OAKLAND Wade Boggs Jersey , Calif. (AP) — Shin-Soo Choo’s home run on the first pitch of the game ensured the Texas Rangers would avoid a third consecutive shutout.A fourth straight strong outing from Mike Minor was just as big for manager Jeff Banister’s ballclub. fourth straight, Joey Gallo backed up Choo with his 33rd homer and the Rangers snapped out of their offensive slump to avoid a series sweep, beating the Oakland Athletics 4-2 on Wednesday.“Choo getting off early, getting a run on the board, allowed our offense to kind of settle in,” Banister said. “It gave our guys some confidence to go out and swing the bat and attack.”Texas was shut out in the first two games of the series and had a 19-inning scoreless streak before Choo’s leadoff homer on the first pitch from Oakland starter Edwin Jackson (4-3) in the first inning.It was Choo’s fourth game-opening home run this season and the 27th of his career.After Choo walked and scored on Beltre’s single in the third, Gallo opened the fourth with a towering drive off Jackson. Gallo’s 74 home runs since the start of last season are the most by a Rangers player over a two-year span since Mark Teixeira had 76 from 2005-06.“We kept fighting,” Gallo said. “That’s baseball. Sometimes you get shut out and that’s the way it goes. Sometimes things don’t go your way.”Adrian Beltre had a pair of RBI singles to help the Rangers end a six-game losing streak to the A’s. Jurickson Profar added two hits. Elvis Andrus singled and scored after going hitless in his previous 12 at-bats.Stephen Piscotty had an RBI double for Oakland, which fell one game behind Houston in the AL West.“You look at the homestand and you have to feel good about winning the series,” Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. “We’ve been playing great and bringing the same attitude every day.”The same could be said of Minor, who has been the Rangers’ most effective starter for the past three weeks.Minor (10-6) was crisp while striking out four and walking one in his most effective start in nearly two months. The lefty, who was scratched from his scheduled start last Friday because of back stiffness http://www.redsoxproshops.com/authentic-carlton-fisk-jersey , allowed only two runners and faced the minimum through six innings. Both runners were erased on double plays.“I feel good about the zeros on the board, but I think there’s room for improvement,” Minor said. “I still didn’t throw good breaking balls, the changeup was just OK and the fastball location was OK.”Cory Gearrin, Alex Claudio, Chris Martin and Jose Leclerc combined to retire nine batters and complete the four-hitter.The A’s loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth, but Leclerc struck out Nick Martini on a check swing for his sixth save in 10 opportunities.Beltre singled in Andrus in the fifth to make it 4-0 and chase Jackson, who allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings and lost for the first time since July 20. The right-hander had yielded two runs over his previous 24 1/3 innings.“I was off today,” Jackson said. “I was under the ball a lot and that caused the ball to go flat and up in the zone.”STAYING PUTBecause their next series is across the San Francisco Bay against the Giants at AT&T Park, the Rangers won’t have to board a plane and instead will stay in the same hotel where they’ve been since Monday.TRAINER’S ROOMRangers: Profar started again at third base in place of Beltre, who’s had recurring hamstring problems, and made a diving stop on Ramon Laureano’s sharp grounder in the first inning.UP NEXTRangers: RHP Drew Hutchison (2-2 Pedro Martinez Jersey , 5.71 ERA) makes his fourth start of the season Friday against the Giants. Hutchison won his previous outing when he allowed two runs in five innings against the Angels.Athletics: RHP Trevor Cahill (5-2, 3.12) pitches the opener of a four-game series in Minnesota on Thursday. Cahill has won four consecutive decisions, his longest winning streak since 2013. After losing to the Red Sox 15-7 Thursday in Boston, the Yankees are 6.5 games back in the American League East. Their 68-39 record makes them a near-lock for a playoff berth, but they'd obviously prefer to win the division outright and avoid the crucible of the Wild Card Game.They also need to measure themselves against a Boston squad that, along with the Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians, will provide stiff October competition in the top-heavy Junior Circuit.Severino's struggles aren't the Yankees' only concern. Key offensive cogs Aaron Judge (wrist) and Gary Sanchez (groin) are on the disabled list.Meanwhile, left-hander J.A. Happ鈥攚hom New York acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline to shore up its rotation鈥攊s on the DL with hand, foot and mouth disease, per Miller.New York already lost left-hander Jordan Montgomery to Tommy John surgery. Veteran CC Sabathia is showing signs of wearing down with a 5.48 July ERA. Masahiro Tanaka is back and pitching well after missing time with a pair of strained hamstrings, but Sonny Gray owns a 5.56 ERA, was demoted to the bullpen and is embroiled in controversy.To put it simply: The Yankees need Severino to pitch like a Cy Young Award contender if they want to make a World Series run. And Friday's start against their archrivals would be an excellent time to begin.According to FanGraphs http://www.redsoxproshops.com/authentic-hanley-ramirez-jersey , Severino's velocity hasn't taken a significant dive. There is no talk of injury. Maybe his recent issues are an anomalous blip."He's still throwing hard, nothing looks fatigued with the arm or anything like that," a rival talent evaluator said, per Newsday's Erik Boland.On the other hand, despite his live arm and considerable talent, Severino posted a 5.83 ERA in 71 MLB innings as recently as 2016. He put up a 2.98 ERA with 230 strikeouts in a career-high 193.1 frames in 2017 and has made two straight All-Star teams.Still, it's fair to wonder if his ascent toward unambiguous No. 1 status has hit a snag. And, if so, whether it might derail New York's lofty postseason aspirations.Mike Stobe/Getty ImagesSure, the Yankees have ample young talent in the pipeline. Their window of contention is opening, not closing. They're also the Yankees, with 27 titles under their belts and the perennial expectation to win another one.The fact that they're locked in a divisional battle with the Red Sox only ratchets up the urgency.After contests against Boston on Friday Bill Lee Jersey , Saturday and Sunday, the Yankees will enter a soft portion of their schedule in which they'll play 24 of 27 games against teams that currently possess losing records. It's a chance to gain ground in the standings, but that shot will be diminished if Severino isn't pitching up to his potential.Even with a deep bullpen augmented by the deadline addition of Zach Britton and an offense that hopes to have Judge and Sanchez healthy for the playoffs, Severino may be the Yankees' key come October. You don'tneed a rotation-fronting horse to ride to a Commissioner's Trophy, but it sure helps."They all go through [struggles] in their careers," an unnamed scout said of Severino, per Boland. "[Chris] Sale, [Clayton] Kershaw, [Corey] Kluber. All the good ones do. To me, just a bump in the road."There are a lot of folks in the Bronx and beyond crossing their fingers and toes, hoping that's true.All statistics current as of Thursday and courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.