Following a 4-2 homestand, their first stretch of games after the All-Star break, the A's were flat in 98-degree heat against the lowly Rangers, collecting seven hits while making mistakes on the bases and in the field in a 4-1 loss. With the A's, Hammel has given up 10 earned runs in 12 1/3 innings, and he needs to turn it around quickly or else momentum would build for a return of Tommy Milone, who was demoted to Triple-A Sacramento after the Fourth of July trade despite going 6-0 with a 2.62 ERA over 11 starts. The Rangers signed him to a minor-league deal and gave him two Triple-A starts before throwing him at the A's, who were out of sync against Williams, failing to walk once. Run-scoring singles by J.P.