Freddy Tarnok earned his first major league win, Zack Gelof belted a solo home run and the Oakland Athletics avoided a three-game home sweep at the hands of the Texas Rangers with a 2-0 victory Wednesday afternoon
Tarnok combined with an opener and three finishers on the four-hit shutout
Making just his sixth big-league appearance -- his fifth for the A's this season -- Tarnok took over for Austin Pruitt in the third inning after the opener held the Rangers without a hit while recording the first six outs
Tarnok (1-1) served up a double to the first batter he faced, Josh Smith, then allowed just one more hit over a four-inning stint during which the A's turned a scoreless game into a 2-0 lead
The right-hander struck out four and walked two. The only other hit he allowed also came to a leadoff batter -- a Travis Jankowski infield single in the sixth
Angel Felipe got four outs sandwiching the seventh and eighth innings. Kirby Snead needed just five pitches to retire both batters he faced in the eighth, and Trevor May overcame a pair of two-out hits in the ninth to record his 12th save
The shutout was just Oakland's third of the season
Seeking a ninth straight win, the Rangers did not go down without a fight in the ninth, as Sam Huff and Robbie Grossman kept hopes alive with two-out singles against May. But Smith lined out to shortstop to end the game
Oakland's runs came in the third and sixth innings, beginning with a Jonah Bride sacrifice fly in the third against Rangers starter Jordan Montgomery (7-10). Esteury Ruiz scored the run after a one-out single and a pair of stolen bases, his 45th and 46th of the season
Gelof doubled the advantage -- and closed out the game's scoring -- when he led off the sixth with his sixth homer of the season
Pitching for the second time after having been acquired by the Rangers from the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline, Montgomery went six innings, allowing both Oakland runs on seven hits. He walked one and struck out five
Jordan Diaz had a single and a double for Oakland, which outhit the visitors 7-4
--Field Level Medi