Game result and context
Athletics hit five homers in 9-2 win over Texas Rangers, who stay 1.5 games back in wild-card race
Ezequiel Duran and Justin Foscue gave Texas an early 2-0 lead with solo homers. The Athletics answered by scoring in the third, fourth and fifth innings and won going away. Bolte drove in four runs. The Rangers slipped to 69-71, while the visitors moved to 54-86.
Final result
The Athletics defeated the Texas Rangers 9-2 in nine innings at Globe Life Field, where 23,801 fans attended.
With the win, the Athletics are 54-86. Texas fell to 69-71. This was Game 3 of a three-game regular-season series.
How the game changed
The Rangers led early. Duran homered in the bottom of the first, and Foscue went deep in the bottom of the second. Texas did not score again.
The third inning flipped the game. Bolte hit a two-run homer and Zack Gelof added a solo shot in a three-run frame that put the Athletics ahead. Bolte homered again in the fourth, a two-run drive.
In the fifth, Jonah Heim hit a solo homer and Alika Williams followed with a two-run blast during another three-run inning. One more Athletics run crossed in the seventh.
Key performances
Bolte went 3-for-4 with two home runs, two runs scored and four RBIs. Williams had two hits in four at-bats and drove in three runs.
Gelof collected two hits in five at-bats with a homer and an RBI. Heim's homer was his lone hit in five trips. The Athletics outhomered Texas 5-2.
Duran was the bright spot for the Rangers, with three hits in four at-bats, a homer and an RBI. Foscue finished with one hit, his homer, in four at-bats.
Season and playoff context
For Texas, the loss came at a cost. The Rangers sit second in their division, 2.0 games back, and fourth in the wild-card standings, 1.5 games out. Their division elimination number is 20, and their wild-card elimination number is 19.
The Athletics rank fourth in the division, 17.0 games back, and 11th in the wild-card standings, 16.5 games out. Their elimination numbers are 6 for the division and 4 for the wild card.