05/09/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of American League West members on good recent rolls begin a three-game series tonight in the Lone Star State, where the Texas Rangers take on an Oakland Athletics squad in search of a fifth consecutive victory.
Oakland enters this set off a three-game home sweep of Baltimore that culminated with an extra-inning win on Wednesday. Mark Ellis provided the heroics, as the second baseman slugged a walkoff solo homer with two outs in the 10th inning to lift the Athletics to a 6-5 triumph.
Ellis also had a single, walk, and a stolen base, while Kurt Suzuki finished 2-for-5 with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored for the A's.
Dallas Braden earned the win for Oakland after delivering 2 1/3 outstanding innings of relief. The left-hander did not allow a run or a hit during his time on the mound.
Texas has ripped off seven victories in its last nine contests and took the final three tests of a four-game home series with slumping Seattle. The Rangers posted shutouts in each of the two most recent wins, including Thursday's 5-0 decision.
Ramon Vazquez finished 4-for-5 and Ian Kinsler hit a two-run homer for Texas in a game marred by an ugly benches-clearing fracas in the fourth inning.
The incident began when Rangers starter Kason Gabbard threw up and in on the Mariners' Richie Sexson, who charged the mound and flung his helmet at the left-hander as both benches emptied. Gabbard wound up leaving the game with bruised legs as a result of the skirmish.
Franklyn German (1-0) allowed one hit and struck out three in 1 2/3 innings in relief of Gabbard to pick up the victory.
Tonight's series opener features a pitching rematch of the most recent meeting between these divisional foes, with rookie standout Greg Smith taking the mound for the Athletics and Scott Feldman getting another start for the Rangers.
Smith baffled the Rangers in this past Sundays 3-1 Oakland victory, although the young left-hander couldn't garner enough run support to come out with a win. He held Texas to one run and three hits over the first six innings, while racking up a career-best 10 strikeouts before reaching his pitch count. The A's were trailing, 1-0, at the time of Smith's departure.
The 24-year-old has yielded two runs or less in each of his last three starts and has compiled an outstanding 2.54 earned run average in six outings since joining Oaklands rotation in early April.
Feldman, who was making just his second big league start on Sunday, also pitched well before running into trouble late. The converted reliever shut the As out over the first six innings but was touched for three runs in the seventh to be saddled with the loss. He finished with a line of six hits allowed and five strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings of work.
The 25-year-old, now 0-1 with a 2.92 ERA in six overall appearances against Oakland, has been moved into a startling role due to recent injuries to regular rotation members Jason Jennings and Luis Mendoza.
Texas took two of three from the A's last week at McAfee Coliseum and went 6-3 against Oakland in Arlington last season.
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