09/12/2008 - Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dustin Nippert threw five-plus solid innings and Hank Blalock homered as part of a two-hit day, as the Texas Rangers downed Oakland, 6-1, in the first of four games with the Athletics.
Nippert (3-4) gave up one run on four hits and four walks, while striking out seven, to pick up the win. Jamey Wright tossed two perfect innings of relief for the Rangers, who have won three of five.
Joaquin Arias finished with two hits and two runs batted in, while Josh Hamilton added three hits and Chris Davis drove in a pair for Texas, which moved to 72-75 this season.
"That's the goal I'd like to shoot for is to finishing over .500," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "(I) just want everyone to keep pushing until there's no more games on the schedule."
Dallas Braden (5-4) took the loss after surrendering six runs -- five earned -- on nine hits and three walks with two strikeouts in four-plus innings.
"You take full responsibility for yourself when you go out and pitch," Braden said. "I mean you're trying to get deep into the ballgame and help yourself and help your team. Any added pressure on the bullpen or eight guys behind you is not necessary."
Cliff Pennington drove in the lone run for the A's, who had won four of five.
The Rangers grabbed the lead with a three-run second. Blalock and Gerald Laird each singled with one out, and after a pop up, Taylor Teagarden walked to load the bases.
Arias then smacked a two-run single to center, and another run scored when Eric Patterson committed an error.
In the top of the third, Nelson Cruz doubled with one out and scored with Davis doubled later in the inning for a 5-0 Texas lead.
Blalock led off the fifth with a homer to center to provide a six-run advantage for the visitors.
Nippert, meanwhile, navigated out of trouble for the first five innings but gave up a double to Jack Cust and single to Kurt Suzuki to begin the sixth. He was removed for Wright, who eventually gave up a sacrifice fly to Pennington but managed to limit the A's to that one run.
Bill White threw a 1-2-3 eighth, while Frank Francisco had a perfect ninth to end the game.
Game Notes
Teagarden finished 1-for-2 and walked twice...The Rangers left 11 runners on base and totaled 14 hits...Oakland stranded seven runners...Attendance was 10,566...Cust struck out three times to set a new Athletics franchise record for strikeouts in a season, with 176.
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Nick Markakis and Aubrey Huff each scored twice for
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San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adrian Gonzalez blasted two home runs to help
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Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Howard hit a two-run home run and
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Jamie Moyer (14-7), pitc
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Russian
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Lee, a 30-
Nats start three-game series in South Beach >>
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Howard tries again to power Phils past Brewers >>
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as the Philadelphia Phillies play the second test of a four-game series with
the National League wild-card leading Milwaukee Brewers tonight at Citizens
Bank Pa
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Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).
Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.
A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.
De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.
The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.
The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.
De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.
Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.
But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.
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