Rangers’ offense can’t back Martinez in 3-1 loss to A’s

Nick Martinez pitched well Friday in his first start as the rotation replacement for Tyson Ross, but Khris Davis hit two solo homers and the Rangers didn’t do much with their nine hits against Kendall Graveman in a 3-1 loss to the Oakland A’s.

Martinez allowed three runs on four hits and two walks in seven innings. Davis connected in the fourth and the seventh, when Matt Chapman single home an insurance runs with two outs.

The Rangers scored quickly against Graveman, stringing together three singles for a 1-0 lead. Adrian Beltre drove in Delino DeShields with career hit No. 3,028.

That was their only hit in five at-bats with a runner in scoring position.

How Rangers hitters fared: A three-hit first inning led to a 1-0 lead, but they couldn’t piece together anything else. ... Delino DeShields, Elvis Andrus and Adrian Beltre collected a single apiece in the first, with DeShields scoring as Beltre’s 1,631st career RBI. ... DeShields reached three times, and the only time he didn’t reach was on a line-drive double play in the fifth. ... Andrus was the only other player with more than one hit. He added a single in the sixth.　

How Rangers pitchers fared: Nick Martinez gave the Rangers a chance, and that’s what he was asked to do. ... The A’s didn’t have a hit until the fourth inning, when Khris Davis hit the first of two solo home runs, and Martinez allowed only two more hits. ... His seven strikeouts matched his career-high, and neither of his two walks turned into anything. ... Jose Leclerc rebounded from two wild outings for a scoreless eighth.

This story was originally published August 25, 2017 at 11:35 PM with the headline "Rangers’ offense can’t back Martinez in 3-1 loss to A’s."