ARLINGTON -- The A’s closed out a four-game series with a 10-3 loss to the Rangers on Thursday at Globe Life Field, scoring only on a two-run homer by Sheldon Neuse and a wild pitch.

While Oakland didn’t take the series, the club did pick up a couple of much-needed wins to earn a split heading into game eight of a 17-game stretch with matchups against Seattle, Miami and the Yankees on the horizon before the last month of the season rolls around.

“As far as the series goes, you know, I thought we battled,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “We got two games so we split the series, which is a positive for me. With what this team has been through over the last few days or weeks, we’re continuing to go out there and play and fight.”

Here are a few takeaways from the conclusion of the road trip:

Sean Murphy’s progression is evident
Murphy is continuing to emerge as a leader on this young squad, and has continued to prove himself both behind the plate and with the bat.

“The catching position is demanding,” Kotsay said Wednesday. “He continues to perform, and I think offensively we’ve seen a difference from the last, probably over six weeks, maybe even longer. That maturation process has been great for Sean. He’s worked really hard with his body, with being physically prepared for the season, and it’s showing.”

Since June, Murphy has seen an uptick in his offensive stats after slashing .188/.295/.292 in May. Through August, Murphy is slashing .315/.403/.593 with 17 hits, four home runs and 11 RBIs.

Five of those hits -- three of which were home runs -- came in the series against the Rangers. Murphy was asked Wednesday why he’s had so much success in Texas.

“Everyone asks me that question. I don’t know,” Murphy said. “No rhyme, no reason. I guess I see it a little here. It’s one of those things where you say that and tomorrow I take an O-fer, so who knows?”

Technically, he predicted the future, as he went 0-for-3 in the loss Thursday following that comment. But that doesn’t take away from how impactful his output was in the series as a whole.

Oakland is getting even younger
Entering Monday’s series opener, 12 rookies were listed on the A’s roster. As of Thursday, that number now sits at 14, as No. 1 prospect Shea Langeliers was called up for his big league debut and infielder David MacKinnon was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas.

The pair of moves came after Oakland released a pair of veterans in outfielder Stephen Piscotty and shortstop Elvis Andrus on back-to-back days.

Oakland’s youth movement hasn’t all been pretty, but there have been plenty of bright spots. The A’s opened the series on an eight-game losing streak, and dropped the first game against Texas to make that nine.

The rookies, though, played a big part in helping snap that streak on Tuesday as they helped the A’s take an early lead in the 5-1 win over the Rangers and will continue to have an impact moving forward.

Zach Logue still has some growing to do
Like his previous outing, which resulted in an 8-0 loss to the Astros, Logue struggled with command and generating whiffs, and he took his second consecutive loss Thursday since being recalled from Las Vegas on Aug. 13.

Logue generated six whiffs on 79 pitches in his outing Thursday, giving up seven runs on six hits -- including two home runs -- and three walks while striking out two in 4 1/3 innings.

“Just kind of erratic, not real great command. There wasn’t a ton of swing-and-miss today,” Kotsay said. “He battled, but it wasn’t his day.”

Logue is now 3-7 with a 6.35 ERA in 10 games (nine starts) this season. On the Texas road trip alone, he posted a 12.10 ERA (13 ER over 9 2/3 IP).

“It’s a continuation of just trying to improve and trying to, you know, understand -- at this level when you make a mistake, you don’t usually get away with it,” Kotsay said.