Rangers Fold Late, Succumb to Athletics

Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images

May 1, 2025

Athletics 7, Rangers 1

ARLINGTON, Texas (Apr 30) — The Texas Rangers fell apart on Wednesday, losing to the Athletics, 7–1, on a very rainy evening in Arlington. A grand slam in the ninth by Lawrence Butler slammed the door shut on any hope the Rangers had of winning. They’ll aim for the series split on Thursday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 1:35 pm Central. Lefty Jeffrey Springs (3–3, 6.04 ERA) will get the start for the Athletics, while righty Tyler Mahle (3–0, 1.14 ERA) will take the hill for the Rangers.

Athletics Score First

The Athletics drew first blood in the top of the third against Rangers righty Nathan Eovaldi. JJ Bleday led off with a double to right. After Gio Urshela flied to left, Bleday raced to third on a single to left by Butler. Jacob Wilson followed with a single on a soft bunt to Jake Burger at first, allowing Bleday to score.

The Rangers knotted it up at one run apiece in the bottom of the fourth against Athletics starter Luis Severino. Joc Pederson got the inning started with a sharp single to right. On deck was Marcus Semien, who reached on a 2–4 force play. Semien moved to second on a 5–3 groundout by Josh Jung. Up next was Adolis Garcia. He drove in Semien with a single up the middle.

Things Get Out of Hand for the Rangers

The Athletics ran away with the lead in the top of the ninth. With Robert Garcia on the mound, Tyler Soderstrom hit a sharp single up the middle. This brought Rangers manager Bruce Bochy out of the dugout to bring in reliever Luke Jackson, and Seth Brown was brought to pinch-run for Soderstrom. On deck was Brent Rooker, who blasted a two-run homer to left, his eighth of the year. The Athletics weren’t finished, however. Shea Langeliers stepped in and singled to center. After Nick Kurtz struck out swinging, Luis Urias and Bleday both drew walks to load the bases.

Hoping to stop the threat, the Rangers brought in reliever Shawn Armstrong. He struck out Urshela to bring up Butler. With the bases juiced, Butler connected on the first pitch he saw, sending one over the wall in center for a grand slam, marking his fifth home run of the year.

What Went Right for the Athletics

Wednesday was a rare sight to behold where the Rangers’ bullpen collapsed. The Athletics pounced on this opportunity, leading to a six-run ninth, highlighted by Butler’s hefty helping of salami.

What Went Wrong for the Athletics

The Athletics only faced one hurdle on Wednesday, which came in the form of Garcia’s RBI single in the fourth. That would be the only flickering light for the Rangers in this contest.

No-Decision for Eovaldi

Rangers righty Nathan Eovaldi did not factor into the decision on Wednesday despite notching his team-leading fifth quality start of the season. His final line was ND, 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R-ER, 0 BB, 8 SO, 92 pitches/61 strikes. Eovaldi retired the side on eight pitches in the first and struck out the side in the second before allowing an RBI single to Jacob Wilson in the third – the lone damage against him in the outing. Eovaldi is the only pitcher in baseball this season with as many as three starts of six or more innings pitched, eight or more strikeouts, and no walks (credit TruMedia).

He has 46 strikeouts against three walks this season for a 15.33 SO/BB figure and finished Wednesday’s game with a 0.77 season WHIP. His SO/BB and WHIP are each the best marks in franchise history for a pitcher over his first seven starts of a season. Eovaldi’s 0.77 WHIP is the lowest for any pitcher over his first seven starts of a season since Tarik Skubal also posted a 0.77 WHIP over the first seven games of his 2024 Cy Young campaign with the Detroit Tigers.

Garcia took the loss after tossing two-thirds of an inning. He surrendered one run, which was earned, on one hit.

Severino’s Evening

Athletics starter Luis Severino navigated around eight hits in five-plus innings, permitting one run in a no-decision Wednesday. His line was 1 BB, 4 SO, 93 pitches/63 strikes. All eight hits against him were singles, the third-most singles he’s allowed in his career. Severino escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third inning with a strikeout of Jake Burger. He allowed an RBI single to García in the fourth.

Severino was lifted in the sixth after yielding back-to-back singles to begin the frame – both runners were stranded by A’s reliever Justin Sterner. Severino failed to complete six innings for the second time in his seven starts this year. He still ranks second in the AL this season with 43 2/3 innings pitched at the conclusion of Wednesday’s game.

Right-hander Grant Holman earned his third win of 2025 after pitching two scoreless frames. He gave up a hit and a walk while striking out two.

Bochy’s Postgame Comments

Despite the loss, Bochy seemed optimistic after the game. “The talent is here,” he said. “If you don’t have the belief that they will hit, what do you have? I know hope isn’t a strategy, but at the same time, I really think these guys are going to come around. I know some guys are going to hit. We’ve got to hunker down together and have each other’s backs for each other and fight through this together.”