Texas MLB Capsules: A's take series at Texas, cut AL West gap to 7 1/2

A day after Braden threw a shutout, Gonzalez limited the Rangers to two runs over six innings Sunday to win his third straight start, an 8-2 victory that cut Oakland's division deficit to 7½ games.

"I was just trying to follow in the footsteps behind a guy who pitched a great game," Gonzalez said. "The Rangers are a great hitting team, but we've been doing our homework. We sat down and went through it with Dallas. He gave me a pep talk on each one of them and it worked."

Gonzalez (12-8) left with a 7-2 lead after throwing 65 of his 95 pitches for strikes on another hot day in Texas. The left-hander, now 7-1 with a 2.10 ERA in 10 day games this season, even talked to the baseball — a la Braden.

"I had a pep talk with the baseball today ... It's the first time. I guess he's rubbing off too much on me," Gonzalez said. "After Hamilton's homer, I got the ball and started yelling at it. 'C'mon, do your job.' Then the baseball told me to calm down. I'm losing my mind."

Josh Hamilton drove in both Texas runs, with a two-out bloop RBI single in the third and his 31st homer in the sixth. Hamilton has five homers his past 10 games and raised his majors-best batting average to .359.

Hamilton's 403-foot blast off the facade of the second deck of seats in right field was the only homer Gonzalez allowed his last seven starts.

Mark Ellis and Kevin Kouzmanoff homered for the A's off Colby Lewis (9-11), while Cliff Pennington snapped out of a 2-for-24 slide with two singles and a sacrifice squeeze bunt.

Lewis missed on his eighth attempt to get his 10th victory, and six of the season-high seven runs he gave up in 5 2-3 innings were earned. The unearned run came after his throwing error on what should have been an inning-ending double play.

"You have a job to do, period. Apparently, I didn't do it today," Lewis said. "I didn't make pitches when I needed to, and of course didn't make a play when I needed to. Definitely, I take that burden."

There is only one more series between the AL West's top two teams the final five weeks of the regular season. That is a four-game set Sept. 23-26 at Oakland, which has an 8-7 series lead after winning the pitching gems by Braden and Gonzalez.

"Don't count us out yet. We're still fighting," Gonzalez said.

"Nobody's given up on this. Everybody's trying to win every single game. These guys fight all the time," manager Bob Geren said when asked if his team could catch Texas. "If our offense continues to swing the bats the way they are and match the great pitching we have, then yes, definitely."

Lewis had his shortest outing since pitching only five innings July 16 at Boston when he got his ninth victory. Lewis is 0-6 since and Texas has scored only eight runs while he was on the mound in those eight games.

"We got outpitched today, got outpitched yesterday. Pitching stops everything," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "We lost two games, that's all it was."

Oakland went ahead to stay when Ellis broke a 1-all tie with his third homer, a towering flyball that dropped just beyond the 14-foot wall in left-center field.

The A's scored twice in the fifth for a 4-1 lead after Lewis' throwing error on Kurt Suzuki's comebacker. Lewis threw the ball way wide of second base and into center. Pennington scored and Daric Barton moved from first to third before then scoring on an inning-ending double play.

"It was just a normal play ... I just didn't make the throw," Lewis said. "I don't think it was the turning point. I gave up eight hits, two of them hard-hit. That was it. They singled me to death."

First baseman Jorge Cantu then snagged Jack Cust's hard grounder at the bag, wiping out the force at second. Suzuki got caught up between first and second and avoided being tagged long enough for Barton to score.

Kouzmanoff led off the sixth with his 12th homer, before consecutive singles set up Pennington's squeeze bunt and Coco Crisp's RBI single to chase Lewis.

NOTES: Oakland is 30-13 in day games, best in the majors. ... Texas plays its next 10 games on the road. ... The Rangers plan to activate RF Nelson Cruz (right hamstring) from the disabled list before Monday night's game in Kansas City. He played three rehab games for Double-A Frisco. ... Washington said every Texas pitcher in the rotation will get an extra day off rest with the upcoming off day Thursday. That includes struggling Cliff Lee, who has pitched every fifth day for Texas since he was acquired July 9.

