Texas @ Oakland preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 13, 2015 ) Oakland 4, Texas 12

The Texas Rangers appeared to suffer a letdown over the weekend after taking control of the American League West with a four-game sweep of second-place Houston and cannot afford to let it happen again. Texas, which leads the Astros by a game, opens a six-game road trip with the first of three against the last-place Oakland Athletics on Tuesday before finishing the trek with three versus Houston.

Designated hitter Prince Fielder was 8-for-16 with three home runs, eight RBIs and nine runs scored in the Astros series before going 0-for-10 as Texas lost two of three to Seattle. Third baseman Adrian Beltre, though, kept rolling after going 9-for-17 with four RBIs and four runs versus Houston with a 4-for-9 performance versus the Mariners. Oakland (64-86), which owns the worst record in the AL, dropped two of three to the Astros over the weekend to wrap up a 4-6 road trip that it began by losing two of three to the Rangers. Texas' Martin Perez came up big with a victory over Houston in his last start and opposes Sean Nolin, who defeated the Rangers earlier this month as he continues to audition for a spot in the 2016 rotation.

TV: 10:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FSN Southwest (Texas), CSN California (Oakland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers LH Martin Perez (3-5, 4.96 ERA) vs. Athletics LH Sean Nolin (1-1, 3.24)

Perez snapped a two-start losing streak after allowing one run and scattering nine hits in seven innings of a 14-3 victory over the Astros on Wednesday as part of Texas' four-game sweep of Houston. It was the third quality start in the last four outings for the 24-year-old Venezuelan, who is 0-4 with a 5.18 ERA in six road turns this season. Perez is 3-4 with a 5.59 ERA in seven starts versus Oakland and last faced the Athletics on April 29, 2014.

Nolin picked up a no-decision after yielding two runs, five hits and three walks in five innings of Oakland's 4-2 victory over the White Sox in Chicago on Thursday in his third start this season and fourth of his career. The 25-year-old New York native defeated Texas 5-3 on Sept. 12 after permitting one run and five hits while striking out five in 5 2/3 innings. Nolin, who was acquired from Toronto in the Josh Donaldson trade during the offseason, posted a 2.66 ERA in 14 games (12 starts) with Triple-A Nashville before being a September call-up.

WALK-OFFS

1. Rangers CF Delino DeShields is expected to return to the lineup after missing Sunday's game with a bruised knee.

2. The Athletics are 14-28 when their opponents start a left-hander, the second-worst mark in baseball (Colorado, 9-28).

3. Oakland has already wrapped up the season series 10-6.

PREDICTION: Athletics 3, Rangers 2