Los Angeles @ Texas preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 1, 2010 ) Texas 1, LA Angels 2

When the season ends on October 3, the American League West winner might be able to trace back to this critical four-game series in July.

The Texas Rangers have a chance to build on their already comfortable five-game lead, while the Los Angeles Angels could pull back within striking distance after this four-game affair at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

The series gets off to an electric start, with both teams sending their respective aces to the hill. The Rangers will go with newly acquired left-hander Cliff Lee, while the Angels will counter with All-Star right-hander Jered Weaver.

The Rangers lead the season series against the Angels 3-2, and four of the five games have been decided by one-run. That trend should continue with two of the top pitchers in the game going at it Thursday night.

Lee will make his third start of the season for the Rangers, and he has gotten off to an impressive start. He has gone the distance in both games, though the Rangers have lost both times. Still, Lee pitched well in his last outing against the Red Sox on Saturday, allowing two runs on six hits with a walk and six strikeouts over nine innings.

In nine lifetime starts against the Angels, Lee is 6-3 with a 3.19 ERA. When he faced them in a Mariners uniform on May 28, Lee went eight innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits with two walks and 10 strikeouts to lead Seattle to an 8-3 victory.

It is for games like this that the Rangers were willing to give up two highly touted prospects, first baseman Justin Smoak and right-hander Blake Beavan, to acquire Lee. The veteran has thrown eight or more innings in his past six starts, the first pitcher to do that since Toronto's Roy Halladay turned the trick from Aug. 14-Sept. 10, 2007.

Weaver has been just as impressive as Lee.

In his last start against the Mariners on Friday, Weaver went seven innings, allowing two runs on six hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Coincidentally, the two runs Weaver gave up were to Smoak, who belted a two-run home run in the seventh inning.

Weaver, who has struck out 46 and walked only five in his past six games, leads the majors in strikeouts with 142. The last pitcher in Angels history to lead the majors in strikeouts was current Rangers president Nolan Ryan, who had 341 strikeouts in 1977.