Sports Network | August 28, 2010
Arlington, TX (Sports Network) – Dallas Braden threw his second shutout of the season to lift the Oakland Athletics to a 5-0 win over the Texas Rangers in the second of a three-game set.
Braden (9-9) gave up just four hits and struck out one in throwing his fifth complete game of the season for the Athletics, who had dropped four of six coming in. Kurt Suzuki went 4-for-5 with two RBI, while Daric Barton scored four times and hit a two-run home run in the win.
Rich Harden (5-5) was tagged for four runs on eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings for the Rangers, who had won five of six prior to the loss. Jorge Cantu’s double was the lone extra-base hit for the Rangers.
Oakland took a 1-0 lead in the first as Kevin Kouzmanoff’s two-out single scored Barton. On the play, Suzuki was nailed trying to take third to end the inning.
In the third, the A’s made it a 3-0 game as Coco Crisp singled with one out and Barton followed with a blast over the right field wall.
Oakland tacked on another run in the fifth as Barton hit a one-out double and Suzuki followed with an RBI single for a 4-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Braden kept the Texas offense in check as Cantu, in the second inning, was the only Rangers baserunner to reach second base until the ninth.
Oakland made it a 5-0 game in the seventh when Barton worked a one-out walk and came home on a double from Suzuki.
Braden continued to dominate the Rangers in the seventh as he set them down in order for the fifth time and worked around a two-out single from Alex Cora in the eighth.
Elvis Andrus singled to start off the ninth, but Braden set down the next three batters to seal the win.
Braden went 3-2 over five starts in August and improved to 2-4 lifetime against Texas…Each team has won seven times in the season series…Harden fell to 1-2 against his former team…Attendance was 47,411 and the game time was 2:28.
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