Jake Burger homers twice

Jake Burger hit two home runs and drove in four runs Monday night as the Texas Rangers beat the Athletics 8-1 in West Sacramento, California. (espn.com) Burger’s first swing that changed the game came in the first inning, after Evan Carter and Corey Seager drew walks from Luis Severino. Burger then hit a three-run homer for a 3-0 lead, and he added a solo shot in the third inning to make it 4-0. (espn.com) Nathan Eovaldi backed that start with seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits, two walks and seven strikeouts on 84 pitches. Josh Smith added a two-run single in the eighth, and Josh Jung followed with a two-run double as Texas finished with 11 hits. (espn.com) The win opened a four-game series between two clubs that began the night tied atop the American League West at 8-7. After the game, Texas moved to 9-7, while the Athletics fell to 8-8 and saw a five-game winning streak end. (mlb.com) (espn.com) Texas has leaned on home run power more effectively on this trip than it did at home in the season’s first two weeks. Sports Illustrated’s Rangers coverage reported that Burger’s two homers gave Texas at least one home run in four straight road games and eight total homers over that four-game stretch. (si.com) Burger, 30, is in his second season with Texas after the Rangers acquired him before the 2025 season. His MLB player page says he hit 16 home runs in 103 games for Texas last year after setting a career high with 29 home runs for Miami in 2024. (mlb.com) Monday’s game was also Burger’s eighth career multi-homer game, according to the Associated Press recap carried by ESPN. His second homer went to the opposite field, a sign that both of his early swings against Severino carried with authority. (espn.com)