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Red-hot Blalock lifts Rangers

Sep 24, 2008 - 3:51 AM ARLINGTON, Texas (Ticker) -- Hank Blalock homered for the third straight game as the Texas Rangers pulled out a 6-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday.

Blalock connected on a two-run shot in the seventh inning off Alan Embree to snap a 4-4 tie and help Texas end a five-game losing streak.

Sidelined for nearly half the season due to a recurring shoulder injury, Blalock continues to finish the year on a high note, improving to .346 (27-for-78) with six home runs and 17 RBI in 20 games in September.

Marlon Byrd also drove in a pair of runs for the Rangers, including an RBI single with two outs in the seventh that knotted the game at 4-4.

To try and help limit the former All-Star MVP's injury issues, the Rangers have decided to move Blalock across the diamond to first base. So far, the lack of long throws have benefited the 27-year-old, who has a team option for next season worth slightly more than $6 million sitting on the table.

After hitting a three-run shot in a 7-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Sunday and a solo blast among his three hits in Monday's extra-inning loss to Oakland, Blalock continued his blistering pace at the plate with a leadoff double in the second and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Travis Metcalf to tie the score at 1-1.

The Athletics, who were looking for their fifth straight win, pulled back ahead in the third as Travis Buck hit a two-run homer off Rangers starter Dustin Nippert. It was the second blast in September for the left fielder, who went without a homer in his first 74 at-bats of the season.

Making his third career start, Oakland starter Josh Outman struggled to hold another lead, giving up four straight singles to lead off the third including run-scoring hits to Milton Bradley and Byrd that knotted it at 3-3.

The contest remained tied until the seventh when the A's took their third lead of the game, grabbing a 4-3 edge when Daric Barton led off with a single and later scored on a fielder's choice by Cliff Pennington.

Once again, it was a short-lived lead for Oakland as Byrd lined a second RBI single to left-center field off Embree (2-5) in the bottom half and Blalock followed with his 10th home run of the season.

The homer made a winner out of Rangers reliever Jamey Wright (8-7), who retired the two batters he faced in the seventh to limit the A's to a single run. Warner Madrigal threw a perfect eight and Frank Francisco set down all three batters he faced for his fifth save.