Texas @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 27, 2011 ) Texas 10, LA Angels 3

THE STORY: The Texas Rangers look to clinch home-field advantage for the first round of the American League playoffs when they visit the Los Angeles Angels in Wednesday’s regular-season finale. The Rangers are one game ahead of the Detroit Tigers for second-best record in the AL and the Tigers hold the tiebreaker if the two teams end the season with the same mark. Texas has won the first two games of the series with Los Angeles and has won five straight games and 13 of its last 15 contests. The Angels have lost eight of their last 12 games.

8:05 p.m. ET, FSH (Texas), FSW (Los Angeles).

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers LH Matt Harrison (14-9, 3.46 ERA) vs. Angels RH Garrett Richards (0-2, 8.00 ERA)

Harrison has won four consecutive starts. He defeated Seattle in each of his last two outings, giving up a combined three runs and nine hits in 12 2/3 innings. Harrison lost to the Angels in April when he gave up three runs and four hits in 6 2/3 innings. He is 2-2 with a 5.04 ERA in eight career appearances (three starts) against the Angels.

Richards is making his first start since suffering a groin injury against the Rangers on August 15. He has pitched in relief four times since returning. He allowed six runs in five innings while losing to the New York Yankees in his major-league start on August 10. Richards has allowed 14 hits and three homers in nine innings.

ABOUT THE RANGERS (95-66): Texas matched the franchise record for victories in a season with Tuesday’s 10-3 rout of the Angels. The Rangers hit five homers with Adrian Beltre, Mike Napoli and Nelson Cruz hitting consecutive homers in the fifth inning. Napoli hit a second homer and has set a new career high with 28 homers. Beltre has 12 homers in September. Ian Kinsler also homered and stole a base for his second career 30-homer, 30-steal season. Kinsler has 32 homers and 30 steals. Michael Young played shortstop Tuesday for the first time since 2008. Young is batting .338, five points behind AL batting leader Miguel Cabrera of Detroit. Cruz’s homer was his first since hitting two against the Angels on August 26. Cruz missed the first two weeks of September with a hamstring injury.

ABOUT THE ANGELS (86-75): Los Angeles was eliminated from the wild-card race Monday and pulled Ervin Santana (Tuesday) and Jered Weaver (Wednesday) from their final starts. Weaver (18-8, 2.41) would have had a chance to surpass Detroit’s Justin Verlander (2.40) as the AL ERA leader with a good outing. Second baseman Howie Kendrick left Tuesday’s game in the fifth inning with a sprained left wrist suffered while diving for a grounder. Peter Bourjos had two hits and is batting .303 in 22 career games against the Rangers. Rookie outfielder Mike Trout is batting just .157 in September.

FINAL PITCH: “I’m not into the individual goals and numbers. It is a team game. The only way I would have gone back out there is if I would have been on 19 wins going for 20.” – Weaver on skipping his final start.