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Ninth-run seventh inning lifts Athletics past Rangers

Jun 2, 2008 - 12:58 AM ARLINGTON, Texas (Ticker) -- The Oakland Athletics used a nine-run seventh inning to snap a four-game losing streak, rallying for a 13-8 victory over the Texas Rangers on Sunday in the finale of a three-game series.

Jack Cust had a two-run home run and Mark Ellis added a solo blast in the seventh as the A's bounced back after the Rangers had forged ahead with five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Travis Buck homered and Jack Hannahan and Bobby Crosby had three RBI apiece, including two each in the decisive frame in which Oakland sent 12 men to the plate. The A's had scored eight runs before making the first out of the inning.

"We had a lot of good at-bats that inning," Cust said. "There were a few walks, some big hits and it just snowballed from there. It was important for us to respond after they had just put up five in the sixth inning."

Milton Bradley had a two-run homer and had three RBI for Texas, which also saw Michael Young and Ian Kinsler extend their hitting streaks to 17 and 16 games, respectively.

Josh Hamilton also homered and drove in two runs for the Rangers, raising his major league-leading RBI total to 63.

Texas had won six of the past eight meetings between the teams and seemed poised to continue the domination after scoring five times for a 7-4 lead in the sixth. Hamilton, Bradley and Donnie Murphy had RBI singles in the frame.

"I felt I made some good pitches in that inning but they just hit it where they weren't," Oakland starter Greg Smith said. "I put us in a hole 0-2 after Bradley's home run, then we got four runs. Texas comes back with a big sixth and then we put up nine. We just refused to lose today."

Oakland responded in the seventh against relievers Jamey Wright and Robinson Tejeda, parlaying six hits and three walks into the nine runs.

Hannahan's two-run double off Tejeda with the bases loaded put the Athletics ahead to stay, 8-7, before Crosby followed with a two-run single.

Cust belted a towering home run to extend the cushion to 12-7 before Ellis capped the uprising with a solo blast.

Ellis' home run came on the 13th pitch of the at-bat off Texas' Frank Francisco.

"That was probably the best at-bat I've seen in thirty years," A's manager Bob Geren said. "To even get on base after seeing that many pitches is great. Those were good pitches he was seeing and he just kept fouling them off to stay alive."

The Texas bullpen, which entered Sunday with a 1.31 ERA in their last seven games, allowed nine runs on seven hits.

"The bullpen just had a rough day," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "You just take a shower and let that one go. We've got four games coming up against Cleveland and, if need be, those same guys will get the ball again."

Chad Gaudin (4-3), the first of four Oakland relievers, picked up the win with one inning of relief. Wright (3-2) was charged with four runs, two hits and allowed two walks in absorbing the loss.