Gonzalez Starting to Power Up, 8-1

Juan Gonzalez is starting to look like the player who won the American League most-valuable-player award last year, and the Texas Rangers are starting to look like the team that won the AL West.

Gonzalez homered twice and drove in six runs and Bobby Witt gave up three hits in eight innings Saturday night as the Rangers defeated the Oakland Athletics, 8-1, for their fourth consecutive victory.

“I’ve got 20 homers in the first half of the season and that’s especially good because I missed the first month of the season,” Gonzalez said. “Considering how much time I missed, that surprises me. My job is to hit home runs and get RBIs.”

Gonzalez hit a two-run home run off Don Wengert (3-8) and a two-run shot against Carlos Reyes.

Witt (10-4) gave up one hit through the first six innings before Mark McGwire hit the second longest home run in the history of The Ballpark in Arlington in the seventh. The ball traveled 449 feet into the club level of the stands, only the fourth ball hit to that level.

“Has the ball landed yet?” Witt asked. “That was a bomb. But I’d rather give up one like that than one that hits the top of the fence and goes over. At least nobody was on base.”

McGwire leads the majors with 31 home runs.