On Friday night, the Texas Rangers opened their longest homestand of the season. A ten gamer that features the A’s, Yankees, and Angels.

Unfortunately for the Rangers, it was a smaller focus of the bigger picture in their 9-2 loss to the Oakland A’s at Globe Life Field.

Jon Gray got the start for the Rangers and struggled going just 4.2 innings while allowing four earned runs. For Gray, his command struggles continued as he left several pitches over the heart of the plate which the A’s did damage on.

“Stuff was fine, he was just erratic with his command,” Bruce Bochy said after the game. “Long ball got him, that 3rd inning when he needed his command he lost it, started off with a walk and then hung a ball there for the three-run homer, he was good at times but was just erratic with his command”.

As Bochy referred to, the biggest blow for Gray came in the 3rd inning when JJ Bleday lined a three-run homer to right center to continue his hot hitting. Brent Rooker also took Gray deep on just his second pitch of the game, marking a continuation of Gray’s issues with the long ball.

Nathaniel Lowe provided a response to the Rooker blast with a home run of his own in the second to briefly tie the game but other than that shot, the Rangers managed just one meaningless run in the 8th.

Things would completely get away from the Rangers in the 9th when Dane Dunning allowed four of the five earned runs he would give up tonight.

Bochy echoed that Texas needed Dunning to “finish the job” due to a bullpen that was thin coming into the game.

Dunning has struggled since moving to the bullpen featuring a 5.12 ERA in 9 relief appearances this season.

“I think as much as anything his stuff’s been a tick down and to go with that he hasn’t quite been as sharp with his command” Bochy added. “I thought tonight at times he was good but he’s still not quite where he was”.