Texas @ Oakland preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 16, 2014 ) Texas 6, Oakland 3

A visit from a last-place club in the opener of a nine-game homestand appeared to be just what the Oakland Athletics needed to bolster their postseason position. Instead, the Athletics played like a cellar-dwelling club in a sloppy series-opening loss to the Texas Rangers and have two teams breathing down their necks entering the second of a three-game set Wednesday. Oakland holds a one-game lead over Kansas City for the top wild card, with division rival Seattle two games back.

The Athletics committed two errors and three wild pitches in the first five innings of Tuesday's 6-3 setback, leaving manager Bob Melvin to question his team's preparedness. “Disappointing is what it was," Melvin said. "We just didn’t look like we were ready to play tonight, for whatever reason.” Oakland now faces a difficult hurdle in Texas left-hander Derek Holland, who has been brilliant in his first three starts of the season, allowing two runs in 21 innings.

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

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers LH Derek Holland (1-0, 0.86 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Jeff Samardzija (6-12, 3.10)

While Holland has shown his team what they were missing since his return, the Rangers have also shown him what has been missing most of the season by scoring only four runs in his three starts. He went seven innings for the third straight time in his last turn but came away with a no-decision after limiting Atlanta to one run and eight hits. Holland's lone victory came Sept. 7, when he tossed seven scoreless innings to beat Seattle 1-0.

Oakland wasted another magnificent outing by Samardzija, who blanked the Chicago White Sox on six hits over seven innings before the bullpen coughed up the lead in his last turn. Samardzija, who has pitched at least seven innings in four straight starts, is 1-4 over his last six outings to drop to 4-5 since he was acquired from the Chicago Cubs. Samardzija has racked up 77 strikeouts against only 12 walks in his tenure with the Athletics.

WALK-OFFS

1. Holland has not walked a batter in 21 innings, putting him within reach of Gaylord Perry's team-record 29 frames.

2. Athletics C Brandon Moss has homered in back-to-back games after failing to go deep in his previous 39 contests

3. Rangers OF Michael Choice (hamstring) is done for the season but Jake Smolinski came off the disabled list Tuesday to hit his first career homer.

PREDICTION: Rangers 3, Athletics 2