ARLINGTON, Texas — Andy Ibañez and Jose Trevino hit three-run homers, Kyle Gibson pitched into the sixth inning for another solid start and the Texas Rangers ended a six-game losing streak with an 8-3 win over the Oakland Athletics on Monday night.
A’s shortstop Elvis Andrus went 0 for 4 is his return to Texas.
Ibañez hit his first major league homer as part of a five-run first against Frankie Montas (7-7). The 28-year-old Cuban infielder made his big league debut last month and was recalled Monday after four homers his last nine games at Triple-A Round Rock.
Trevino went deep in the sixth, a 420-foot drive to straightaway center for an 8-2 lead one batter before Montas was pulled from the game.
Gibson (5-0, 2.17 ERA) struck out three and walked two while giving up two runs over 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander has made 15 consecutive starts without a losing decision, though that streak includes his first career opening day start, when the Rangers had its only other five-run first this season. Gibson then gave up five runs while recording only one out in the bottom of the first at Kansas City.
Since that opener, Gibson has given up more than two runs in a start only once.
The A’s didn’t have a hit off Gibson until Sean Murphy’s one-out solo homer in the fifth. Matt Olson and Ramón Laureano had back-to-back doubles to open the sixth.
Montas struck out six, but gave up eight runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Andrus got a nice ovation when he came to bat in the second inning. It kept getting louder, and he eventually stepped out of the batter’s box with a smile on his face and tipped his helmet to the crowd.
The Rangers traded Andrus just before spring training after deciding last offseason that Isiah-Kiner Falefa would move to shortstop after winning a Gold Glove at third base last season. Andrus was their longest-tenured player, the starting shortstop for 12 seasons and lone player remaining from the franchise’s only World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011.
Andrus, hitting .220, reached on an error by Kiner-Falefa in the eighth but was promptly retired when Murphy hit a liner right at first baseman Nate Lowe, who turned and tagged out Andrus.
RETURN FOR ELVIS
The Rangers got also sent catcher Aramis Garcia to the A’s for outfielder/designated hitter Khris Davis, switch-hitting catcher Jonah Heim and minor league right-hander Dane Acker. Davis is now a free agent after being designated for assignment June 8. He hit .157 with two homers and five RBIs in 22 games after missing the first 34 games of the season with a left quad strain. Heim has started 28 games.
UP NEXT
Jordan Lyles (2-5, 5.68 ERA), who gave up four home runs over 4 1/3 innings in his last game, starts for Texas, which hasn’t won consecutive games since sweeping three games against Houston from May 21-23. Lefty Cole Irvin (4-7, 3.89) is on the mound for Oakland.
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