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May 9, 2008 10:19 pm US/Central

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Rangers Beat Athletics For 3rd Straight Shutout

ARLINGTON (AP) ― Scott Feldman and three relievers combined for Texas' third consecutive shutout and Brandon Boggs drove in three runs to help the Rangers beat the Oakland Athletics 4-0 on Friday night.

Boggs recovered from an early hard crash into the wall to go 3-for-4 with a homer as Texas ended the A's four-game winning streak.

Feldman (1-1) pitched six innings, stretching Texas' scoreless streak to 28 consecutive innings. Jamey Wright then tossed a perfect seventh to make it 29, the second-longest streak in franchise history, before Joaquin Benoit and C.J. Wilson -- the normal eighth- and ninth-inning guys -- finished it off for 31 in a row.

The last time a major league team had three consecutive shutouts was Florida in August 2005. Minnesota was the last American League team to accomplish that feat, in July 2004.

Texas has won 10 of 14 games and escaped last place in the AL West since owner Tom Hicks met with president Nolan Ryan and general manager Jon Daniels two weeks ago to discuss the team's direction.

It was the third straight start for rookie left-hander Greg Smith (2-2) in which the Athletics failed to score any runs behind him.

The only time Texas pitchers have had a longer scoreless streak was in April 1981, when they had a record 39 in a row during a span of four consecutive shutouts. That is also the only other time the Rangers had had more than two shutouts in a row until now.

Feldman limited the A's to two singles, walked four and struck out one before leaving after 87 pitches.

After Jack Cust's leadoff single in the sixth, the A's didn't have another baserunner until Cust and Frank Thomas had consecutive singles off Wilson to start the ninth. Emil Brown then grounded into a double play before Bobby Crosby struck out to end the game.

Feldman took a three-hit shutout into the seventh inning in Oakland on Sunday before Thomas doubled on a ball lost in the sun and Cust homered, leading the A's to a 3-1 victory.

Boggs was lunging for a foul ball near the left-field corner in the first inning when he stumbled and slid on the ground. Boggs' right knee slammed into an unpadded part of the concrete wall and a small pipe running along it. He remained down for several minutes before finally getting up, wiping off his torn pants and staying in the game.

The Rangers led 2-0 after Boggs hit a one-out solo homer in the second.

Josh Hamilton had a double in the sixth, on a ball that skimmed off the heel of leaping right fielder Brown's glove at the wall, and Milton Bradley walked before Boggs' two-run double made it 4-0. Boggs is hitting .385 (15-for-39) with two homers and eight RBIs through his first 11 major league games.

Ian Kinsler led off the Rangers first with a double and came home on a grounder by Hamilton, who got his majors-best 37th RBI. It was the eight first-inning run allowed by Smith, who has given up 17 runs total in his seven starts.

Smith allowed four runs and six hits over six innings. He struck out four and walked two.