OAKLAND, Calif. -- After losing four consecutive starts and going nearly two months without a victory, Oakland A's left-hander Scott Kazmir decided it was time to change his approach Thursday against the Texas Rangers.

"In the past however many games, it's just been right out of the gates, just (throw) as hard as you could," Kazmir said. "I felt like I wasn't really effective like that because I wasn't necessarily hitting my location consistently. Took a different approach, and it worked."

Almost to perfection.

Kazmir (3-4) blanked the Rangers on one hit for eight innings, leading the A's to 7-0 victory at the O.co Coliseum. He struck out six, walked two and saved some fuel in the early innings for later in the game.

"Just attacking the strike zone for the most part, keeping them off balance, adding and subtracting with my fastball," Kazmir said. "I think that was huge, especially early in the game. I was just worried about location and mixing all my pitches in. I felt like I was in control out there. When I needed to hump a little bit, I had it there and was able to hit my spot with it. That was the difference."

A's reliever Evan Scribner threw a perfect ninth inning, leaving shortstop Elvis Andrus' fifth inning single as Texas' only hit of the day.

Kazmir got plenty of support from his teammates, at the plate and in the field.

The A's scored a run in the first inning off Rangers rookie Chi Chi Gonzalez. Then, during a six-run eighth inning, rookie first baseman Mark Canha hammered a two-run shot off reliever Jon Edwards, and right fielder Josh Reddick launched a three-run homer off left-hander Ross Detwiler.

A's rookie center fielder Billy Burns had his 15th multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a run. Burns also made a pair of spectacular catches. He robbed Rangers left fielder Delino DeShields of extra bases with a diving grab in the sixth, then made a leaping catch of catcher Carlos Corporan's deep fly in the eighth, slamming into the wall at the 400-foot mark but holding onto the ball.

"Just having him out there battling, it motivates you to want to play better defense," Burns said of Kazmir.

Canha's home run, his eighth of the season, extended Oakland's lead to 3-0.

"I was pretty excited about that one," Canha said. "Not many of my home runs this year have come in very clutch situations, and finally it was good to get a little insurance there."

The last-place A's recorded their first walk-off win season Wednesday night, rallying to beat Texas 5-4, and Thursday they pulled to within 9 1/2 games of the first-place Houston Astros in the American League West.

"It's big for us," Canha said. "A come-from-behind victory last night and then this one today. We've got to continue to move forward. Whatever happens, we just have to remember there's a lot of season left and we got to just come every day. Hopefully, we can get on a little roll here."

Left fielder Sam Fuld went 3-for-4 with a double and scored a run for the A's (25-37), who took two of three games from Texas (31-29).

Gonzalez (2-1) was trying to become the first pitcher in Rangers history to win his first three starts, but instead he took his first big-league loss. He allowed just one run on eight hits over seven innings, walking three and striking out four. He stranded nine baserunners, continually pitching out of jams.

"We had a tough day offensively, but we can talk about Chi Chi and the great job he did," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "He gave up that run, settled in and threw the ball very well. We played good defense behind him as well. You can't take anything away from him. He was in control out there. ... I loved the way he competed."

Gonzalez pitched a combined 14 2/3 shutout innings in his first two starts, victories against the Boston Red Sox and Kans