Rangers Open Series Against A's

The Texas Rangers are set to open up a three game series against the Oakland A's on Friday night as Colby Lewis gets the start against former Ranger Brandon McCarthy.

Texas currently sits two and half games up on the second place Angels, with just 18 games left to play. The Angels are also at home this weekend, though they face a much tougher opponent than Oakland as the New York Yankees are set to visit the Angels. With the Rangers taking on one of the worst teams in the league while the Angels take on one of the best, Texas has a golden opportunity to put more distance between themselves and the rival Angels.

Lewis will be looking for his 12th win of the season, but more importantly, he'll be looking to rebound from three poor outings. In his last three starts, Lewis has allowed 16 earned runs in 15.1 innings, walking six and giving up four home runs. Two of those starts have come against the Red Sox and their high powered offense, so Lewis has a good if not great opportunity to rebound against Oakland's lowly offense.

Texas' offense will have to earn their runs tonight, as Oakland's starter Brandon McCarthy simply doesn't issue walks. In 142.2 innings on the season, McCarthy has issued just 22 free passes, which has helped to keep his WHIP at a cool 1.16 on the season.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CDT from Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.