AP Sports Preview: Athletics at Rangers

ARLINGTON, Texas (Interstat) — The Athletics continue their four-game series against the Texas Rangers on Sunday at Globe Life Park, with first pitch scheduled for the afternoon. The Athletics (14-12) have won two straight in this set, including an 8-1 blowout Friday and a 3-2 victory Saturday, and can notch their third consecutive series win with a sweep.

The Athletics are expected to start right-hander Kumar Rocker (1-1) or fellow righty J.T. Ginn (0-0) — the team has not announced a final decision. Texas has not named its starter. The forecast calls for 87 degrees and cloudy skies.

Oakland enters with momentum after taking four of its last five games. Designated hitter Carlos Cortes has been a key contributor, going 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs in Friday’s win, and he is 7-for-18 over the past five games with three homers. The Athletics’ lineup also features center fielder Zack Gelof, who homered and drove in two runs Friday.

Texas (13-13) has dropped three of four and saw its pitching struggle Friday, when Nathan Eovaldi allowed six earned runs in six innings. Reliever Cal Quantrill has been a bright spot, tossing three innings of two-run ball Friday and posting a 2.57 ERA over his last three appearances. Third baseman Josh Jung drove in a run in Friday’s loss.

The Athletics have dominated the season series, winning four of six meetings. Tuesday’s 2-1 victory in capped a three-game winning streak against Texas before the Rangers rallied for a 9-6 win Wednesday.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, the Athletics are projected to win 6-3. The betting line has as a -1.5 run favorite, with the over/under set at 8.5 runs.

Both teams face tough upcoming schedules. After Sunday, the Athletics host Kansas City for three games starting Tuesday, then welcome Cleveland for a weekend set. The Rangers open a three-game series Monday against the New York Yankees at Globe Life Park before traveling to Detroit and New York next week.

Notes: Cortes is 12-for-35 (.343) with four homers and nine RBIs in his last 10 games, including a 2-for-4 performance with an RBI in an April 16 loss to Texas. Quantrill has allowed five earned runs over 7 innings in his last three appearances, striking out seven. The Athletics have not lost a series since dropping two of three to Chicago White Sox on April 17-19.