Leiter allowed six runs — four earned — on seven hits and no walks in four innings against the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday at the Oakland Coliseum.

The support from his defense was lacking, and while he still faced challenges with allowing home runs, Texas Rangers prospect Jack Leiter showed improvement in his second major league start compared to his debut.

Against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum, Leiter surrendered six runs, with four being earned, on seven hits and no walks across four innings. Notably, he managed to throw 44 of his 60 pitches for strikes. It’s worth noting that Leiter, who was designated as “the 27th man on the roster for Wednesday’s doubleheader,” had a tough outing in his major league debut last month against the Detroit Tigers, where he conceded seven earned runs in 3 and 2/3 innings pitched.

Unless the Rangers make an official roster move, Leiter will return to Triple-A on Thursday.

“Results wise, obviously, a similar feeling walking off,” Leiter said. “Frustrating, got a win which made it much better. I just wish I could’ve done a little more to help the team out, help the bullpen out. You take the positives, you learn from it, and you keep moving forward.”

The 24-year-old pitcher efficiently navigated through a 1-2-3 first inning against Oakland, impressively converting nine of his 11 pitches for strikes. However, Shea Langeliers, known for his prowess against the Rangers, capitalized on a middle-middle fastball and launched it 454 feet to left field for a two-run homer, putting the A’s ahead 2-1. 

Langeliers, a native of Keller and an alum of Baylor University, had previously hit three home runs in a single game against the Rangers back in April. Additionally, he managed to hit a home run off Michael Lorenzen in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader.

Leiter encountered some trouble in the third inning when he allowed a leadoff single to Abraham Toro followed by another single by Brent Rooker with one out. Despite inducing a ground ball from Seth Brown that seemed like a double play opportunity, a throwing error by first baseman Nathaniel Lowe allowed Toro to score as the ball trickled into the outfield. 

Then, in a subsequent at-bat, Langeliers hit a grounder back to Leiter, who initiated a double play attempt, but Langerliers beat the throw to first base, extending the inning and allowing Rooker to score. Notably, both of these runs were unearned.

Manager Bruce Bochy commented on Leiter’s performance, noting that while he showed flashes of brilliance, he also made some critical mistakes that were capitalized on by the opposition. 

Leiter’s struggles continued in the fourth inning when he surrendered a two-run home run to Tyler Soderstrom, who connected with a belt-high cutter and sent it into left-center field. Despite this setback, Leiter managed to retire the next three batters to conclude the inning. However, the Rangers opted to replace him with left-hander Jacob Latz at the start of the fifth inning.

Reflecting on his outing, Leiter acknowledged that he improved in terms of not overexerting himself compared to his previous start. However, he also admitted that he might have erred on the side of caution, resulting in pitches that were too hittable for the opposing batters.