This is a 5* BIG-CHALK CHOKE-OUT on the Oakland Athletics.

The A's still lead the AL Wild Card race and I think will find a way to get the job done tonight after yesterday's 6-3 setback. Texas will come in complacent here I think, it's won four-straight. Oakland sits just one-game ahead of Kansas City and two ahead of Seattle in the wild-card race. The visitors send Derek Holland (1-0, 0.86 ERA) to the hill, who has given up two runs and struck out 17 without a walk over 21 innings in three starts since returning from injury. I think this is a difficult spot for Holland though, certainly Oakland will be the more motivated side today, the A's counter with Jeff Samardzija (4-5, 3.41 ERA) who has been all over the map of late, but who is coming off a great start in which he scattered six hits over seven scoreless frames while not factoring in the decision in a 2-1 win over the White Sox last Wednesday. I think the pitchers are a "wash", the difference is the A's intensity here, I believe they come in focused and find a way to get the job done at the end of the night; play on OAKLAND.

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