ARLINGTON -- The Athletics’ bullpen has been tested often this season, and it’s been acing those tests lately. But Sunday was a doozy of an exam.
After starter J.T. Ginn’s unexpected departure -- he left due to right arm soreness after only 3 1/3 innings, the second-shortest outing of the season for an A’s starter -- the A’s needed five relievers to piece together a stellar performance to protect a thin lead and escape with a 2-1 victory over the Rangers at Globe Life Field.
The win Sunday clinched the three-game series for the A’s, who once again sit alone in first place in the American League West.
The bullpen has been a key reason why the Athletics have been able to hover near the top of the division standings for the past two-plus weeks. Including Sunday, A’s relievers have allowed only five earned runs in the past eight games, good for a 1.48 ERA in 30 1/3 innings over that span.
It was anything but simple for the A’s to hold down the 2-0 lead they clung to when Ginn departed. Joel Kuhnel recorded the final two outs of the fourth inning and Jacob Lopez had an uneventful fifth frame, but the Rangers loaded the bases and chased Lopez in the sixth.
Justin Sterner, faced with three inherited runners and no outs, allowed an RBI bunt single but then notched two strikeouts and a flyout. After Sterner stepped up in that ultra-high leverage situation, Hogan Harris tossed a scoreless seventh and Jack Perkins blanked the Rangers in the eighth and ninth for his second save of the season.
All told, the Athletics’ bullpen allowed seven baserunners, but kept six of them from scoring.
The A’s went ahead in the first inning, when Tyler Soderstrom and Brent Rooker drew back-to-back walks and Carlos Cortes tripled home both runners. The A’s never scored again despite plenty of chances, finishing 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.