Manaea, Healy power Oakland

Texas drops 7th in a row in longest skid since 2015 season.

Sean Manaea finished an up-and-down season on a positive note, helping the Oakland Athletics extend their September surge.

Ryon Healy provided a tiebreaking two-run single in the sixth inning as Oakland beat the Texas Rangers 4-1 on Thursday night.

Manaea (12-10) gave up three hits and no earned runs in 6⅔ innings.

“That’s finishing on a strong note for a guy that was really grinding toward the end,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “He had a couple bouts this season with adversity and pitched through it.”

It was the fifth straight road win for the Athletics and seventh consecutive loss for the Rangers. It’s Texas’ longest skid since an eightgame slide in 2015.

Bruce Maxwell took a knee in the Oakland bullpen during the national anthem. The catcher was warming up Manaea, out of view from many fans and cameras. One fan near the Oakland dug- out said “boo” in a normal voice, and a small number of fans booed when Maxwell batted in the second inning. Maxwell has been the only major league base- ball player to take to a knee, mirroring protests by NFL players against racial injus- tice. This was Maxwell’s first road game since he began his protest last weekend.

“I really didn’t notice,” Melvin said. “It’s not some- thing I was really focused on.”

Ma n a e a h a d been scratched from his previous scheduled start, at home against the Rangers on Saturday, because of a strained left upper back.

During that game, Manaea received a cortisone shot.

“Coming into today I didn’t really notice it at all,” he said.

Manaea won four of his last six decisions with an attitude adjustment after a three-game losing streak in August.

“I felt like I had to show t hat sad emotion, like I was defeated. It was tough for me to get out of those funks, especially last month in August.”

Blake Treinen pitched a scoreless ninth for his 15th save in 20 opportunities.

With two out in the sixth, Healy looped a fly ball that dropped in front of center fielder Delino DeShields to drive home Jed Lowrie and Khris Davis. Matt Chapman also drove in two runs, with his 14th home run in the fifth inning (off Miguel Gonzalez, 8-13) and a single in the ninth inning. end and improving