Oakland @ Texas preview

Last Meeting ( May 20, 2013 ) Oakland 9, Texas 2

Yu Darvish seeks his sixth consecutive victory when the Texas Rangers host the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday in the second contest of a three-game set. Darvish looks to join Tampa Bay’s Matt Moore as the only major-league hurlers with eight victories. Oakland won Monday’s opener 9-2 to move within 5 1/2 games of the first-place Rangers in the American League West. The Athletics have won four straight games while Texas has won nine of its last 12 contests.

Oakland smacked 15 hits – including five doubles and a homer – in the opener. The homer was a solo shot by Seth Smith, the 13th consecutive bases-empty homer to tie a franchise record set in 2007. Smith reached base four times on two hits and two walks, while Coco Crisp and Jed Lowrie each had three hits. Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre went hitless in four at-bats Monday after going 8-for-13 over the previous three games. Beltre is batting .363 with 17 RBIs in May after a slow start over the first month of the campaign.

TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, Comcast SportsNet California (Oakland), Fox Sports Southwest (Texas)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics RH Dan Straily (1-2, 7.27 ERA) vs. Rangers RH Yu Darvish (7-1, 2.97)

Straily lost to the Rangers in his last outing when he gave up five runs (four earned) and four hits in 4 1/3 innings. He has allowed 10 runs in 9 1/3 innings while losing back-to-back outings. Straily has given up 14 homers in 12 career starts. He is 0-1 with a 4.09 ERA in two career starts against Texas.

Darvish leads the majors with 86 strikeouts and last lost April 12 against Seattle. He is holding opposing batters to a .174 average and possesses a 0.92 WHIP. Darvish defeated the Detroit Tigers in his last outing when he gave up four runs and seven hits in eight innings. He is 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in three career starts against the Athletics.

WALK-OFFS

1. Prized prospect Jurickson Profar drove in both runs for Texas on Monday in his first major-league game of the season and will see most of the action at second base while Ian Kinsler (ribs) is on the disabled list.

2. Oakland OF Coco Crisp is 3-for-6 with a homer, triple and four RBIs against Darvish.

3. The Rangers are expected to activate C A.J. Pierzynski (oblique) from the disabled list prior to the game.

PREDICTION: Rangers 7, Athletics 2