Los Angeles @ Texas preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 27, 2011 ) LA Angels 8, Texas 4

THE STORY: Ervin Santana held up his end of the bargain. Now, Jered Weaver will be asked to do the same. After Santana picked up the victory after pitching on three days' rest, Weaver will look to repeat the feat Sunday night when he takes the mound against the host Texas Rangers. The American League West rivals split the first two contests of their three-game series. Los Angeles belted a season-high five homers to collect its seventh win in eight outings Saturday. The Rangers, who have dropped seven of their last 10, are two games ahead of the Angels.

TV: 8:09 p.m. ET, ESPN

PITCHING MATCHUP: Angels RH Jered Weaver (15-6, 2.03 ERA) vs. Rangers RH Colby Lewis (11-9, 4.07).

After a four-game winless stretch, Weaver returned to his dominant ways by scattering four hits over seven innings in an 8-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday. The All-Star hurler has fared well versus the Rangers, posting a 9-5 career mark. He acquitted himself well in his last outing, permitting one run on six hits in seven innings, but settled for a no-decision in Los Angeles' 2-1 triumph on Aug. 18. After recording three solid outings, Lewis ran into a buzzsaw Tuesday. The 32-year-old yielded seven runs on nine hits in six innings in an eventual 11-5 loss to the Boston Red Sox. Five days earlier, Lewis was downright spectacular in scattering four hits over seven scoreless innings against the Angels. Unfortunately for him, Lewis settled for a no-decision as Los Angeles went on to win the game. Lewis is 3-3 in his career versus the Angels.

ABOUT THE ANGELS (72-60): Vernon Wells went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in the second inning and an RBI triple in the seventh in Saturday's 8-4 triumph. The slugger has nine hits in his last 17 at-bats. Rookie Mike Trout and Bobby Wilson belted back-to-back homers and Peter Bourjos, and Howie Kendrick also went deep in the onslaught. For Kendrick, it was his fourth homer in five games, but extending that streak might be tough. He is 1-for-13 with five strikeouts in his career against Lewis. The Angels better get their licks in Sunday since they won't face the Rangers again until the final regular-season series.

ABOUT THE RANGERS (75-59): Nelson Cruz is getting healthier against the Angels. Entering the series in a pronounced 4-for-27 slump, Cruz followed up his 4-for-5 effort Friday with a 3-for-4 mark Saturday. Cruz has traditionally struggled against Weaver, going 10-for-45 (.222) with 14 strikeouts in his career. Although the Angels were the one routinely going deep Saturday, David Murphy belted his second homer in as many days for the Rangers. Murphy has struggled mightily against Weaver, going 5-for-34 with 10 strikeouts. After an 0-for-4 effort Saturday, Josh Hamilton has only one base hit in his last 15 at-bats. Infielder Andres Blanco is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment Monday. The 27-year-old Venezuelan has been on the disabled list since early August with inflammation in his lower back.

FINAL PITCH: Texas will skip Matt Harrison's next scheduled start Tuesday in an effort to limit the innings of the young lefthander. Righthander Scott Feldman (0-0, 3.94 ERA) will make the start against the Tampa Bay Rays before returning to the bullpen. For his part, Harrison is slated to pitch next Sunday against the Boston Red Sox. The 25-year-old North Carolina native has posted a 10-9 mark with a 3.59 ERA in 153 innings this season.