The Texas Rangers had five players play in their Monday win over the Oakland A's, the first of 19 games this season against the bitter AL West rivals, who at one point or another spent time in the A's organization.
And all five of those players had a hand, in varying degrees, in the Rangers' come-from-behind win against Oakland.
Kevin Kouzmanoff spent 2010 and half of 2011 with Oakland before being dealt to Colorado and being out of the big leagues in 2012 and 2013. Now, of course, he's one of the hottest hitters in baseball and is hitting .370 this season while replacing the injured Adrian Beltre.
On Monday night, Kouzmanoff had another big night against one of his former clubs, going 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. On that run he scored, guess he drove him in? None other than Donnie Murphy, a career journeyman, who spent 2007 and 2008 as a part-timer with the A's.
Michael Choice, one of the A's top prospects who was dealt to Texas this winter for fan favorite Craig Gentry, replaced Shin-Soo Choo in the seventh inning after Choo's injury and ended up going 1-for-1 with a stolen base.
On the pitching end, both Neal Cotts and Alexi Ogando were keys to maintaining striking distance after Yu Darvish exited the game and allowing the Rangers' bats to come back. Cotts picked up the win against the A's, who drafted him in 2001. Ogando got a hold against the A's, for whom he was an outfielder in the minor league system before he was acquired by the Rangers and converted to the mound.
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Memo to the A's: Quit giving your castaways to the Rangers.
