Texas Rangers Morning Rundown: Kumar Rocker gets chance to lift Rangers to win in final Oakland series

Wyatt Langford and Adolis Garcia connect for two-run home runs Wednesday in a 5-1 victory over the A’s, and Cody Bradford and three relievers do a job on the mound.

Marcus Semien opened the game Wednesday night with a single for his 1,500th career hit. Wyatt Langford followed with a two-run homer, and the Texas Rangers tallied a walk and two more singles.

Adolis Garcia, who had one of the first-inning singles, connected for a two-run homer in the third inning to atone for a mistake in right field that led to an Oakland run in the second.

And that was it. All six runs scored in the Rangers’ 5-1 victory came in the first three innings, though it took some gutsy pitching from Cody Bradford and Matt Festa to keep it the Rangers out front.

The victory evened the series ahead of the Oakland Coliseum finale this afternoon. Rookie right-hander Kumar Rocker gets his third career start before the largest crowd he has ever faced.

The outing will be a test for Rocker’s nerves and to see how well he rebounds from a bit of a shaky start last week. He lasted only three innings, yielding two runs (one earned) and four walks before he reached his pitch limit.

He said afterward that he sacrificed velocity for accuracy, a decision that backfired. Expect him to come out firing against an A’s lineup that on Wednesday forced left-hander Cody Bradford into deep counts and an early exit.

He was pulled after 90 pitches in 3 2/3 innings. He allowed the only Oakland run, which was set up by Garcia misplaying a Daz Cameron two-out flyball that went for a triple.

Nathaniel Lowe committed an error in the third that would have been the third out. Instead, the inning was extended, as were Bradford’s pitches.

He left in the fourth with the bases loaded, but Matt Festa quickly got the Rangers off the field and posted zeroes in the fifth and sixth innings for another win. He has six wins in 18 appearances since joining the Rangers, a staggering number.

Festa was already the first pitch in franchise history with five wins in his first 13 appearances with the team.

Brace yourselves

The final A’s game at Oakland Coliseum is scheduled for this afternoon, and a crowd of 50,000 is expected. A commemorative replica of the ballpark will be given away after the game.

So, no one is going to be leaving early. The beer is going to be flowing under the sunny East Bay skies. It took fans forever to get into the parking lot Wednesday night, which always frays the nerves.

And even though the crowds for the first two games of the series have been attentive and seemingly happy, some anger is bubbling beneath the surface.

Those who are predicting chaos to ensue have plenty of reason to believe it will. But try to give the fans the benefit of the doubt. To storm the field, or disrupt the game in some form or fashion, would be sinking to the level of hated owner John Fisher. It might even justify his decision to relocate the team.

Stay classy, A’s fans. Don’t give the franchise another black eye on the way out of town.

Really struggling

Justin Foscue was the Rangers’ first-round pick (14th overall, Mississippi State) in 2020 and came back from an extended injury absence this season to post an .897 OPS in 48 games at Triple A Round Rock.

With the Rangers mulling their options for 2025 at first base and designated hitter, Foscue needed big-league at-bats. He just hasn’t done much with him.

Foscue went 0 for 4 on Wednesday to extend his hitless streak to 23 at-bats since being recalled. He is only 2 for 42 this season.

The Rangers believe he will hit in the majors, but they want his bat to be in the strike zone longer. His batting stance has a different look to it than at the start the year. That suggests that he is working on his swing with hitting coaches Donnie Ecker and Tim Hyers.

Foscue and Hyers worked together last offseason. The guess is they work again this offseason. Foscue needs it to recapture any momentum for 2025 that he might have lost this month.

Arizona bound

Eight Rangers minor-leaguers are headed to the Arizona Fall League, the prospect-heavy showcase that has multiple purposes besides player development.

In the case of left-hander Avery Weems and right-handers Marc Church, Josh Stephan and Leandro Lopez, it is purely about development. They are catching up on innings after dealing with injuries much of the season, and it could help Church make the Rangers’ Opening Day roster.

The fifth Rangers pitcher on the Surprise Saguaros roster is Skylar Hales, the hard-throwing 2023 fourth-round pick who reached Double A Frisco this season. He’s another reliever who could help the big-league club next season but needs to work on his slider.

Outfielder Alejandro Osuna, the Rangers Minor League Player of the Year, and infielders Max Acosta and Cody Freeman had solid seasons and are being rewarded. They are also Rule 5-eligible, so the Rangers might want to see them solidify their cases to be added to the 40-man roster.

These games are heavily scouted, and these players could generate interest with good showings this fall. That’s always a consideration in the Fall League.

The AFL season begins Monday with Surprise, the defending AFL champions, facing Mesa. Frisco pitching coach Jon Goebel will serve as the Surprise pitching coach.

Doggy video!

Me after a couple margs and unlimited chips and queso. Enjoy.

Jeff Wilson, jwilson@alldlls.com