A’s salvage winning homestand against Rangers behind Gelof, Tarnok, Ruiz

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Athletics had every reason to slink out of town after halting the momentum of their two-game sweep of the Giants, which featured enthusiastic, packed houses at the Coliseum.

Three rookies helped flip the script against the A.L. West-leading Texas Rangers on Wednesday. In a 2-0 win over the Rangers in front of 6,372 fans, second baseman Zack Gelof hit his sixth home run in 22 games, right-hander Freddy Tarnok earned his first big league win, and center fielder Esteury Ruiz created a run with his legs.

It was only a five-game homestand, but given that the A’s hadn’t won one all season, taking three of five was significant in manager Mark Kotsay’s eyes.

“It feels good to play against contending teams and be competitive,” said Kotsay. “We’ve accomplished that during this homestand. That demonstrates the incremental progress we’re attempting to make, and we’ve got some young guys on this club who weren’t here before and are now assisting us. That’s a promising sign.”

Texas, which started the day with a three-game lead over Houston in the American League West, fell to 68-47. The Rangers, baseball’s highest-scoring team, had just four hits against an A’s pitching staff that entered with the worst earned run average in the majors, 5.79.

The A’s travel to Washington and St. Louis with a 33-82 record and will be hard pressed to avoid a painful bottom line in terms of losses. To finish with 107 losses, they’d have to go 22-25 over the final 47 games, one less than the Oakland record of 108 set in 1979.

The good news is that since being called up from Triple-A Las Vegas, Gelof has hit six home runs in 22 games. It’s the quickest six-hit streak in franchise history, surpassing Mitchell Page (1977) and Terence Long (2000), who each hit No. 6 in 25 games. Gelof has had at least one extra-base hit in 13 of those 22 games.

“I think what we’re realizing is that this Texas Rangers team, like everyone else in our division, is competitive, and they’ve got guys locked up for a long time, so it’s sink or swim here in this division,” Gelof said. “It starts right now with our daily preparation and going out there and competing against these guys, because we’re going to have to face them for years to come.”

The A’s have struggled in the division, with the win Wednesday improving their record to 6-28.

Gelof connected on a 1-0 pitch off starter and loser Jordan Montgomery (7-10) one at-bat after believing he had a chance at another home run in the third but hitting it off the end of the bat.

“When you hit the ball hard, good things happen, so that’s what I’m trying to do,” Gelof explained. “You try to get something in your zone and put a good swing on it, especially when you’re in a hitter’s count.” Hopefully, I’ll be able to keep it up.”

Earlier in the inning, the A’s scored on a “Ruiz Run” by their quick-thinking center fielder.

Ruiz stole second and third on consecutive pitches after hitting a one-out single against Montgomery, his 45th and 46th of the season, before Jonah Bride brought him home with a sacrifice fly.

They were the only two runs the A’s needed, thanks to one of their best pitching performances of the season from start to finish.

Opening pitcher Austin Pruitt set the tone with two zeroes, and Tarnok followed with two hits, no runs, two walks, and four strikeouts in four innings to earn his first win and even his record at 1-1. Tarnok was relieved by Angel Felipe (1 1/3 innings) and Kirby Snead (two-thirds of an inning) before Trevor May recorded his 12th save by surviving a pair of two-out singles in the ninth.

Tarnok, 24, was acquired in the trade that sent Ruiz to the A’s and Sean Murphy to the Braves, but he missed most of the season due to a shoulder strain. He had to wring out some clothes after a shower celebration in honor of his first win before meeting with the media.

“I got a little shower of multiple liquids, so it was great,” Tarnok explained.

The A’s pitchers combined for three walks and ten strikeouts.

“Everything’s a lot easier once you’re ahead of the batters,” Tarnok said. “You got to see the entire bullpen today. When you’re ahead, the game becomes much easier.

Tarnok, who played with Gelof in Las Vegas, said the home run streak is impressive but not shocking.

“He’s a monster.” It’s plain to see. The man is a jerk. Tarnok stated, “He can play.” “I was down there watching him tear it up, so it’s not a surprise to me.”

NOTE: Following a two-game series against the Giants that drew 64,934 fans, the three games against the Rangers drew a total of 15,804 fans.