Napoli’s slam helps lift Rangers over A’s 8-5

The temperature at first pitch was 105 degrees, highest in the 18-year history of Rangers Ballpark.

The A’s have lost five of seven.

Gonzalez had few answers for a slugging Rangers lineup that has outscored opponents 44-16 during the five-game winning streak. He lasted a season-low four innings, giving up seven runs _ only three earned _ and seven hits.

Gonzalez consistently fell behind hitters, and he had to throw fastballs when he didn’t want to.

“In situations where I had to go after them, I had to pitch in their count,” Gonzalez said. “You have to get ahead of these guys. Got to pound that strike zone. It’s a good lineup, especially in this ballpark. You’ve got to give credit where credit is due and these guys are a good hitting team.”

Gonzalez entered the night with a 4-1 record and 2.18 ERA in nine career appearances against the Rangers. Gonzalez had good fortune on his side in his previous start at Texas on May 11 when he gave up seven runs in 2 2-3 innings, but the game was postponed by heavy rain.

The Rangers jumped on Gonzalez with a five-run first highlighted by Napoli’s third career grand slam.

Texas scored the game’s first run when Oakland shortstop Adam Rosales made a fielding error on Beltre’s hot grounder. Michael Young reached on an infield single that rolled just inside the third base foul line to load the bases, and after Nelson Cruz struck out, Napoli ripped Gonzalez’s first pitch into the left field seats for his 12th homer of the season.

Oakland’s Scott Sizemore hit a solo homer in the second, the first long ball allowed by Wilson since Tampa Bay’s Matt Joyce on May 31, a span of 44 1-3 innings.

The Rangers continued the power display in the second on bases-empty homers by Kinsler and Beltre for a 7-1 advantage.

Oakland’s first three hitters reached in the fourth on two walks and a single, and Coco Crisp scored from third on Conor Jackson’s double-play grounder to make it 7-2.

Yorvit Torrealba’s RBI single in the fifth restored Texas’ six-run lead.

The A’s cut the deficit to 8-4 in the sixth on Crisp’s RBI infield single and Josh Willingham’s run-scoring double, but Wilson struck out the final three batters in the inning.

Notes: The previous record temperature at Rangers Ballpark was 103 in 2008. … Napoli had Texas’ second grand slam of the season. Beltre hit one on April 2 vs. Boston. Mitch Moreland also had a bases-loaded homer on May 11, but the stats were washed away by the rainout. …Major League Baseball announced that Beltre will be the AL starter at 3B because Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees is out of the game.

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