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Norris, A's down Rangers

Apr 30, 2014 - 6:41 AM Arlington, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Derek Norris smacked a pair of doubles and drove in three runs and the Oakland Athletics defeated the Texas Rangers, 9-3, in the second test of a three-game set.

Josh Reddick tallied three RBI and Yoenis Cespedes scored three runs for Oakland, which has won four of its last six games.

Scott Kazmir (4-0) surrendered three runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings to notch the win.

"I could have let him go out again, but they made him work pretty hard," A's manager Bob Melvin said

Martin Perez (4-1) yielded eight runs on eight hits and three walks over 4 2/3 frames for the Rangers, who have dropped three in a row.

"Tonight, it didn't happen how I wanted," Perez said.

Oakland had already held a 4-1 lead after four innings before blowing the game wide open following a five-run fifth.

Jed Lowrie singled, Josh Donaldson doubled and Cespedes walked to load the bases with one away. Norris popped out and Lowrie came home when Alberto Callaspo walked. Jason Frasor then came on and issued a free pass to Brandon Moss to bring in Donaldson.

Reddick then grounded a single through the hole on the right side to plate two more runs and a wild pitch scored Moss to make it 9-1.

Texas got a pair of runs in the home half on an RBI groundout from Elvis Andrus and an RBI single by Prince Fielder.

Earlier, Norris' two-run double in the first, Reddick's RBI groundout in the second and another run-scoring double from Norris in the third helped the A's race out to a 4-0 lead.

Alex Rios' RBI double in the fourth cut the deficit to 4-1.

Game Notes

Oakland was 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position, while Texas finished 2- for-9 ... Coco Crisp and Lowrie each posted two hits and a run scored.