Bolte's first career multihomer game leads Athletics over Rangers 9-2

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Henry Bolte had his first career multihomer game, Zack Gelof, Jonah Heim and Alika Williams also went deep, and the Athletics scored nine unanswered runs to beat the Texas Rangers 9-2 on Wednesday.

Bolte hit the first of his homers in the third inning, a two-run, game-tying shot, before Gelof gave the A's a 3-2 lead with a solo home run.

Bolte struck again in the fourth, crushing his eighth homer of the season over the right-field wall for another two-run blast. Heim, in his return to Globe Life Field after playing for the Rangers from 2020-25, followed with a solo homer against his former team, extending the Athletics’ lead to 6-2.

Alika Williams capped the scoring with a two-run home run in the fifth and an RBI double in the seventh to help the A's avoid a three-game sweep.

Jacob Lopez (6-4) threw six innings, striking out seven and allowing both runs on six hits. Over his last 10 starts, he has a 2.28 ERA and 61 strikeouts over 51 1/3 innings.

Ezequiel Durán and Justin Foscue both had solo home runs for the Rangers. The hit was Durán's first career leadoff homer.

Cody Bradford (0-4) allowed five runs — all on homers — in four innings of work for Texas.

Athletics: RHP Jack Perkins (3-10, 6.42 ERA) takes the mound for a opener of a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday.

Rangers: RHP Cal Quantrill (6-5, 3.01) starts Thursday's Game 1 of a four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cody Bradford heads to the dugout after pitching to the Athletics during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Athletics outfielders Zack Gelof (20), Henry Bolte (33) and Denzel Clarke, back, celebrate their team's victory over the Texas Rangers following a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Athletics' Henry Bolte gestures while running the bases after hitting a two-run home run off Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cody Bradford during the fourth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Athletics' Zack Gelof is greeted in the dugout after hitting a solo home run off Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cody Bradford during the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Athletics' Henry Bolte, right, watches his two-run home run as Texas Rangers catcher Danny Jansen, left, and home plate umpire Nic Lentz, center, look on during the fourth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

NEW YORK (AP) — At a rainy U.S. Open where it's a struggle to even finish the first round, Jessica Pegula was happy to quickly be into the third.

The No. 3 seed needed only 56 minutes on Wednesday to defeat Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-1. Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, beat Venus Williams in her first match.

“To be out of there in under an hour, it doesn’t always happen,” Pegula said. “So I think I’m just going to take that one and run, I guess, until the next round.”

Some players won't get there for a while. With rain coming down for a second day in New York, play was suspended again for a time on outside courts, allowing only play under the roofs in Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium to continue uninterrupted.

No. 8 seed Ben Shelton followed Pegula on Ashe and beat Hubert Hurkacz 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (3), 7-5, while No. 7 Daniil Medvedev raced past Sebastian Gorzny — except for a brief delay to protest the chair umpire's decision to replay a point when two birds sat on the net — 6-3, 6-3, 7-5.

Defending champions Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz were set to play on Ashe at night.

Those are second-round matches, while some players were still playing their first. When the U.S. Open switched to a Sunday start last year, it spread out the first round over the first three days, so Wednesday would have arrived with everyone playing in the second round had the weather cooperated.

It hadn't, and some players were not only still playing their first match, but they had to hope the weather cleared enough later so they wouldn't have to resume it Thursday.

That poses a mental challenge, with Paula Badosa saying she didn't even know how to prepare for the resumption of her match against Daria Kasatkina, which was halted Tuesday with her one game from winning to set up a second-round match against No. 4 Coco Gauff.

“I didn’t know if I was going to play just two points or six, or I don’t know how much, how many I play or one more set,” the Spaniard said Wednesday after finishing off her 6-1, 6-4 victory.

“So I knew that if I was winning this match, I’m playing the next day. So, yeah, it was everything a bit different. I was very nervous that I even couldn’t eat, so a lot of different stuff I did today, but sometimes it is how it is, and I tried to play with the things I had there.”

At least she got through. No. 12 Rafael Jodar, the 19-year-old from Spain who came in after a strong summer, was routed 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 by Bu Yunchaokete of China when his first-round match was finally completed.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be easy because I was waiting a lot yesterday and today as well, but it is what it is," Jodar said. “We cannot control the rain, so it’s difficult for both players.”

The tournament was trying to catch up from Tuesday’s rain delays, with 25 singles matches being played on the men’s side alone.

Alex Michelsen pulled off an upset in one of them by ousting fellow American Brandon Nakashima, the No. 16 seed, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

No. 7 Karolina Muchova, the Wimbledon runner-up, beat Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-0 to reach the third round, while No. 11 Marta Kostyuk got past 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-1, 7-5.

See AP’s full tennis coverage here

Jessica Pegula, of the United States, greets Sofia Kenin, of the United States, left, after Pegula won their match during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, returns the ball to Sebastian Gorzny, of the United States, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Spectators are reflected in a puddle at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center during the U.S. Open tennis championships Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Ben Shelton, of the United States, celebrates during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships against Hubert Hurkacz, of Poland, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Jessica Pegula, of the United States, gestures after she won against Sofia Kenin, of the United States, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)