Rangers get another shot at shutting down Davis, A's
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Khris Davis hopes to continue to terrorize Texas Rangers pitching when the Oakland Athletics go for a second consecutive win in the three-game series Tuesday night.
Davis bombed his 37th home run of the season off the window of a luxury suite well beyond the fence in center field in Monday's 9-0 victory.
It was his eighth home run in 14 games against the Rangers this season.
Davis totaled 10 homers in 18 games against Texas in 2016, the second-most ever hit in a single season against the Texas franchise. Mickey Mantle hit 11 in 17 games against the Washington Senators in 1961.
The A's still have five games remaining against the Rangers.
The all-time record for an A's player against any opponent was set by Jimmie Foxx in the Philadelphia Athletics days, when he hit 13 in 22 games against the Detroit Tigers.
The A's blasted four homers Monday, with two coming off the bat of rookie Ramon Laureano, the first two of his career.
"We made the park look small for a night," A's manager Bob Melvin gushed afterward. "We've got some power. KD (Davis) hit one off a window.
"I was joking in the dugout about these warm summer nights in Oakland, but they weren't buying it."
The A's will set their sights Tuesday on Rangers rookie right-hander Ariel Jurado (2-2, 6.41 ERA), who two starts ago was torched by the New York Yankees for four homers.
He's lost his last two starts, roughed up for 12 runs and 16 hits, including five home runs, in 11 innings.
Jurado has never faced the A's.
Oakland will counter with left-hander Brett Anderson (2-3, 3.90), who has been brilliant in August without much to show for it.
In starts against Detroit, the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle, he's allowed two runs and 11 hits in 19 2/3 innings, but didn't get a win in any of the games. In fact, the A's lost two of three after totaling four runs of offensive support.
Anderson got plenty of help when he faced the Rangers in Texas on July 23 in a 15-3 win. He limited the Rangers to two runs and six hits in eight innings.
The 30-year-old is 2-4 with a 5.68 ERA in 12 games (nine starts) in his career against Texas.
Anderson won't have to face one of his toughest outs, Adrian Beltre, who missed his second consecutive game Monday with a severe hamstring strain.
The injury had the 21-year veteran talking retirement before the game.
"I'm not going to decide that until the offseason," the 39-year-old insisted. "Everything on the baseball field, everything with my family, everything with how I feel mentally is going to be part of (the decision)."
Rangers manager Jeff Banister related Beltre's situation with that of another star athlete in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
"It's the grind of getting ready to play. It's the time from once they get up in the morning to game time and the preparation of playing," he said. "Think about (Dallas Mavericks standout) Dirk (Nowitzki) and what he goes through on a daily basis to be prepared to play a basketball game.
"If they fall out of love with that process, that is probably when it becomes very challenging for them. Then they really have to make a decision."
