TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY

TEXAS

Schedule: 7 tonight; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

* Television: Fox Sports West both nights.

* Radio: KLAC (570), XPRS (1090).

* Pitching matchups: Omar Olivares (6-5, 3.39 ERA) vs. John Burkett (1-3, 7.20 ERA) tonight; Ken Hill (3-7, 4.97 ERA) vs. Ryan Glynn (1-2, 7.46 ERA).

* Last series: The Angels handled the Rangers, winning two of three games in Arlington in early April. Olivares didn’t allow a run in 7 1/3 innings during a 10-0 victory on April 10. Garret Anderson and Randy Velarde each had four hits in that game.

* About the Rangers: Texas seemed to take control of the division earlier this month but has slipped back to the pack. Rafael Palmeiro and Juan Gonzalez are the marquee names in a potent offense. Both are among the league leaders in home runs and runs batted in. Shortstop Royce Clayton might be disciplined by the league after being ejected from Sunday’s game in Seattle. Clayton, who hurt the Angels during the stretch run last season, threw his batting helmet, hitting plate umpire Brian O’Nora, during a dispute with first base umpire Jim Joyce.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY AT OAKLAND

* Schedule: 7:30 p.m. Friday; 6 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. Sunday.

* Television: Channel 9 all three days.

* Radio: KLAC (570), XPRS (1090).

* Last series: The Angels swept the Athletics over the weekend, coming from behind to win the first two. Jeff Huson sparked the Angels Friday, starting a two-run rally in the eighth and driving in the winning run with an infield single in the ninth. The Angels came from four runs down Saturday, with Anderson driving in the go-ahead run with a seventh-inning single.

* About the A’s: If the Angels are the most disappointing team in the division thus far, then Oakland has been the most surprising. The Athletics have a bunch of free swingers but are last in the league in batting average. They were thought to be thin in pitching, but are fourth in the league in earned-run average. Yet, they have managed to stay close in the division race.