ARLINGTON -- The Rangers' march to a division title was stalled on Saturday night while Athletics rookie right-hander Raúl Alcántara was busy earning his first Major League victory.
Alcantara, given a 7-0 lead after five innings, outpitched Rangers starter Yu Darvish, and the Athletics held on for an 11-2 victory at Globe Life Park. Despite the loss, the Rangers saw their magic number shrink to 5 following the Mariners' loss to the Astros in Seattle. The Athletics have won five of their last six games.
Alcantara, making his third Major League start, retired 15 of the first 17 batters he faced, giving up just two singles in the first five innings. Carlos Gómez hit a two-run home run off him in the sixth before the Athletics' bullpen took over at 5 2/3 innings.
• Alcantara's confidence grows with 1st win
"He was getting some funky swings from some really good hitters, so it was good to see," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "I know he feels good about the outing, and it gives you a lot of confidence going forward, knowing you can pitch against a lineup like this and have some success."

Darvish tied a career high by giving up seven runs. It's the fourth time he has allowed seven in a game and the first since June 17, 2014, against the Athletics. He allowed seven hits and four walks and struck out eight. This marks the 10th time in Rangers history that a pitcher has allowed at least seven runs while still striking out at least eight batters in a game. It last happened in 2001.
"I didn't pitch well," Darvish said. "Even when I struggle, I still have to give the team a chance to win. I didn't do that. It was a bad day."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Wendle's first career blast: A's second baseman Joey Wendle sent the third pitch of the game by Darvish into the right-field seats for his first career home run. Wendle, who was appearing in his 15th game since being recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Aug. 31, is hitting .372 with nine RBIs in his last 12 games. The home run left his bat at 100 mph, per Statcast™, and traveled an estimated 395 feet. He added a sacrifice fly in the second.
"It all started with Joey Wendle," Melvin said. "That was a tough loss last night after four really good wins in Kansas City. You can get a little deflated and come out a little sluggish, and then Wendle in the first at-bat of the game hits a home run, and we were kind of off to the races."
"I was fortunate enough to get a changeup up in the zone," Wendle said. "I'm not focused on hitting home runs at all at this point. Every once in a while, one of those line drives gets elevated and goes out. It was awesome."
No. 26 on his 26th:Marcus Semien, who turned 26 on Saturday, hit his 26th homer of the year. His three-run shot in the fifth inning off Darvish was his third home run in his last six games. Semien's career high was 15, which came last season. The homer went a Statcast-estimated 435 feet, his second longest of the year. It matches one hit by George Springer for the longest home run hit off Darvish this year.

Darvish control goes awry: When Darvish walked Ryon Healy, Yonder Alonso and Semien to start the second inning, it was only the second time in his Major League career he walked three straight hitters to start an inning. All three scored; Healy and Alonso on a two-run single by Bruce Maxwell, Semien on a sacrifice fly by Wendle.
"Three walks in an inning. ... He seemed to be fighting himself," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. More >

Gomez turning a corner: Gomez homered for the second straight night with a two-run homer in the sixth off Alcantara. It was his sixth homer in his 22nd game with the Rangers after hitting just five in 85 games with the Astros. After an 0-for-18 slump shortly after his Rangers debut, Gomez has hit .296 with five homers and 13 RBIs in his last 17 games.
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
In his career, Darvish has allowed eight home runs leading off the first inning. That's the most by any Major League pitcher since the beginning of the 2012 season.
WHAT'S NEXT
A's: Left-hander Ross Detwiler will face his former Rangers team at Globe Life Park in Sunday's 12:05 p.m. PT series finale. Detwiler took the loss in an Aug. 15 start in Arlington, allowing five runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Rangers:Colby Lewis will start the series finale on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. CT. It will be his second start since returning from the 60-day disabled list. In his only outing against the A's this year, on June 16, he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning.
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