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Angels seek fourth straight victory

Sep 26, 2006 - 2:16 PM Texas (78-79) at LA Angels (85-71) 10:05 pm EDT

ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) -- The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are not leaving the American League playoff picture quietly.

Five games off the pace in the AL West Division with six to play, the Angels again attempt to stave off potential elimination when they face the Texas Rangers on Tuesday.

Vladimir Guerrero homered twice and Juan Rivera went 4-for-4 as Anaheim posted an 8-3 victory in Monday's opener of a three-game series here. The Angels gained a third game in as many days on front-running Oakland, which has had a magic number for clinching the division title stalled at two since Friday.

A .430 hitter with 20 homers in 53 career games against the Rangers, Guerrero next faces Robinson Tejeda (4-4, 4.50 ERA). The righthanded Tejeda gave up just five hits in seven scoreless innings against the Angels on September 15, but Guerrero homered off Frank Francisco in the 11th to lift Anaheim to a 2-1 triumph.

Tejeda has gone 3-0 with a 1.30 ERA in his last four road starts, improving to 4-1 with a 3.10 ERA in seven outings away from Ameriquest Field this year. In four starts overall this month, Tejeda has sported a 1.07 ERA.

The Angels counter with Kelvim Escobar (11-13, 3.40), who allowed just four hits in seven innings of a 3-0 win at Kansas City on September 20. The righthander has allowed only five earned runs in his last 34 innings, reducing his ERA since the beginning of July to 2.68.

Escobar gave up one run and two hits in four innings before succumbing to lingering left knee tendinitis at Texas on September 14. The Angels posted a 2-1 triumph in that game on the strength of Jose Molina's two-run homer in the fifth.

In 28 lifetime appearances - 10 starts - against the Rangers, Escobar has gone 2-7 with a 4.09 ERA.