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Angels host Rangers aiming to further edge in AL West

Sat 30th, August 2008

(Sports Network) - The American League West-leading LA Angels of Anaheim will shoot for their third straight win tonight, when they resume a four-game series versus the Texas Rangers at Angel Stadium.

The Angels are sitting comfortably atop the division standings at 17 games ahead of the Rangers. They improved to 5-4 on an 11-game homestand and 42-27 as the host this season after Friday's 3-1 victory over Texas in the second test of this series.

Starter Ervin Santana threw eight excellent innings, allowing one run on five hits to win his third straight decision. Francisco Rodriguez threw a perfect ninth to pick up his 52nd save of the season. Garret Anderson highlighted the offense with a two-run homer, while Juan Rivera drove in a run for the Angels.

Anaheim is inching closer to its fourth division title in five years, having trimmed its magic number to 11 with the recent triumph.

The Angels hope that starter Jered Weaver can get back in the win column this evening as he is 0-1 in his previous three starts. Weaver was beaten his last time out on August 25 versus Oakland, allowing two runs in seven innings of a 2-1 setback.

Weaver, who is 5-5 in 12 home starts this season, will take on Texas for the third time this season. He is 1-0 so far in two starts and 2-1 with a 2.26 earned run average over eight career outings.

The right-hander is 10-10 with a 4.38 ERA in 26 overall starts in 2008.

Texas has dropped two in a row since a three-game winning streak. In last night's loss to the Halos, Dustin Nippert made his second start of the season and was touched for three runs on five hits and a pair of walks in 5 1/3 frames to absorb the defeat. He also struck out seven.

Milton Bradley drove in the lone run for Texas, which is 3-2 on a seven-game road trip and 33-37 as the visitor in 2008.

Scott Feldman gets the nod for the Rangers on Saturday and he is 5-5 with a 5.01 earned run average in 23 games (21 starts) this season. Feldman had been 0-2 in five outings before beating Kansas City on August 25, when he allowed three runs -- two earned -- and eight hits in seven innings of a 9-4 win.

Feldman, a righty, owns an 0-1 record and a 7.62 ERA in 10 career games, one of which was a start, against the Angels. He was rocked for eight runs in an 11-10 loss versus the Halos on July 10 this season.

The Angels have won seven of their 11 matchups with the Rangers this season.