Oakland @ Texas preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 14, 2019 ) Oakland 8, Texas 6

The Oakland Athletics are utilizing the home run ball to inch toward a playoff berth in the American League, and they'll hope to stay hot when they aim for a sweep of a three-game series Sunday at the Texas Rangers. Four Athletics hitters went deep in Saturday's 8-6 triumph, the fifth straight for Oakland, which remained atop the AL wild-card heap.

The four homers gives Oakland 242 for the season, one shy of the franchise record set in 1996, and 18 during the team's five-game surge. Matt Olson slugged his 34th homer and Matt Chapman his 33rd on Saturday as the Athletics (89-60) moved a season-high 29 games over .500 and improved to 10-5 versus Texas this season. Oakland will lean on lefty Sean Manaea in the series finale, while the Rangers will utilize a bullpen day led by Jonathan Hernandez. Rougned Odor went 2-for-4 with a home run for Texas on Saturday and he has gone deep five times in a seven-game span.

TV: 3:05 p.m. ET, NBCS Bay Area, FS Southwest (Texas)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics LH Sean Manaea (1-0, 0.75 ERA) vs. Rangers RH Jonathan Hernandez (1-0, 1.93)

Manaea has been dominant since returning from shoulder surgery earlier this month, allowing a run and three hits in 12 total innings over two starts. He has 15 strikeouts in that span, including 10 in seven frames against Detroit on Sunday. Elvis Andrus is 10-for-21 against Manaea, who is 4-2 with a 3.50 ERA in nine career starts versus Texas.

Hernandez will be making his second career start, the first of which saw him give up three runs (one earned) in 2 2/3 innings at Baltimore on Sept. 7. He is also 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA in four relief appearances. Yohander Mendez followed Hernandez against the Orioles with 2 1/3 innings, striking out six, and is a candidate to eat up some innings in relief Sunday afternoon.

WALK-OFFS

1. Athletics RHP Mike Fiers left Saturday's game with nerve irritation in his right arm.

2. Odor has hit safely in seven of his last eight contests to raise his average from .194 to .207.

3. Oakland has won 19 of the last 25 meetings.

PREDICTION: Athletics 7, Rangers 4