Oakland

A’s even series with win over Rangers

Published

13 years ago

August 4, 2013

Oakland, CA – The A’s turned things around from their loss last night. They used small ball to even the series and maintain their first place spot in the division. A team not known for knocking home runs out of the ball park did the opposite to outwit their opponents.

“Your trying to get a guy out of rhythm a little bit early on,” said Oakland’s manager Bob Melvin on using bunts to get on base. “And then in the end your trying to get a run because that’s all we had was the first three runs.”

The A’s 4-2 victory over the Rangers came off two bunts, a single and a home run all in the first frame. Coco Crisp leadoff the game with a bunt, followed by Eric Sogard’s sacrifice bunt to move Crisp to second base.

Jed Lowrie, the next batter up hit an RBI single to set up Yoenis Cespedes two-run homer to left field for an early 3-0 lead. Texas righty Matt Garza hadn’t given up a single run in the first inning before today and wasn’t too pleased with Oakland’s strategy of getting on base.

“That showed me they’re going to play small ball against me,” Garza said. “The next time I’ll be ready.”

Matt didn’t do a good job of hiding his emotions after Sogard’s bunt. But for the A’s a win was their only concern after they snapped a three-game losing streak and extended their lead to 3 1/2 games over the Rangers in the American League West.

“I couldn’t really make out what he was saying,” said Eric. “But he yelled at me for sure. We scored a run and anytime that happens, he’s not going to be happy.”

Jarrod Parker who didn’t have his best stuff, lasted six innings, fanning six, yielding two, walked two and surrendered one home run. His pitch count escalated quickly, he gave up his first home run since July 6 and he found himself getting out of a few jams.

“I felt like it was very important that he got us through the sixth and he battled through today without his best stuff,” Melvin said. “He kept his composure and made big pitches when he had to.”

Parker gave up two free pass to both Leonys Martin and Elvis Andrus back-to-back in the third. He struck out the next batter but gave up a RBI single to Adrian Beltre to put the Rangers on the board. In the fourth he gave two back-to-back singles but was able to strikeout the next batter to end Texas rally.

“I went back to my change-ups and started throwing some strikes to minimize some of those situations,” said Jarrod on being able to get out of those two innings. “Obviously your fortunate when you don’t give up anything and just keep battling, not get to down on yourself while giving up a couple of hits at the sometime.”

The Rangers were the team that couldn’t capitalize off the opportunities they had last night. Oakland’s defense was more intact today and allowed Texas one more run which was Ian Kinsler solo home run in the fifth.

“We had some chances, but you can’t cash them all in,” said Rangers manager Ron Washington.

The A’s added one more run to seal their victory off Garza in the seventh and it too was another sacrifice bunt. Matt leadoff the frame by walking Alberto Callaspo, his only walk in his complete game. Stephen Vogt bunted him to second and Coco lined a single to right field moving both runners up. That brought up Sogard who bunted in the next run.

“It worked out, obviously,” Eric said. “I think it’s kind of no secret Garza has some trouble throwing to first sometimes, so we wanted to try to take advantage of that. Coco laid down a good single and I came up and put it where I wanted it to go, got the job done.”

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Oakland Post: Week of March 18 – 24, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 18 – 24, 2026

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1 week ago

March 22, 2026

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Financial Wellness and Mental Health: Managing Money Stress in College 

While everyone’s financial situation is unique, several common sources of stress have the potential to strain your financial health. These include financial and economic uncertainty, existing debts, unexpected expenses, and mental or physical health changes. Financial stress may differ from situation to situation, but understanding the factors contributing to yours may help you begin to craft a plan for your unique circumstances.

Published

2 weeks ago

March 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Sponsored by JPMorganChase

As a college student, managing financial responsibilities can be stressful.

If you’ve found yourself staying up late thinking about your finances or just feeling anxious overall about your financial future, you’re not alone. In one survey, 78% of college students who reported financial stress had negative impacts on their mental health, and 59% considered dropping out. While finances can impact overall stress, taking steps to manage your finances can support your mental, emotional and physical well-being.

When it comes to money, the sources of stress may look different for each student, but identifying the underlying causes and setting goals accordingly may help you feel more confident about your financial future.

Consider these strategies to help improve your financial wellness and reduce stress.

Understand what causes financial stress

2. Determine your financial priorities

Start by reflecting on your financial priorities. For students this often includes paying for school or paying off student loans, studying abroad, saving for spring break, building an emergency fund, paying down credit card debt or buying a car. Name the milestones that are most important to you, and plan accordingly.

3. Create a plan and stick to it

While setting actionable goals starts you on the journey to better financial health, it’s essential to craft a plan to follow through. Identifying and committing to a savings plan may give you a greater sense of control over your finances, which may help reduce your stress. Creating and sticking to a budget allows you to better track where your money is going so you may spend less and save more.

4. Pay down debt

Many students have some form of debt and want to make progress toward reducing their debt obligations. One option is the debt avalanche method, which focuses on paying off your debt with the highest interest rate first, then moving on to the debt with the next-highest interest rate. Another is the debt snowball method, which builds momentum by paying off your smallest debt balance, and then working your way up to the largest amounts.

5. Build your financial resilience

Some financial stress may be inevitable, but building financial resilience may allow you to overcome obstacles more easily. The more you learn about managing your money, for instance, the more prepared you’ll feel if the unexpected happens. Growing your emergency savings also may increase resilience since you’ll be more financially prepared to cover unexpected expenses or pay your living expenses.

6. Seek help and support

Many colleges have resources to help students experiencing financial stress, like financial literacy courses or funds that provide some assistance for students in need. Talk to your admissions counselor or advisor about your concerns, and they can direct you to sources of support. Your school’s counseling center can also be a great resource for mental health assistance if you’re struggling with financial stress.

The bottom line

Financial stress can affect college students’ health and wellbeing, but it doesn’t have to derail your dreams. Setting smart financial goals and developing simple plans to achieve them may help ease your stress. Revisit and adjust your plan as needed to ensure it continues to work for you, and seek additional support on campus as needed to help keep you on track.

 JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC