Rangers aiming for series sweep vs. A's

Sunday's starter for the Texas Rangers is looking forward to facing the Oakland A's in the series finale.

"It's always fun to face your old team," A.J. Griffin said.

It's been a fun season so far for the 29-year-old right-hander. Not only is Griffin 4-0 with a 2.45 ERA, but he's 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA in two starts against Oakland this season.

The Rangers (18-20) are looking to finish off a sweep and extend their season-high five-game winning streak.

Griffin is also coming off a complete-game shutout, the only such gem by a Texas starter this season and the first for the staff since September 2015.

Griffin expects those type of results every time out.

"I try to throw a no-hitter every time I pitch," he said. "I just try to stay within myself and execute pitches, have conviction in every pitch I throw and try to be on the same page with my catcher."

The four-game winning streak in the last four starts ties a career long set with Oakland in 2013. Griffin broke into the majors with the A's in 2012 and went 21-11 in two seasons before missing the next two years due to Tommy John surgery.

He's battled through injuries with the Rangers, including a stint on the 10-day disabled list with gout in his ankle, but has been solid when healthy.

"He's a guy who wins games," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "He doesn't blow you away, he throws 85-89 mph and he has a curve that makes his fastball play a lot better. He has a good understanding of how to pitch up and down and when he has a lot of confidence, he goes out there thinking, 'I'm going to win this game today.' We've seen it before and he's on a nice little roll right now."

Griffin went nine innings and threw 104 pitches in Texas' 11-0 win over San Diego on May 9. It was his second career shutout and the most pitches he's thrown this season.

"The innings were pretty crisp for the most part," said Griffin, who hadn't gone nine innings since June 2013 with Oakland. "It's as good as I have felt after any outing my whole career. I stayed inside my delivery, I wasn't trying to do too much. I wasn't putting much stress on my shoulder and just staying on top of the baseball. I'll try to keep doing what I've been doing, executing pitches."

His current skipper said Griffin's success comes from getting ahead in counts with the breaking ball.

"He can use the fastball out of the same (throwing) slot," Jeff Banister said. "With the spin rate that he has, he gets it above the barrel, and gets mishits above the barrel. The breaking ball out of the same slot with sub velocity allows him to miss the barrel."

Oakland (16-20) counters with Kendall Graveman (2-2, 3.67) in his fourth start Sunday since being reinstated from the 10-day DL on April 27. The righty is 0-2 with a 5.51 ERA in three starts since his return after going 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA in three starts prior to going on the DL with a strained right shoulder.

Graveman is 2-2 with a 5.16 ERA in five career starts against Texas and 1-0 this season. He went seven innings and allowed one run on two hits in Oakland's 6-1 win on April 8.