Sun May 4 00:12:43 2008

Comment | Email | Print

Murray pitches Rangers past A's in first start of season

---

Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - A.J. Murray was efficient in a rare start, and David Murphy's three-run homer in the first inning jump-started a 6-3 Texas Rangers' victory over the Oakland Athletics in the second of three meetings at McAfee Coliseum.

Making his first start of the season, Murray (1-0) scattered three runs -- two earned -- on six hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings for the Rangers, who have won a season-high four straight. Joaquin Benoit anchored a scoreless bullpen effort en route to his first save of the season.

Each Ranger in the starting lineup had exactly one hit with Chris Shelton making his count with a solo home run. Michael Young and Josh Hamilton each plated a run for Texas.

Chad Gaudin (3-2), who had won three straight starts, was given the loss after allowing five runs on eight hits and two walks in six innings for the A's.

Mike Sweeney finished with two hits and two RBI, and Bobby Crosby drove in Oakland's other tally.

Ramon Vazquez started things for Texas with a single up the middle. Gaudin retired the next two hitters, but Milton Bradley worked a nine-pitch walk, and Murphy got a hold of a 1-2 fastball for a three-run blast to right center field.

The three-run lead was added to in the fifth, when German Duran scored on Young's double, and Hamilton followed with an RBI single to right.

The A's finally got on the board in the bottom half, when Sweeney smoked a two-out double into the right field gap to score Kurt Suzuki and Mark Ellis.

Crosby's single in the sixth scored Emil Brown, who hustled his way to second when Brandon Boggs booted his fly to left. The tally cut the deficit to two, but the Rangers' bullpen didn't allow a runner to get past first the rest of the way.

Chris Shelton added an insurance run in the ninth, sending reliever Andrew Brown's offering to the same spot where Murphy's landed for his first round- tripper of the season.

Benoit retired the A's in order to solidify the victory.

Game Notes

Before the game, Hamilton picked up the American League Player of the Month award for April, posting a .330 batting average with an MLB-best 32 runs batted in. He also led the American League in total bases (68), hits (38), and extra base hits (17) in the span...Texas will go for the sweep on Sunday with Scott Feldman facing Oakland's Greg Smith...Rangers' relievers Frank Francisco pitched 1 2/3 shutout innings, while Jamey Wright allowed a walk in a scoreless eighth.