The Oakland Athletics hold control over the AL West and will look to flex their dominance in road trip Monday night against the Texas Rangers at 8:05 p.m. ET.
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Via ESPN:
Oakland trailed by one game in the division after Texas won the opener of an 11-game homestand last Monday. The Rangers (38-31) haven't recorded a victory since, and the A's (42-29) have moved three games ahead.
Texas has been outscored 34-8 in its first six-game losing streak since April 15-21, 2010, and its longest at home since a seven-game skid July 20-Aug. 3, 2005. The Rangers didn't get on the scoreboard until the ninth inning in Sunday's 7-2 loss to Toronto.
Nelson Cruz is 4 for 18 during the skid and Elvis Andrus is 3 for 20.
"We're not the first team to lose six in a row and we probably won't be the last," manager Ron Washington said. "We're tough enough to make it through this challenge."
Facing Dan Straily (4-2, 4.45 ERA) could provide another stern test for the Rangers, who haven't dropped seven in a row since April 18-24, 2008. The right-hander is 3-0 with a 2.20 ERA in his last five starts, with the A's winning each time. That stretch started by outdueling Texas' Yu Darvish in a 1-0 road win May 21.
He gave up two runs and three hits in 6 2/3 innings in a 5-2 victory over the New York Yankees on Wednesday. Straily was 1-2 with a 7.27 ERA in the five starts before his win streak and concluded that stretch with a 6-2 loss to Texas on May 15.
"He's on a roll," manager Bob Melvin told the team's official website. "We're giving him more and more rope to face tough at-bats in the game. He's pitching with a lot of confidence right now, and he's been terrific."
