A’s Defeat Rangers to Move Into First

The Oakland A’s weren’t exactly celebrating after their 7-5 victory Friday night over the Texas Rangers moved them a half-game up on Seattle in the AL West.

They were antsy.

“Sure, tonight’s great,” third baseman Eric Chavez said. “But we still have two games. We’re going to come out focused and hopefully put this thing away.”

Randy Velarde hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the sixth inning as the A’s took the division lead from the Mariners, who lost to the Angels, 9-3. Cleveland is one game behind Seattle for the wild-card spot.

“We have a little bit of a foothold,” A’s Manager Art Howe said. “Now we have to finish the deal.”

The Rangers cleared out of the Coliseum quickly. “We’re both trying to win games here. I’m not going to give them an inch,” Texas manager Johnny Oates said. “I’m going to play every game tough.”

Velarde singled off Francisco Cordero (1-2) to break a 3-3 tie. In the same inning, Matt Stairs scored when Jason Giambi’s grounder was misplayed by third baseman Mike Lamb.

Giambi hit a solo homer, his 42nd, in the fourth. He has 12 home runs and 29 RBIs so far in September.

Jim Mecir (10-3) pitched two innings for the win. Jason Isringhausen worked the ninth for his 32nd save.

Texas closed to 6-5 in the eighth when Royce Clayton singled home a run and Chad Curtis had his third RBI groundout of the game. The A’s got a run in the bottom half when third baseman Scott Sheldon made an error on Stairs’ grounder.

The Athletics are hoping to gain some playoff ground against the AL’s worst second-half team and avoid a trip to Tampa Bay for a makeup game Monday.

“This club needs a day off,” Howe said.

Oates suggested the A’s won’t get much rest before then.

“I bet Art is going to be here at 7 o’clock in the morning, or not go home at all,” Oates said. “He’s going to be so revved up.”

Olmedo Saenz hit an RBI single in the fifth to give the A’s a 3-2 lead. But the Rangers tied it in the sixth on Curtis’ RBI grounder.

Texas starter Kenny Rogers got a no-decision, leaving intact his streak at the Oakland Coliseum.

Rogers, formerly with the A’s, has won his last 17 decisions at the Coliseum, last losing on Aug. 7, 1994. It is the longest streak for a pitcher in a single ballpark since Minnesota’s Frank Viola won 19 in a row at the Metrodome from May 27, 1987 to July 22, 1988.

Rogers went 4 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits.

Curtis’ grounder in the first inning was bobbled by shortstop Miguel Tejada and scored a run. Tejada had not made an error in a career-long 29-game streak.