Oakland @ Texas preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 27, 2016 ) Oakland 6, Texas 4

The Texas Rangers are among the American League's best offensive teams, but they are coming off a pair of putrid showings and a franchise first they would just as soon forget. The AL West-leading Rangers hope to rebound from consecutive shutout losses Monday when they begin a three-game set at home against the Oakland Athletics.

Texas (69-50) saw its division lead over surging Seattle shrink to 5 1/2 games following Sunday's 7-0 setback against Detroit, marking the first time the team was blanked in back-to-back games within a three-game series at Globe Life Park since the venue opened in 1994. Worse yet, the Rangers - fourth in the AL with 554 runs scored - have not crossed the plate in their last 21 innings after scoring eight times over the first five frames in Friday's series-opening win versus the Tigers. The Athletics concluded a 10-game homestand (4-6) with Sunday's 8-4 setback to Seattle but took two of three in Texas from July 25-27. Khris Davis, who went deep in each game against the Mariners over the weekend, is hitting .419 with seven home runs and 19 RBIs against the Rangers this season, including a two-homer, three-RBI effort in their last meeting.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, CSN California (Oakland), FSN Southwest (Texas)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics LH Ross Detwiler (1-0, 2.13 ERA) vs. Rangers LH Martin Perez (7-8, 4.22)
Detwiler dazzled in his first big-league turn since May 14, 2015, in a win over Baltimore on Wednesday, holding the Orioles to six hits without a walk in a career-high eight scoreless frames. The victory was the Missouri native's first as a starter since May 10, 2013, and came nearly a month after he was acquired from Cleveland for cash considerations. Detwiler, who went 0-5 with a 7.12 ERA in 17 games (seven starts) with the Rangers last year before they released him, will face Texas for the first time.
Perez settled for a no-decision Wednesday versus Colorado, limiting the Rockies to one run on four hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings. The 25-year-old Venezuelan is 6-1 with a 2.47 ERA in 12 home outings this season (1-7, 6.00 in 12 road turns) but must show better control, as he is tied for fifth in the majors with 60 walks. Perez is 1-1 in three starts versus the Athletics in 2016 and did not factor into the decision against them on July 25 after giving up five runs (three earned) across six frames.

WALK-OFFS
1. Rangers 3B Adrian Beltre, who has 99 career homers at Globe Life Park, needs one more to pass Hall-of-Famer Cal Ripken Jr. (431) and move into sole possession of 47th place on the all-time list.
2. Davis has 50 home runs and 116 RBIs over his last 162 games.
3. Perez has induced a MLB-high 31 ground-ball double plays this season, tied with C.J. Wilson for the most by a Texas pitcher in a single season.

PREDICTION: Rangers 5, Athletics 3