The Oakland Athletics stalled in their bid to clinch an AL wild-card spot, losing to the last-place Texas Rangers 5-4 Saturday on home runs by rookie Jake Smolinski and Robinson Chirinos.
The A's needed to win or have Seattle lose in order to clinch a playoff slot for the third straight year. The Mariners played later Saturday night at home against the Los Angeles Angels.
The regular season is scheduled to end Sunday.
Oakland couldn't take advantage of the first chance to clinch a playoff spot by itself, even though trade deadline pickup Jeff Samardzija (5-6) faced spot starter Scott Baker after Derek Holland was a late scratch with a migraine headache.
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The Rangers used eight pitchers to beat the A's for the fifth time in six games since last week. Spencer Patton (1-0), the fourth reliever, got his first major league win and Neftali Feliz earned his 13th save.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
