OAKLAND — Texas Rangers starter A.J. Griffin gave up back-to-back home runs in the second inning and retired only 10 batters, and the Oakland Athletics won 8-3 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.
Shin-Soo Choo hit his 16th home run and the Rangers added an unearned run but managed little else against A's starter Jharel Cotton and three relievers.
The loss dropped Texas three games behind Minnesota for the second AL wild card.
Adding to the Rangers' woes was uncertainty over where they'll play next.
Texas is scheduled to begin a three-game series against the Astros in Houston on Tuesday, but those plans were on hold because of severe flooding resulting from Hurricane Harvey. The Rangers will fly to Dallas - as will the Astros - until Major League Baseball figures out what to do.
