Oakland @ Texas preview
Choctaw Stadium
Last Meeting ( May 13, 2010 ) Oakland 1, Texas 2
For the majority of the season, the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have been battling for the top spot in the AL West.
Now, the Oakland Athletics sit only a half-game behind the Angels for second place, and 7.5 back of the Rangers. Oakland also might be the hottest team in the division, winning nine of its past 11 games.
Texas and Oakland open a three-game series on Tuesday night, with the Rangers sending left-hander Cliff Lee to the mound. Lee will be searching for career win No. 100 while the Athletics will counter with left-hander Gio Gonzalez.
The Rangers acquired Lee on July 9, and he has been as good as advertised. He won his first game in a Texas uniform his last time out against the Angels on Thursday, going 8 1/3 innings and allowing two runs and five hits with no walks and four strikeouts.
In his past seven starts, including three with the Rangers, Lee has pitched at least eight innings, the longest such streak since Toronto Blue Jays hurler Pat Hentgen had a run of 12 straight from July 28-Sept. 4, 1996.
For the season, Lee leads the American League in ERA (2.56) and complete games (six). In addition, he has 101 strikeouts to only seven walks.
Lee is 4-2 with a 2.61 ERA in 10 career games against the Athletics, including nine starts.
Offensively, the Rangers received solid production from Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz and Chris Davis on Sunday.
Hamilton drove in three runs for the first time since June 27, and has now hit safely in 34 of his last 35 home games. Cruz is on a 14-game hitting streak after going 2-for-4 on Sunday and Davis has hit safely in four consecutive games after an RBI double Sunday.
Gonzalez, meanwhile, has pitched well of late for Oakland. In his past four games, he is 3-1, including winning his last start against the Boston Red Sox. Gonzalez went six innings, allowing four runs on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
In his lone start against the Rangers this season back on May 12, Gonzalez lasted only four innings and surrendered four runs on nine hits.
The A’s bullpen should get a boost on Tuesday with the return of reliever Andrew Bailey, who has been sidelined for a week with an upper back strain. Bailey has a 1.56 ERA and 20 saves this season.
Offensively, Oakland had a solid game Sunday, scoring six runs on nine hits. Daric Barton and Kurt Suzuki both had two-run singles in a four-run second inning.