A’s pull away for three-game sweep of Rangers

Martin Perez allowed three first-inning runs Wednesday, and the Texas Rangers’ offense managed only three hits in six innings against Rich Hill as the Oakland A’s completed a three-game sweep with an 8-1 victory.

The Rangers were outscored 19-7 in the three losses, and Oakland swatted eight home runs. Khris Davis, who had three Tuesday including the winning grand slam in the ninth, took Perez deep in the sixth.

Danny Valencia had a two-run single in the first inning, which included three singles and two walks against Perez. He allowed four runs in seven innings. 　

Hitting: The Rangers were again unable to generate any support for Martin Perez. The offense managed only four hits, and the only run came in the sixth on a two-out single by Prince Fielder. ... Ian Desmond extended his hitting streak to five games with a sixth-inning single two batters before Fielder brought him in. Desmond also had a hit in the eighth.

Pitching: Perez threw 31 pitches in the first inning, when got the first batter but allowed the next four to reach. Including in the A’s three-run inning were three singles and two walks. ... Those were the only two walks Perez issued in seven innings. ... The only other run Perez allowed was on a sixth-inning homer by Khris Davis after the Rangers had cut their deficit to 3-1. ... Andrew Faulkner, Luke Jackson and Alex Claudio combined to allow four runs in the eighth inning.

This story was originally published May 18, 2016 at 5:10 PM with the headline "A’s pull away for three-game sweep of Rangers."