Gonzalez, Crisp, A's down Rangers, 6-2

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

Trying to stay in contention in the American League West race, the Oakland Athletics shut down the punchless Texas offense.

Gio Gonzalez pitched seven scoreless innings, Coco Crisp drove in three runs and the A's beat the Rangers 6-2 in Oakland, Calif., Saturday.

Division-leading Texas (64-46) retains an 8 1/2-game lead over second-place Oakland, but the Athletics (55-54) will have a chance to win the series Sunday afternoon.

Rangers starter Rich Harden again fell victim to a high pitch count, lasting just 2 1-3 innings -- long enough for Oakland to score all the runs it would need.

With the bases loaded in the first inning, Harden walked Kevin Kouzmanoff to force in Crisp before Mark Ellis' sacrifice fly to right scored Daric Barton.

One inning later, Crisp lifted a two-out homer to right for a 3-0 edge.

Crisp's sac fly in the fourth scored Cliff Pennington, who had tripled. In the sixth, Matt Watson doubled to right to score Rajai Davis. Crisp's second sac fly then scored pinch runner Gabe Gross ahead of Texas outfielder Nelson Cruz's strong throw to the plate.

The Rangers managed to plate two runs in the final two innings. Catcher Taylor Teagarden hit his second homer in as many days, hitting a pitch just beyond Crisp's reach and off his glove to center in the eighth.

David Murphy's two-out ninth-inning single plated Jorge Cantu for the final run.

Gonzalez (10-7) allowed four hits and no runs over seven innings, with two strikeouts and three walks.

Crisp and Davis each had two hits for the A's.

Harden (4-4) yielded three runs on two hits and five walks. He had two strikeouts against his former club.

Murphy went 2-for-4 to lead Texas offensively.

NOTES: Texas' three-game winning streak ended. ... Gonzalez has won 14 of his last 15 starts when the A's score three runs or more. ... Oakland's Trevor Cahill will work the series finale Sunday against the Rangers' Colby Lewis.

BOX SCORE

Photo above: Oakland's Gio Gonzalez pitches Saturday. (Chad Ziemendorf/San Francisco Chronicle)

Video credit -- FOX