ARLINGTON, Texas – Mark Redman pitched seven strong innings, Eric Chavez homered and the Oakland Athletics increased their AL West lead over slumping Texas with a 4-1 victory over the Rangers on Sunday.

Mark Kotsay homered and Adam Melhuse drove in two runs for the A’s, who took three out of four in the series to take a 11/2-game lead over the Rangers. The A’s have won eight of their last nine to improve from 41/2 games behind the Rangers on July 23.

Redman (8-8) gave up one run and six hits on a humid, 95-degree afternoon. He struck out four and didn’t issue a walk in sending Texas to its seventh loss in nine games.

Redman, who’d lost five of his previous six decisions, got defensive help from right fielder Jermaine Dye, who robbed Kevin Mench of a solo homer in the sixth with a leaping catch.

Octavio Dotel got three outs for his eighth save in 10 chances since he was acquired from Houston on June 24.

The A’s took a 1-0 lead in the fourth against rookie Nick Regilio (0-2) on Chavez’s 19th homer.

Oakland made it 3-0 in the fifth with the help of a throwing error by third baseman Hank Blalock. Bobby Crosby had a one-out double, and Blalock made a diving stop on Marco Scutaro’s smash near the foul line. Blalock’s throw to first was in the dirt, skipping past first baseman Mark Teixeira as both runners to advanced. It was scored a single and an error to allow the runners to move up.

With the infield in, ninth-place hitter Melhuse’s single off the glove of second baseman Alfonso Soriano drove in both runs.

Texas got within 3-1 in the fifth when Gerald Laird doubled and scored on Michael Young’s single.

Regilio allowed three runs and six hits over five innings in his second major league start.

Kotsay’s leadoff homer off Carlos Almanzar in the eighth made it 4-1.

Notes: The A’s have won nine of 13 against the Rangers this season with seven meetings left, all in September. … Laird got his first hit since May 19. He missed two months with a torn ligament in his left thumb and had been 0-for-12 in four starts since he was activated July 23. … Rangers LHP Ron Mahay set a career high with his 36th appearance. … RHP Tim Hudson allowed two hits and two runs in three innings in a rehab start for Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday night. Hudson, out since June 23 with a strained left oblique, is expected to rejoin the rotation this week.

AP-ES-08-01-04 1652EDT