Texas @ Oakland preview
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Last Meeting ( Sep 2, 2013 ) Texas 2, Oakland 4
The Texas Rangers let the Oakland Athletics right back into the race in the American League West. The Rangers, who led by as many as 3 1/2 games 10 days ago, attempt to jump back in front when they visit the Athletics again on Tuesday. Oakland took the series opener 4-2 and is now tied atop both the division and the wild-card standings with Texas.
The A’s are winners of four straight and seven of eight to pull from second in the wild-card race into a tie for first place in the West. Coco Crisp hit a tiebreaking two-run homer on Monday and is looking to homer in the fourth straight game on Tuesday. The Rangers are averaging two runs over their last four games, going 1-3 in that span.
TV: 10:05 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Texas), CSN California (Oakland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers LH Martin Perez (8-3, 3.58 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Bartolo Colon (14-5, 2.94)
Perez is going for his sixth consecutive win overall and fifth straight on the road. The 22-year-old Venezuelan served up a pair of solo home runs at Seattle on Wednesday but limited the damage to just the two runs over six innings. Perez is trying to turn his luck against Oakland, which has knocked him around for 11 runs and 18 hits in 10 total innings over three starts.
Colon is attempting to snap a four-start winless streak and go more than five innings for the first time since July 31. The hefty veteran sat out 15 days with a groin strain and went five innings in his return last week, allowing one run on seven hits in a no-decision at Detroit. Colon surrendered two runs in seven innings to win at Texas on May 20 and is 19-7 with a 3.65 ERA against the Rangers in his career.
WALK-OFFS
1. Rangers SS Elvis Andrus (back) has missed the last two games and is day-to-day.
2. Crisp, who set a new career high with his 17th home run on Monday, left later in the game with a shin contusion.
3. Texas added seven players to the roster on Monday and plan to bring in three more soon - OF Engel Beltre, RHP Ross Wolf and OF Joey Butler.
PREDICTION: Athletics 5, Rangers 3