Adrian Beltre blasts Texas past A’s
ARLINGTON, Texas — Ross Detwiler walked Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre each of his first two times up, not the worst outcome considering Beltre’s Terminator-like ability to destroy the A’s.
In his third plate appearance, though, Beltre stepped up with the bases loaded, and Detwiler couldn’t pitch around him.
Beltre pounded a grand slam to left, putting Texas ahead, and the first-place Rangers went on to beat Oakland 5-2.
Beltre is batting .350 with four homers against the A’s this season, and he has hit 36 career homers against the club that he twice spurned as a free agent.
Rangers designated hitter Shin-Soo Choo left after being hit by a pitch from Detwiler earlier in the inning, and Texas announced that Choo has a broken forearm and will be placed on the disabled list for the fourth time this season.
Manager Bob Melvin thought that hitting Choo might have affected Detwiler, who had thrown eight scoreless innings in his Oakland debut last week.
“He was cruising along nicely, but he hits Choo with a 2-0 pitch and then it’s base hit, base hit, grand slam,” Melvin said.
The A’s took an early 2-0 lead, with Billy Butler providing a two-out RBI single off Martin Perez in the first and Ryon Healy a solo homer in the second.
Healy, who also went deep Sunday, has six homers in 29 games since being called up after the All-Star break.
Infielder Jed Lowrie will have season-ending surgery to remove a bunion and repair ligament damage in his left foot. ...
Sean Doolittle (shoulder) allowed one hit and struck out one in a rehab game with Triple-A Nashville.
Jharel Cotton, obtained in the Josh Reddick-Rich Hill deal with the Dodgers, retired the first 13 men he faced Monday, one start after coming one out from a perfect game for Triple-A Nashville.