance in the seventh as a Stephen Piscotty double scored Ramon Laureano.
Laureano made another memorable play in center field, tracking down and crashing against the fence to rob Beltre of extra bases and end the top of the fourth inning.
But all Laureano could do after Jurickson Profar made hard contact to lead off the fifth was stand and watch.
Profar's no-doubter to right field was one of two home runs allowed by starter Edwin Jackson, who lasted just three-plus innings, his shortest outing since he was selected by Oakland out of Nashville in late June.
Jackson, who allowed a second-inning homer to Beltre, was 4-2 in his first nine starts with the A's, but Saturday's game marked the third time in four starts he's gone 42/3 innings or fewer.
