Texas @ Oakland preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 18, 2016 ) Oakland 5, Texas 2

The Texas Rangers would have preferred to win their second consecutive American League West championship before their home crowd, but it appears they'll do it on the road when they visit the Oakland Athletics for a three-game series beginning Friday. Texas' magic number to win their fourth division title in the last seven years is one and while winning the West is a formality, the Rangers are in a fight for best record in the AL with Cleveland and Boston.

"It was more doing it for the fans. But for us? Believe me, no matter if we clinch here, or Oakland or anywhere, as long as you're in, that's been our main goal,'' Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus told reporters. "That's our first goal. Now it's got to be Oakland, and we've got to go out there and be aggressive." The Rangers (90-63) lead the AL Central-leading Indians by one-half game and the AL East-winning Red Sox by one game in the race to claim homefield advantage throughout the postseason. Oakland (66-86) took two of three in Texas last weekend to complete a 6-1 road trip before coming home and dropping all three to Houston. The Rangers' Cole Hamels tries to snap a four-start winless streak (0-1, 10.50 ERA) after getting hit hard by the Athletics in his last outing while Kendall Graveman, who opposed Hamels last week, is 0-2 in his last four turns.

TV: 9:35 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Texas), CSN California (Oakland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers LH Cole Hamels (14-5, 3.42 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Kendall Graveman (10-10, 4.21)

Hamels allowed six runs and seven hits across six innings in Texas' 7-6 victory Sept. 16 and continues to have command issues as he walked three to raise his AL co-leading total to 75 through Wednesday over 186 2/3 total innings. The 32-year-old Californian, whose previous career high for bases on balls was 62 in 212 1/3 frames while with both Philadelphia and Texas in 2015, walked at least three in his last four outings. Hamels, who is 9-3 with a 2.57 ERA in 16 road starts this season, is 1-1, 3.71 in four career turns versus Oakland.

Graveman picked up a no-decision after yielding four runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings Sept. 16, falling to 1-1 with a 7.47 ERA in three career starts against the Rangers. The 25-year-old Alabama native was torched for eight runs and 12 hits in five innings Sept. 10, but recorded quality starts in his previous four outings to include 6 1/3 shutout innings against Boston on Sept. 4. Graveman is 5-5 with a 3.35 ERA in 13 home starts this season.

WALK-OFFS

1. DH/OF Carlos Beltran hit a two-run homer Wednesday and is batting .290 with six home runs and 27 RBIs in 45 games with Texas.

2. Oakland LF Khris Davis (40 home runs, 99 RBIs), who missed the last two games because of illness, is 4-for-7 with three homers versus Hamels.

3. The Rangers are a major league-best 36-11 in one-run games while the Athletics are 23-26.

PREDICTION: Rangers 3, Athletics 2