Oakland @ Texas preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 29, 2012 ) Oakland 3, Texas 4

The Oakland Athletics were hoping to use a four-game series to put a dent in the sizable gap between them and the American League West-leading Texas Rangers. Instead, the Athletics suffered a second straight one-run loss Friday night to drop 12 games behind the Rangers. Oakland held an early three-run lead in the series opener and carried a two-run lead into the eighth inning Friday night, only to watch Texas battle back both time and improve to a major league-best 49-29.

Craig Gentry was the hero of Friday's win with a bases-load triple in the eighth, but he got a big assist from Athletics left fielder Yoenis Cespedes, who broke in on the ball and then watched it sail over his head. Cespedes had an RBI single and is 12-for-20 against Texas. Since losing three of four games in Oakland earlier this month, the Rangers have gone 16-4 to push their lead over the Los Angeles Angeles to 5 1/2 games.

TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, FOX

PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics LH Tommy Milone (8-5, 3.83 ERA) vs. Rangers LH Martin Perez (0-0, 13.50)

Milone has been spectacular at home and was dreadful on the road until tossing five scoreless innings at Seattle in a 1-0 victory last time out. That came on the heels of a complete-game effort in which he stymied the Los Angeles Dodgers on one run and three hits. Milone lost his only career start against the Rangers, giving up four runs on nine hits in seven innings last month.

Perez will be making his first major league start. He was called up from Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday and had a rocky outing in relief the following day, allowing four runs - one earned - on two hits in two-thirds of an innings. The 21-year-old Perez has had control issues but he won his last two starts at Round Rock, giving up only two runs in 16 innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Gentry is batting .475 (19-for-40) in the month of June.

2. Oakland's last seven losses have all come by one run.

3. Jake Skole, the Rangers' first-round pick (15th overall) in the 2010 draft, was suspended 50 games after he tested positive for amphetamines.