Texas @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 20, 2014 ) Texas 5, LA Angels 8

Mike Trout is baseball's brightest young star and is closing in on his first American League MVP Award, but teammate Albert Pujols is showing there is still plenty of life in his bat. Pujols smacked his 27th homer and reached 100 RBIs for the 12th time in 14 seasons as the Angels snapped a seven-game winning streak by the visiting Texas Rangers on Saturday. Los Angeles holds a 2 1/2-game lead on Baltimore for the best record in the majors entering Sunday's rubber match of the series.

After going 0-for-7 with six strikeouts in his previous two games, Trout matched Pujols with a two-run homer and his ninth triple Saturday while boosting his American League-leading totals to 109 RBIs and 112 runs scored. Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre is 5-for-8 with four RBIs in the series, hiking his season average to .388 against the Angels in 18 games. Texas sends right-hander Nick Tepesch to the mound to face Cory Rasmus in the series finale.

TV: 3:35 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Texas), FSN West (Los Angeles)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers RH Nick Tepesch (5-10, 4.32 ERA) vs. Angels RH Cory Rasmus (3-1, 2.57)

Tepesch halted a six-start winless drought in his last turn, limiting Oakland to three runs (one earned) and four hits over six innings. The 25-year-old from Missouri lost to the Angels in his previous outing, lasting only 4 2/3 innings and surrendering three runs on 10 hits to fall to 0-2 with a 4.29 ERA lifetime against Los Angeles. Pujols has fared well against Tepesch, going 5-for-8 with a double and a triple.

Rasmus was forced to move from the bullpen to the rotation following a season-ending injury to Garrett Richards and will make his fifth start. Because he's not stretched out, Rasmus failed to get through four innings in his first three outings, but had his best performance as a starter with four scoreless innings of one-hit ball in a no-decision versus Seattle on Tuesday. He allowed one run on two hits in 3 1/3 innings at Texas on Sept. 11.

WALK-OFFS

1. Pujols hit his 519 homer Saturday, putting him within two of tying Ted Williams, Willie McCovey and Frank Thomas for 18th place on the all-time list.

2. Beltre's three doubles Saturday gave him at least 30 doubles for the fifth straight season and 11th time in his career.

3. The Angels are 14-4 against Texas this season.

PREDICTION: Rangers 5, Angels 4