Athletics 3, Rangers 1: Jonny Gomes homered and Travis Blackley pitched six innings of one-run ball as host Oakland pulled into a tie with Texas atop the American League West.

Blackley (6-4), who failed to get through the second inning in each of his previous two starts, gave up only three hits and struck out five to set up a winner-take-all scenario for the division title in Wednesday afternoon's regular-season finale.

Ryan Cook and Sean Doolittle each tossed a scoreless inning before Grant Balfour earned his 24rd save and 17th in a row since reclaiming the closer's role in mid-August to lift streaking Oakland to its fifth consecutive win.

Derek Norris had an RBI single that led to two runs in the fifth and Gomes drilled his 18th homer in the sixth as the Athletics ended the Rangers' run of 176 days alone in first place in the AL West.

Matt Harrison (18-11) allowed three runs on six hits in six innings for the Rangers, who have lost six of eight and also fell into a tie with Oakland and the Baltimore Orioles for the wild-card lead.

Josh Hamilton doubled in a run in the third, but that was it for Texas, which held a 13-game lead over the Athletics on June 30. Oakland has stormed back into the race by going a major league-best 71-38 since.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Rangers 3B Adrian Beltre was named AL Player of the Month for September after batting .337 with 11 homers and 19 RBIs. ... Athletics LHP Brett Anderson said his oblique still felt "tender" but that he is hoping to be available to pitch Friday, depending on how he feels after throwing Wednesday. ... Rangers RHP Mike Adams, who has been diagnosed with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, will rejoin the team Wednesday but is unlikely to be ready for the first playoff series.