Oakland @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 29, 2018 ) Oakland 5, LA Angels 2

The playoff-bound Oakland Athletics will have several players looking to reach milestones on Sunday when they visit the Los Angeles Angels for the rubber match of their season-ending three-game series. Major-league home run leader Khris Davis and Jed Lowrie aim to hit key marks and help send Oakland to New York for the American League wild-card game versus the Yankees on a positive note after starring in Saturday's 5-2 triumph.

Davis belted a two-run shot in the first inning, leaving him two shy of the first 50-homer season of his career. The slugger finished Saturday 1-for-3 to keep his batting average at .247 - the exact mark with which he concluded each of the last three campaigns. Lowrie hopes to put the finishing touches on his career season by reaching a milestone of his own, as he is one RBI shy of 100 after driving in runs with a sacrifice fly and solo homer on Saturday. The Angels managed only four singles in the setback as their four-game winning streak came to a screeching halt.

TV: 3:07 p.m. ET, NBCS California (Oakland), FS West (Los Angeles)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics LH Brett Anderson (4-5, 4.42 ERA) vs. Angels RH Matt Shoemaker (2-2, 4.82)

Anderson lasted only 2 1/3 innings at Seattle on Tuesday but escaped with a no-decision despite being tagged for five runs and seven hits. The 30-year-old Texan, who has issued only 13 walks in 77 1/3 frames this season, was much better in his previous outing - a victory over the Angels on Sept. 19 in which he scattered three hits over 6 2/3 scoreless innings. With the win, Anderson improved to 2-3 with a 3.36 ERA in nine career starts and three relief appearances against Los Angeles.

Shoemaker is coming off a no-decision against Texas on Tuesday in which he allowed just one run and four hits over five innings. It extended the 32-year-old native of Michigan's winless streak to three starts, a stretch during which he registered 19 strikeouts and issued just two walks in 12 1/3 frames. Shoemaker is 6-3 with a 4.11 ERA in 14 career appearances (13 starts) against Oakland, including a 1-1 record and 8.64 ERA in two turns this season.

WALK-OFFS

1. Angels CF Mike Trout needs two home runs on Sunday to match the career high of 41 he set in 2015.

2. Oakland 3B Matt Chapman reached the century mark in runs on Saturday, joining Al Simmons, Bob Johnson, Wally Moses and Jason Giambi as the only players in Athletics history to record 100 runs, 40 doubles and 20 homers in a season.

3. Los Angeles DH Shohei Ohtani, a solid AL Rookie of the Year candidate, has his four-game hitting streak snapped on Saturday.

PREDICTION: Athletics 5, Angels 3