baseball glove : Rangers batter A's with rally

The Texas Rangers won a game the old-fashioned way Thursday. They pounded the ball.

Proving no deficit is too large once the offense starts connecting, the Rangers fell behind by seven runs before they started clubbing homers on the way to an 8-7 win over division rival Oakland. It was capped by Phil Nevin's two-out homer in the ninth, making it the Rangers' fourth walk-off win of the year.

But before Nevin's homer, there had been a grand slam by Rod Barajas to get the Rangers back into the game, a pair of home runs by rookie Ian Kinsler in his first game back from a dislocated left thumb and the first homer in three weeks by Mark Teixeira.

And then there was Nevin's homer, which ended an 0-for-17 slump that has seen him go from cleanup hitter to bench player.

"The power just has not been there for us this year," said Barajas, who also made a fantastic lunging tag on Adam Melhuse to end the eighth inning. "I'm not going to say we rely on the home run, but it sure is nice when we can do it."

Said Teixeira: "Tonight we got a taste of what our offense is capable of."

It tastes like beer. That's what Nevin was soaked in after hitting the game-winner off Huston Street.

He stood at home plate, urging it over the center-field wall, then slammed his helmet to the ground as he approached home plate. He was mobbed by the whole team at home plate, then showered with beer upon entering the clubhouse. Mark DeRosa had been doused in the same spot when he beat Baltimore with a homer three weeks ago.

"A new tradition," Nevin cracked.

Nevin also cracked a smile for the first time in weeks. He had been benched and replaced by Jason Botts as the DH on Tuesday as his average for May fell to .145. He got a start Thursday only because the Rangers were facing lefty Brad Halsey, but Halsey was long gone when the game was decided.

Manager Buck Showalter decided to stick with Nevin after the A's started trotting right-handed relievers to the mound. Nevin grounded to third in the seventh to extend his hitless streak to 17 at-bats, then trashed the dugout.

"Sometimes you need a spark," he said. "I was pretty frustrated. Sometimes that can be a good release. On the other side of it, that home run, that was probably the most positive emotion I've ever displayed on a baseball field. The last few days have been difficult." So was the comeback. The Rangers fell in a troubling 7-0 hole after five innings. Most troubling was that there are similarities between Kevin Millwood's two rough home starts this season. Both have come when the game-time temperature was at least 90 degrees.

Thoroughly soaked in sweat, he was done after five innings. He slammed his glove against a bench as he stalked through the dugout on the way to the clubhouse.

At least he had a cool, comfortable location from which to watch the comeback. It was quite a thing to watch.

BY EVAN GRANT