THE WEEK AHEAD

TODAY--THURSDAY

OAKLAND

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

* Television: Fox Sports West tonight and Wednesday; Channel 9 Thursday.

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

* Pitching matchups: Jarrod Washburn (3-4, 5.92 ERA) vs. Tim Hudson (10-2, 3.15), Brian Cooper (1-1, 4.30) vs. Omar Olivares (15-11, 4.08), Chuck Finley (12-11, 4.41) vs. Gil Heredia (13-8, 4.78).

* Last series: The Angels won two of three games during a Fourth of July weekend series in Oakland. Angel second baseman Randy Velarde had eight hits in 14 at-bats during the series. He is now the Athletics’ second baseman. The Angels’ Omar Olivares pitched a complete game, allowing two runs, for a victory in the series finale. He is now in the Athletics’ rotation. Velarde and Olivares were picked up in a July 29 trade.

* About the Athletics: Oakland was eliminated from the West Division race after being swept by champion Texas over the weekend. Things are looking bleak on the wild-card front as well. The Athletics trail the Boston Red Sox by 6 games. Outfielder Ben Grieve, the 1998 rookie of the year, hit only three home runs in his first 55 games. He has hit 23 in his last 87 games. Olivares is 7-2 since being acquired from the Angels. Kevin Appier is 6-5 since coming from the Kansas City Royals.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY VS. TEXAS

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

* Television: Fox Channel 9 Friday.

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

* Last series: If the Angels still had some thoughts of making a run at the division title, the Rangers knocked it out of them with a two-game sweep in July. The Angels left town 12 1/2 games out of first place. First baseman Rafael Palmeiro drove in six of the Rangers’ 18 runs in that series. Palmeiro is hitting .429 with two home runs and 13 RBIs against the Angels this season.

* About the Rangers: Angel fans will get to see a team that lived up to expectations this season. The Rangers clinched their second consecutive division title and third in four seasons by beating the Athletics, 10-3, Sunday. The Rangers might need these games, as they are still vying for the best record in the American League and home field advantage through the playoffs. Their potent lineup not only features Palmeiro, who has driven in 146 runs, but also Juan Gonzales, who has 126 RBIs, and Ivan Rodriguez, who has 108. The Rangers could have five 100-RBI players, as Rusty Greer and Todd Zeile have each driven in 98.

HISTORY LESSON

This week in Angel history:

Sept. 28, 1974: Nolan Ryan pitched his fourth no-hitter with a 4-0 victory over Minnesota.

Sept. 30, 1984: Mike Witt became the 13th player to pitch a perfect game. He struck out 10 in a 1-0 victory over the Texas Rangers on the last day of the season.

Source: Angel records