Texas @ Oakland preview

Texas at Oakland

Last Meeting ( Sep 25, 2010 ) Texas 4, Oakland 3

The Texas Rangers took all remaining suspense out of the equation by clinching the American League West on Saturday. Now the final contest of the four-game series with the Oakland Athletics on Sunday has no serious implications for either team.

Texas sealed its first division title since 1999 by beating Oakland on Saturday and can now start resting players to prepare for the postseason.

It’s probably a good thing the Rangers clinched because they have had a tough time figuring out how to deal with Oakland All-Star pitcher Trevor Cahill, who starts today for the Athletics.

Cahill is 3-0 in four starts against Texas this season and 6-1 in eight starts over his two-year career. He has a 1.55 career earned-run average against the Rangers, including a microscopic 0.68 mark this season.

In 26 2/3 innings this season against Texas, the 22-year-old Cahill has allowed two earned runs and 17 hits while holding the team to a .183 average.

That’s a pretty good feat considering how stocked the Rangers are with elite hitters.

Vladimir Guerrero is hitless in six at-bats while Michael Young (11 at-bats) and Nelson Cruz (six at-bats) have one hit apiece against Cahill.

Josh Hamilton (.333 in 12 at-bats) has nearly one-fourth of the Rangers’ hits off Cahill but the injured outfielder won’t be playing while he continues to recover from broken ribs.

The domination of the Rangers has been one of the impressive feats of Cahill’s season, who will be looking to become the fifth AL pitcher with 18 or more wins.

Cahill (17-7) is third in the AL with a 2.81 earned-run average. The only AL pitchers with more wins are New York’s CC Sabathia (20), Boston’s Jon Lester (19), Tampa Bay’s David Price (18) and Detroit’s Justin Verlander (18).

The right-hander is 11-2 at home with a 1.63 ERA.

Colby Lewis starts for Texas. The right-hander is 2-1 over his last three starts after enduring a stretch in which he lost seven straight decisions.

Lewis (11-13, 3.79 ERA) struck out 10 and gave up just two runs and four hits while losing to the Los Angeles Angels in his last start.

Overall, he has allowed just five earned runs and 13 hits in 19 1/3 innings in his last three outings, which includes victories over Toronto and Detroit.

Rangers first baseman Jorge Cantu hit the game-winning homer in Saturday’s clinching victory.

Cantu went 3-for-4 with his first two RBIs in 25 games since Texas acquired him from the Florida Marlins.