The Oakland Athletics finished last week in style with three consecutive one-run victories over the Rays. The Texas Rangers are off back-to-back impressive wins at Kansas City though, and they'll be extremely pumped up for their first home game since the All Star break. I think the Rangers will prove to be the stronger of the two teams tonight.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Pitching - The A's hand the ball to Daniel Mengden (1-5, 5.52 ERA), a 23 year old rookie who is set to make his ninth start in the big leagues. He pitched well in his first four games but has unraveled completely of late, going 0-2 with a 9.33 ERA in four starts here in July. The Rangers counter with 25 year old southpaw Martin Perez (7-7, 4.37 ERA) who despite his fairly young age is in his fifth year in the majors. He has thrived with a 6-1 record with a 2.48 ERA in nine starts home at Arlington this year.

2. Oakland vs. Southpaws - The A's have lost 10 of their last 13 when coming up against a left-handed starter and their .307 on base percentage against southpaws this season is the worst mark in the American League.

3. X-Factor - Keep an eye on Ian Desmond who is hitting .376 at home for the year and has been a major factor in Texas' excellent 29-15 home record.

Selection: This is a play on the Texas Rangers (8*)