Dickey flustered the Houston Astros with knuckleballs and foiled them with his bat, leading the Mets to a 5-1 victory on a crystal-clear Sunday at Citi Field.

"Incredible. He's going to go out and give you a quality start every time and that's what he's done," catcher Josh Thole said. "Unbelievable."

Thole homered and Dickey keyed a second-inning rally with a two-run single that helped New York end Bud Norris' four-game winning streak. The Mets took two of three from the Astros and haven't lost a series at home to Houston since 2002.

Luis Castillo added an RBI single and New York went 4-3 against the Astros the past two weeks in a season series marked by some strikingly inept offense on both sides.

The 35-year-old Dickey (9-5) yielded six hits in seven-plus innings, lowering his ERA to 2.57. He also had a pair of singles and scored once to aid his own cause.

"It seems like his knuckleball is getting better as the season goes along," Astros manager Brad Mills said.

Feeling fatigued, Dickey asked manager Jerry Manuel to let him face at least one batter in the eighth. The right-hander was pulled following Tommy Manzella's leadoff single and received a warm ovation from the crowd of 32,779.

"I think what's important is to learn from past experiences," Dickey said. "I just didn't want to jeopardize us by trying to be the hero."

Bobby Parnell induced a double-play grounder from No. 3 batter Hunter Pence, then gave up a single and a double before retiring Jason Michaels to end the inning.

Hisanori Takahashi worked a scoreless ninth.

"Every time I go out there I feel like I'm learning something new," Parnell said. "I love going out in the tight situations, getting the thrill of throwing in close games."

Houston had won six of seven and 11 of 16. The Astros finished 6-4 on this trip for their first winning road swing since June 29 to July 5, 2009.

A surprise bright spot for the Mets this season, Dickey is making a strong bid for a role in New York's rotation next year, too. He threw 75 of 108 pitches for strikes Sunday, again showing an uncanny ability to command his dancing knuckleball — perhaps the most difficult pitch to master.

"His knuckleball's been outstanding. It's breaking so late," Thole said. "His 84 (mph) on his heater makes it seem like it's about 120 (mph) after 15 knuckleballs in a row."

Norris (6-8) entered 4-0 with a 3.03 ERA in six starts since July 28, including a 3-2 victory over the Mets on Aug. 19 at home. Houston was unbeaten in those six games and the right-hander had gone at least six innings in all of them, but New York snapped that string.

David Wright drew a leadoff walk in the second and went to third on Ike Davis' double. A walk to Thole loaded the bases before Luis Hernandez struck out.

That brought up Dickey, who came into the game batting .171 with three RBIs. He bounced a single up the middle to put the Mets in front.

"I know my limitations," Dickey said. "I'm usually just trying to punch the ball through the holes and not strike out. I was glad it found the hole."

Norris wanted to work Dickey away, so he moved second baseman Geoff Blum a few steps to his left, opening a large patch of terrain right where the pitcher hit the ball.

"I got myself into a little jam there in that inning and it was really my fault. I moved Blum out of position," Norris said. "I wanted a ground ball to second base for the double play, but I've got to give him credit. He got the ball up the middle. The pitch got more of the plate than I wanted."

Angel Pagan followed with an RBI groundout and Castillo dumped a run-scoring single into right-center. In the previous five games, New York was 4 for 34 (.118) with runners in scoring position.

Jason Castro doubled to start the third for Houston and scored from third on an infield single by Michael Bourn, who left in the eighth with a mild cramp in his left leg that's not considered serious.

Thole hit a solo shot in the sixth off a soda sign on the facing of the second deck in right, his second homer of the season.

"I wouldn't get used to that," Thole said.

NOTES: Norris lasted 5 2-3 innings, only the second time an Astros starter failed to get through the sixth in the past 20 games. ... New York scored four runs in an inning for the first time this month. ... Hernandez, called up Friday from Triple-A Buffalo, made his first start for the Mets in place of ailing SS Jose Reyes (right oblique strain), who took some swings in the indoor cage but isn't ready to return. Still feeling a twinge, Reyes stopped after six cuts from the left side and said he won't even try to hit Monday, when the Mets open a four-game series in Atlanta.

-- Mike Fitzpatrick