ARLINGTON, Texas — Jacob deGrom allowed a second-inning single in seven shutout innings while bouncing back from one of his worst major league starts, and the Texas Rangers beat the Athletics 8-1 on Monday night.<\/p>\n
Brandon Nimmo had two hits, two RBIs and scored a run, and Justin Foscue added a solo home run for the Rangers (68-70), who trail Cleveland by 1 1\/2 games in the race for the final AL wild-card spot.<\/p>\n
Lawrence Butler led off the second inning with a sharp hit to right field off DeGrom (10-9), who struck out eight and faced the minimum 21 batters in his seven innings. After his leadoff single, Butler was retired on an inning-ending double play. The 38-year-old right-hander was coming off an outing in which he matched career highs by allowing six runs in the first inning and eight total in 3 2\/3 innings last Tuesday at the Chicago White Sox.<\/p>\n
The two-time Cy Young Award winner is 7-2 at home this season with a 2.42 ERA, compared to 3-7 with a 5.86 ERA away from Globe Life Field. In his previous home start, deGrom allowed one hit in six shutout innings against Washington while matching a season high with 10 strikeouts.<\/p>\n
Rookie Gage Jump (6-9) allowed seven runs in 4 1\/3 innings for the Athletics (53-85), who have lost four straight. They finished August 8-20, their worst performance in the month since going 7-21 in 1978.<\/p>\n
Nimmo \u2013 one of two left-handed hitters in Texas\u2019 starting lineup against the left-handed Gage \u2013 scored in the Rangers\u2019 two-run second inning after leading off with a swinging-bunt single that Jump bobbled. He singled home Corey Seager \u2013 the other lefty \u2013 in the third inning and brought home Ezequiel Duran with a sacrifice fly in the three-run fifth.<\/p>\n
Foscue hit his 10th homer leading off the fourth.<\/p>\n
Carlos Cortes singled off Ben Peoples to begin the Athletics’ ninth and scored on Darell Hernaiz’s sacrifice fly.<\/p>\n
Rangers LHP MacKenzie Gore (7-10, 4.40 ERA) is scheduled to start against Athletics LHP Brady Basso (0-1, 4.50) on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n