Ben Rice finishes 0-for-4 in loss to Angels

The A’s got solo homers from Zack Gelof and Donovan Walton, but Butler’s 107-mph liner up the middle in the fifth was the biggest blow. Butler has hit in 12 straight games and 21 of 23. He’s batted .345 with five homers and 19 RBI since Aug. 10.

Perkins struck out seven, but pretty much everyone else reached against him; he gave up four hits, five walks and a HBP to the other 12 batters he faced. Perkins has a 6.50 ERA in 13 starts and 20 relief appearances for the season. It’s probably time for the A’s to commit to him as a short reliever, since he doesn’t seem like he’s going to be worth keeping around as a starter.

Harris was back in the closer’s role tonight after Elvis Alvarado earned the Athletics’ previous two saves. Curiously, Alvarado went entirely unused, even though he hasn’t pitched since Saturday. It’s hard to recommend either A’s reliever right now, based on how they’re being used.

As it turns out, Anderson wasn’t the cure all for Seattle’s issues. He gave up seven hits and managed just three strikeouts tonight against a lineup that had Jonah Heim batting cleanup. Anderson is almost certainly destined for big things as a major leaguer, but it’s going to take time. He’s still probably worth using in mixed leagues at home versus the Rangers next week.

The three steals pushed Rodríguez up to 20 for the year, giving him his fifth straight 20/20 season to open his career. At just 25 years old, he’s in great position to take over as the all-time leader in 20/20 seasons. Bobby and Barry Bonds currently share the record with 10 such seasons. The only active players ahead of Rodríguez are José Ramírez, who, at 11 homers, needs a huge finish to pull off his eighth such season this year, and teammate Randy Arozarena, who has gone 20/20 for a sixth straight season.

Seager did his damage off of Rays’ left-hander Shane McClanahan in the fifth inning, crushing a 2-2 changeup for a 403-foot (102.5-mph EV) two-out, two-run blast that increased the Rangers’ lead to 4-0. That would be his only hit on the night. It has been a rough season overall for the 32-year-old slugger, slashing a meager .223/.323/.412 with 14 homers and 37 RBI in 344 plate appearances.

Duran worked Shane McClanahan for a leadoff walk to open the home half of the first inning, but he wound up stranded on second base. He then delivered an RBI single in the fifth inning, swiped second base and scored on Corey Seager’s two-run blast. The versatile 27-year-old is having a solid season for the Rangers, slashing .276/.337/.454 with 16 homers, 76 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 511 plate appearances while functioning in a super utility role.

Quantrill struck out five batters in the ballgame while issuing a pair of free passes. He retired the first eight hitters to start the game in order, then allowed a pair of two-out singles to Nick Fortes and Yandy Díaz with two outs in the third inning. Those were the only hits he’d surrender. The 31-year-old righty got nine whiffs on 95 offerings, posting a CSW of 25 percent. He now boasts a 7-5 record, 2.79 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and a 73/24 K/BB ratio over 96 2/3 innings in 29 appearances (12 starts) on the season. He’ll try to keep the magic going as he takes on the Mariners in Seattle on Wednesday.

As a team, the Rays collected just three hits in the ballgame, with Díaz accounting for two of them on his own. The 35-year-old has had another excellent season at the dish, slashing .303/.372/.468 with 21 homers and 76 RBI across 600 plate appearances.

McClanahan struck out three batters on the night while walking one. He kept the Rangers at bay through the first three innings, but they scratched out a two-out run against him in the fourth inning then added on three more in the fifth to take control of the game. The 29-year-old southpaw generated five whiffs on 72 pitches on the day, posting a CSW of 26 percent. He’ll look to bounce back as he brings a 3.36 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and a 106/39 K/BB ratio (118 innings) into a tough matchup against the Braves in Atlanta on Thursday.