ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Hank Blalock’s solo homer and David Dellucci’s two-run double rallied Texas in the ninth inning, and the Rangers beat the Oakland Athletics 5-4 Thursday to complete a three-game sweep that moved them within two games of the AL West leaders.

Blalock’s 32nd homer pulled the Rangers to 4-3 against Octavio Dotel (4-2). Michael Young doubled for his fourth hit and Mark Teixeira was intentionally walked, his team-record fifth walk of the game. Brian Jordan hit into a forceout, and Dellucci followed with a liner to right that was just out of the reach of a diving Jermaine Dye.

Mark Kotsay, Adam Melhuse and Bobby Crosby homered for the Athletics (87-63), who lead both Texas and Anaheim by two games with 10 play. Oakland plays at the Angels this weekend, and the Rangers host Seattle.

Texas, a surprise contender after four straight last-place finishes, opened its final series against the A’s with wins over All-Star starter Mark Mulder and Barry Zito. This was the 23rd time Mulder, Zito and Tim Hudson started in the same three-game series during their five season together. Only twice before – both at the New York Yankees – had the A’s been swept, in April 2001 and April 2004.

Crosby’s 21st homer, leading off the ninth against Jeff Nelson (1-2) gave the A’s a 4-2 lead.

Kotsay homered leading off the game. Then, with two on in the seventh, Kotsay ran to the warning track and made a jumping catch against the center-field wall to grab Dellucci’s fly for the final out. That was Hudson’s final batter.

After a 1-2-3 first, Hudson had to deal with runners every other inning. The Rangers left 10 runners on against him, two each in four innings, as Hudson scattered seven hits and matched a season high with five walks, one of them intentional.

Dotel took over after Jim Mecir pitched a perfect eighth.

Scott Hatteberg had a one-out double in the sixth off Erasmo Ramirez, and Dye followed with a single that gave Oakland a 3-2 lead.

Kotsay and Melhuse had solo homers off Chan Ho Park, who left after five innings and just 78 pitches. Crosby’s 21st homer led off the ninth against Nelson.

Kotsay hit the game’s third pitch off the facade of the second deck of stands in right field, a 401-foot shot for his 15th homer, the fourth leading off. Melhuse’s one-out homer in the fifth tied it at 2.

Melhuse, catching because Damian Miller caught Wednesday night, went 3-for-3 with a walk. Kotsay was 2-for-3 with a walk, his seventh multihit game during a 10-game hitting streak.

Young doubled twice in his 67th multihit game and has 205 hits, five short of the team season record.

The Rangers led 2-1 in the third after a leadoff double by Eric Young, whose first homer of the season Wednesday night was the tiebreaker in Texas’ 5-3 win. After going to third on a groundout, Young scored on Michael Young’s infield hit.

Texas tied the game at 1-all on Laynce Nix’s RBI single in the second. Dellucci beat the throw to first to avoid an inning-ending double play and moved to second when Kevin Mench walked before Nix.

Notes: The Rangers will begin selling playoff tickets Saturday. … Oakland still won the season series for the third straight year, 11-9.

AP-ES-09-23-04 1735EDT