The Oakland Athletics look to wrap up their four game series with the Texas Rangers buy securing a 3-1 series victory. The A’s have bounced around the .500 mark all season but the AL West remains a tight division race. The Rangers and Angels are currently tied for first, while the A’s sit a mere two games back.
The A’s send out Brandon McCarthy who was roughed up for the first time this season in his last start. He gave up seven earned runs in 5 1/3 innings, which was his shortest outing of the season. He’ll look to bounce back against an always solid Rangers offense.
Oakland Athletics
1. Mark Ellis® 2B
2. Daric Barton (L) 1B
3. Conor Jackson® RF
4. Josh Willingham® LF
5. Hideki Matsui (L) DH
6. Kurt Suzuki® C
7. David DeJesus (L) CF
8. Andy LaRoche® 3B
9. Cliff Pennington (S) SS
Texas Rangers
1. Elvis Andrus® SS
2. Mitch Moreland (L) 1B
3. Michael Young® 2B
4. Adrian Beltre® DH
5. Nelson Cruz® RF
6. David Murphy (L) LF
7. Chris Davis (L) 3B
8. Taylor Teagarden® C
9. Julio Borbon (L) CF
(Sports Network) – The AL West-leading Texas Rangers shoot for a split of a four-game series with the Oakland Athletics Monday afternoon at the Coliseum. The Rangers have lost three of four and five of their last seven games, and are coming off Sunday’s 7-2 loss to the A’s in the third test of this set. Matt Harrison had a rough outing on the mound and lasted only 1 2/3 innings, allowing four runs and six hits with a strikeout and two walks.
“I just need to go back and keep it simple,” Harrison said. “Don’t think about too much or dwell on what’s happened the past two starts. I need to go back to where I was in Spring Training and trust my stuff. I’m not trusting my stuff.”
Ian Kinsler and Michael Young each had an RBI, while Elvis Andrus and David Murphy finished with two hits apiece for Texas, which committed three errors in the game and failed to build off Saturday’s 11-2 triumph. Andrus is riding a seven-game hitting streak.
Looking to pitch Texas to a series tie Monday will be Derek Holland and the left-hander’s 3-1 with a 5.12 earned run average in five starts. He did not record a decision the previous time out last Wednesday in a 7-6 win versus Toronto, as he gave up five runs and 11 hits in five innings. Holland has allowed five runs in each of his last three starts and owns a 1-1 record with a 2.63 ERA in six career meetings (3 starts) with Oakland.
The Athletics have won five of their last eight games and received a decent outing from Gio Gonzalez in Sunday’s win. Gonzalez held the Rangers to a pair of runs and five hits over 6 2/3 innings with seven K’s and two walks.
“He was pretty much in command and had a great breaking ball,” A’s manager Bob Geren said of Gonzalez.
Conor Jackson and Kurt Suzuki both had two hits and two RBI for Oakland, which got two hits, an RBI and a run scored from Coco Crisp. Hideki Matsui also plated a run in a winning effort.
Taking the ball for the A’s this afternoon will be Brandon McCarthy. McCarthy is coming off back-to-back losses and recently toed the rubber in last Tuesday’s 8-3 loss in Anaheim. He was reached for seven runs and 14 hits in 5 1/3 frames to fall to 1-2 on the season with a 3.57 ERA.
McCarthy, who will be making his sixth start of 2011, is 1-2 with a 3.94 ERA in four career games, two of which have been starts, against Texas.
Texas held a 10-9 edge in the 2010 season series with Oakland while the A’s won 11 of 19 matchups a year prior.