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OAKLAND, Calif. -- Chad Pinder hit his 11th and 12th home runs of the season, left-hander Sean Manaea pitched five strong innings to end his three-game losing streak, and the Oakland Athletics defeated the Texas Rangers 8-3 on Saturday afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum. The last-place A's beat the wild-card playoff-contending Rangers for the second straight time and will go for a series sweep on Sunday afternoon.
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Texas (64-65) remained two games behind Minnesota (66-63) for the second wild-card spot in the American League.
Pinder hit solo home runs off Rangers left-hander Cole Hamels in the first and third innings. The multi-homer game was Pinder's second of the season and his career. He homered twice at Cleveland on May 31.
Jed Lowrie went 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs for the A's.
Elvis Andrus went 3-for-5 with a double and scored a run for the Rangers. Adrian Beltre had a two-run double and three RBIs. Carlos Gomez (excision of a cyst behind his right shoulder) was activated from the disabled list and went 0-for-3.
Hamels (9-2) gave up six runs and nine hits over 4 1/3 innings, matching his shortest outing of the year, as his five-game winning streak ended. He struck out two, walked three and had two wild pitches. The nine hits allowed matched his season high.
Manaea allowed two runs on seven hits, struck out three and walked one. He won for the first time since July 16 at Cleveland. In his previous six starts, Manaea was 0-3 with an 8.17 ERA.
The Rangers took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning by using Delino DeShields' leadoff single and back-to-back doubles by Andrus and Beltre.
Pinder cut the Rangers' lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the first when he launched Hamels' 2-0 fastball over the center-field fence.
The A's pulled even in the third on Pinder's second solo shot to center. This time he hit a 1-2 changeup from Hamels.
Oakland took a 3-2 lead in the fourth. Matt Chapman beat out an infield single with two outs and scored on Matt Joyce's sharp single that ricocheted off of third baseman Beltre's glove into shallow left field.
The Rangers loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth, but Manaea struck out Mike Napoli on a 3-2 changeup, two pitches after Napoli hooked a fastball into the upper deck in foul territory.
The A's increased their lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the inning, scoring three times and knocking Hamels out of the game.
Marcus Semien drilled a leadoff double and went to third on a wild pitch. After Pinder walked, Lowrie sent an RBI double to right-center. Khris Davis brought Pinder home with a sacrifice fly, and Ryon Healy grounded an RBI single to center to make it 6-2 and end Hamels' day.
Oakland made it 8-2 in the sixth when Lowrie hit a two-run double.
NOTES: Rangers INF/OF Joey Gallo said he "feels really good" and expects to be activated from the seven-day concussion DL on Tuesday, the first day he is eligible. "My mind's clear," he said. Gallo, who leads the Rangers with 35 home runs, has been taking batting practice but said it might take him a game or two to regain his timing and rhythm at the plate. ... INF Phil Gosselin was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday. The Rangers signed Gosselin off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 12. ... A's OF Mark Canha started in center field for the seventh time in his major-league career. OF Rajai Davis had started in center against left-handed pitchers before being traded to Boston on Wednesday. Canha is vying for that role, but INF/OF Chad Pinder will also get some time in center field. ... The A's honored Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley during a pregame ceremony. Eckersley threw out the first pitch, and 15,000 fans received an Eckersley bobblehead.
