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Aug 3, 2015 - 1:45 AM Already in the thick of the wild-card race, the Texas Rangers also have a chance to become a factor in the AL West. Giving the ball to Colby Lewis in the opener of this Lone Star Series is a good way to start.

Lewis looks to continue his dominance of the division-leading Houston Astros on Monday night.

Texas (51-53) is three games back of Minnesota for the league's second wild-card spot. The Rangers, who trail Houston (60-46) by eight in the West, are looking to Lewis (11-4, 4.42 ERA) to start whittling that down.

The right-hander, who turned 36 on Sunday, is 7-1 with a 1.91 ERA in 13 games - 10 starts - against the Astros. He's won six straight decisions with a 1.74 ERA in his last eight starts, reaching the seventh inning in all but one.

He's gone that far in all three matchups this year, going 2-0 with a 2.78 ERA after allowing two runs and four hits in 7 1-3 innings of a 7-6 win at Houston on July 18.

Lewis, 3-0 since with a 2.57 ERA since the All-Star break, hasn't won four consecutive starts since 2003-04.

"I try to be that guy, whatever spot you want to put me in. It doesn't really matter if I'm in the front of the rotation or the back," Lewis told MLB's official website.

Lewis allowed two runs in six innings of Wednesday's 5-2 win over the New York Yankees after the Rangers dropped 12 of the previous 13 at home. That started a 4-1 run at Globe Life Park which continued Sunday when Josh Hamilton's two-run, sixth-inning homer was enough for a 2-1 victory.

Hamilton is 6 for 21 with two homers and eight RBIs in those five home games. He's 4 for 8 with a homer, two doubles and two RBIs in the last two meetings with the Astros after going 3 for 35 with 14 strikeouts in his previous nine.

Prince Fielder is hitting .388 (19 for 49) in his last 12 games against Houston.

The Astros have won 10 of their last 13 games, building a four-game lead over the second-place Los Angeles Angels.

Carlos Gomez is fitting in fine in Houston after being acquired in a trade with Milwaukee on Thursday. He has four hits in two games, including a two-run single in Sunday's 4-1 win over Arizona.

He went 2 for 2 with runners in scoring position in those games and is among baseball's leaders in that category with a .387 average.

"My confidence is really good," Gomez said. "I have been hitting with scoring position really well, and I walked up with an idea of 'I got this.' Finally, I put a good swing and hit it the opposite way."

Gomez is a career .351 hitter against the Rangers, and he's 12 for 31 (.387) in nine games at Globe Life.

Lance McCullers (5-3, 2.48) would appreciate some help in his first appearance versus Texas. He's 0-3 with a 3.81 ERA over his last five road starts, getting one run of support in four games and seven total.

The rookie right-hander was terrific against the Angels on Wednesday, yielding one run in seven innings of a 6-3 victory.