RANGERS GARZA 1st Frame hurts Him and Them with Them being the RANGERS...A's strike back to keep AL West lead at 3 1/2..."WEEKEND BENDERS" AL West Showdown #ATHLETICSbiz #RANGERSbiz

The Oakland A's had a game plan as they jumped on Rangers Prized-MLB Trade Deadline Pick Up in RHP Matt Garza in frame one and that cost the Rangers. The A's scored three in the 1st including a 2-run blast by 2013 HR Derby Champ Yoenis Cespedes and that's all the Athletics would need to get a 4-2 "W" and slow down those streaking Rangers.

Garza went the full eight allowing four runs on eight hits as he walked one and struck out five. The Rangers slowly got back into the game with a run in the 3rd and a Solo Bomb by Ian Kinsler in the 5th Inning but wouldn't get any closer than that. The A's then tack on a insurance run in the bottom half of the 7th frame to close the scoring.

A's RHP Jarrod Parker held his end of the bargain up for the Athletics going six and allowing two runs on six strikeouts and that Solo Shot to Kinsler. A's Captain Save-A-Game Grant Balfour came in the final frame to shut the door on the Rangers. I have a feeling this AL West thing is going to go well into September and it might like in 2012 go down to the last series of the 2013 season.