Los Angeles @ Texas preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 24, 2010 ) LA Angels 6, Texas 2

Tommy Hunter has been a real crowd-pleaser for the the Texas Rangers so far this season.

Sunday evening, he'll have a chance to satisfy one of the largest audiences he'll see all year.

A third straight sellout crowd is expected for Sunday's series finale between the Rangers and the division-rival Los Angeles Angels. Rangers Ballpark in Arlington has been sold out for the past two nights, the first time that has happened since May 6-7, 2006 during a Rangers-Yankees series.

The Rangers have taken two out of three in the series entering Sunday's game, where another big crowd is expected. Texas, which is 7-3 since the All-Star break, sends Hunter to the mound while Los Angeles, which is 5-4 since the break, counters with right-hander Trevor Bell.

Since being called up to the major leagues on June 5, Hunter (7-0) has been one of the Rangers most consistent starters. The team is 8-1 in his starts, and in his last start against the Tigers on Tuesday, Hunter led the team to a 7-0 victory. Hunter threw seven scoreless innings, allowing only three hits with two walks and three strikeouts. With the victory, Hunter became the only starter in franchise history to begin a season 7-0.

Hunter has yet to face the Angels this season, but went 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA in two starts against them last year.

Offensively, the Rangers have struggled the past two nights, scoring only one run. The team is hitless with runners in scoring position over those two games, going a combined 0-for-10. Over the past four games, the Rangers are 2-for-25 with runners in scoring position.

Michael Young homered in his third consecutive game on Saturday, and Nelson Cruz extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a solo home run. Chris Davis has also shown some promise at the plate, as he has hit safely in a season-high three straight games with a double in the seventh inning Saturday.

Bell, meanwhile, will be making his first start of the season. As a reliever, he went 1-1 with a 6.05 ERA in 15 games this year.

Bell has made three minor-league starts, and believes he can throw 100 pitches on Sunday. In two career relief appearances against the Rangers, Bell is 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA.

Offensively, Angels catcher Jeff Mathis belted his third homer of the season on Saturday, a blast that bounced on the top of the leftfield wall and into the bleachers.

The Angels also got three hits from Erick Aybar, and two hits from Torii Hunter, Mathis and Reggie Willits to roll to a 6-2 victory.