Los Angeles @ Texas preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 4, 2015 ) LA Angels 13, Texas 0

The Los Angeles Angels’ recent surge and domination of the Texas Rangers has propelled them into sole possession of second place in the American League West. The Angels eye a road series sweep and their 14th win in their last 16 games in Arlington on Sunday when they wrap up a three-game set against the Rangers.

Los Angeles (43-38), which had been no lower than four games under and no higher than four games over .500 all season, finally broke through for the first time in Saturday’s 13-0 thrashing of Texas. C.J. Cron homered and drove in a career-high six runs in the rout, which was the Rangers’ most lopsided setback this season and worst shutout loss since June 2003. The victory was also the Angels’ eighth in their last 11 contests overall and allowed them to pull 2 ½ games clear of third-place Texas, which trails division-leading Houston by 6 ½ games. The Rangers have dropped five in a row at home — all to AL West foes — and been outscored 21-2 over the first two games of this series.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FSN West (Los Angeles), FSN Southwest (Texas)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Angels LH C.J. Wilson (6-6, 3.78 ERA) vs. Rangers RH Colby Lewis (8-3, 4.13)
Wilson was wildly inconsistent in June, gong 3-0 with an 0.86 ERA in three victories and 0-3, 9.92 ERA in three defeats. The fifth-round selection of the Rangers in the 2001 draft was on the positive side of the ledger Monday, holding the New York Yankees to one run on five hits and three walks in six frames. Wilson has been less fortunate against his former team in nine career starts — going 1-2 with a 6.59 ERA — despite holding the Rangers to a run over 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision April 25.
Lewis posted his sixth straight quality start and logged his fourth consecutive win over that span in Tuesday’s 8-6 victory at Baltimore despite surrendering five runs (three earned) across six innings. The 35-year-old California native is unbeaten (4-0, 3.03 ERA) over his last nine turns at home and has not lost at Globe Life Park since Los Angeles defeated him Sept. 9. Lewis lost his only start versus the Angels this season April 25 — allowing two runs in five innings — and is 5-9, 5.54 all-time against them.

WALK-OFFS
1. Angels SS Erick Aybar, who is 13-for-33 against the Rangers in 2015, is 8-for-9 with five runs scored and three RBIs in this series.
2. The Rangers have been outscored 43-13 while giving up at least six runs in each game during their five-game home skid.
3. Los Angeles’ starting pitchers have held opponents to two earned runs or fewer in each of their last nine appearances, posting a 1.65 ERA over that span.

PREDICTION: Rangers 6, Angels 5