ARLINGTON, Texas — A healthy and rested Coco Crisp is still a very dangerous hitter for the A’s.
The veteran leadoff man showed the Rangers there’s considerable pop left in his bat, drilling a two-run homer that put Oakland ahead for good Wednesday in a 6-4 victory at Globe Life Park.
Khris Davis followed with his own two-run shot, one of two homers for him on the night, as the A’s won for the ninth time in 13 games since the All-Star break. This also marks the first time Oakland has won four series in a row since May 9-22, 2014.
It was looking Wednesday like Texas starter Yu Darvish might finally lift his curse against the A’s. He entered the night 1-8 against them, having lost eight decisions in a row. He didn’t take the loss, but he was denied a victory despite allowing just four hits over six innings.
Crisp, 36, sat Sunday and Monday because of the recurring neck soreness that creeps up to bite him. But he homered into the second deck in Tuesday’s victory, and he proclaimed his neck was doing fine after that game. He got things going right away against Darvish on Wednesday, leading off the game with a triple down the right-field line and scoring on Jed Lowrie’s sacrifice fly. Davis homered to left before that inning was over.
But that was it off Darvish, who struck out six and walked none in his third start back from the disabled list after complications following his return from Tommy John surgery.
Trailing 3-2 in the eighth, the A’s stunned the home crowd. Ryon Healy led off with a single against hard-throwing right-hander Matt Bush, then Crisp turned on a 2-2 pitch and hit the go-ahead shot into the right field seats. After Josh Reddick singled, Davis drilled a 97 mile-per-hour fastball to the opposite field for another two-run homer to give the A’s a 6-4 cushion.
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Starting pitching report: The Rangers got to Sean Manaea for 11 hits over 6 2/3 innings, but it was another strong outing for the rookie left-hander. He struck out a career-high nine and didn’t issue a walk for the fourth consecutive start. That’s 26 2/3 innings and 108 batters faced without giving up a free pass, and it’s been key to his recent sharp form. His biggest mistake came in the fifth, when Ian Desmond mashed an 0-1 pitch for a two-run homer to right-center that put Texas ahead 3-2.
Bullpen report: Ryan Dull relieved Manaea in the seventh and blanked the Rangers for 1 1/3 innings. Then Ryan Madson, after allowing a walk-off homer Monday, closed the door for his 22nd save. The Rangers scored a run when Delino DeShields’ infield single got past Healy and Marcus Semien to bring home Elvis Andrus, but Madson struck out Jurickson Profar to end it.
At the plate: Crisp came in hitting just .172 (5-for-29) since the All-Star break. But 16 of his last 28 hits have been for extra bases.
In the field: Josh Reddick stole second and then advanced to third on a throwing error from Rangers catcher Bobby Wilson in the sixth, but Reddick was left there when Davis struck out. Oakland didn’t commit an error.
