Oakland @ Texas preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 13, 2019 ) Oakland 14, Texas 9

The Oakland Athletics are one of many teams in the majors putting up historic home run figures, and they'll try to add to their impressive total when they put a four-game winning streak on the line Saturday at the Texas Rangers. The Athletics opened the three-game series with a 14-9 win while hitting five home runs, two by Khris Davis, to stay atop the race for the first wild card in the American League.

Oakland has 14 homers during its four-game run and 238 on the season, five shy of matching the franchise mark set in 1996. Davis recorded his fourth multi-homer game of the year and his first since May 13 as he improved to .314 with 19 homers in 34 career games in Arlington. Right-hander Mike Fiers is one of the main reasons the Athletics are in the position they're in, but he is coming off a complete clunker at Houston in his last outing and will try to bounce back Saturday. Lefty Mike Minor goes for Texas (74-75), which fell below .500 on Friday.

TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, NBCS Bay Area (Oakland), FS Southwest (Texas)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics RH Mike Fiers (14-4, 3.97 ERA) vs. Rangers LH Mike Minor (13-8, 3.08)

Fiers suffered his first loss since May 1 when he gave up nine runs and nine hits - five home runs - in one inning of work at Houston on Monday. "I felt great, there's no excuse," Fiers told reporters before later wondering if he was tipping his pitches. "I just have to laugh about it. It's one of those games where you feel like they're on everything you threw." The 34-year-old is 3-3 with a 6.23 ERA in 11 career games (10 starts) against the Rangers and has an 8.76 mark in five games in Arlington.

Minor gave up 13 earned runs in 19 1/3 innings over his final three starts in August, but he has turned things around this month by going 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA in two outings. Both of those wins came on the road, but the Vanderbilt product has a 7.00 ERA over his last five home starts. Minor took the loss in his only matchup with the Athletics this year and is 2-2 with a 3.38 mark in his career against the division rival.

WALK-OFFS

1. Athletics SS Marcus Semien scored exactly two runs for the fourth straight time Friday.

2. Rangers RF Shin-Soo Choo tied a career high with his 22nd home run Friday.

3. Oakland has won 18 of the last 24 meetings.

PREDICTION: Athletics 4, Rangers 3