Athletics rout Rangers 8-1 as Cortes powers early and late homers

In Arlington, the Oakland Athletics defeated the Texas Rangers 8-1 in the opener of a three-game AL West series. The A's surged early, launching three solo homers in the first inning by Nick Kurtz, Carlos Cortes, and Tyler Soderström to seize momentum.

Cortes added a three-run homer in the fifth inning off Nathan Eovaldi, contributing to the one-sided margin. Texas starter Eovaldi was charged with most of the runs, while Oakland left-hander Luis Severino limited the Rangers to one run on six hits over 6 2/3 innings to pick up the win.

The victory left both clubs sharing the lead in the AL West heading into Friday’s continuation of the series, underscoring a competitive start to the clash between the division rivals.