Arlington, TX (My Sportsbook) - The streaking Oakland Athletics put their sights on their fifth straight victory this evening, when they battle the Texas Rangers in the second of a three-game set at the Ballpark in Arlington.

Oakland continued its hot streak on Tuesday with a 2-1 win over the Rangers. Scott Hatteberg's RBI double in the top of the seventh inning snapped a tie and lifted the A's to victory. Hatteberg and teammate Mark Ellis each had three hits for the Athletics. Erubiel Durazo ended 2-for-3 in the winning effort.

Barry Zito (2-0) worked seven strong innings for the victory. He allowed just one run on four hits, walked four and struck out seven. Zito, who improved to 8-0 lifetime versus the Rangers, retired the first 10 batters he faced.

Keith Foulke worked out a jam in the ninth to earn his third save.

The A's will pin their hopes on 25-year-old lefthander Mark Mulder this evening. Mulder gave up eight hits and four runs over six innings, while walking four and fanning one in a no-decision against Seattle.

Mulder has been relatively successful against the Rangers in his career, going 5-4 with a 4.89 ERA. The southpaw was tagged for 75 hits and 38 earned runs over 70 innings of action.

Texas will answer with righthander Ismael Valdes this evening. Valdes made a pair of impressive starts this year, including a no-decision against Seattle last week. The 29-year-old allowed four hits and three runs --- two earned --- over six innings. He struck out four and didn't permit a walk in the no- decision.

Valdes has struggled in his career against the A's, posting just a 2-3 record with a 3.06 ERA. The Mexican has allowed 44 hits and 17 earned runs over 50 innings of action.

Rafael Palmeiro slammed a homer for Texas, which fell to 2-5 on the year, on Tuesday. Esteban Yan suffered the loss in relief. He was charged with one run on three hits in one inning of work. Texas' Hank Blalock went 1-for-4 and has hit safely in all seven games this season.

Rangers starter John Thomson yielded just one run on seven hits in six innings. He walked two and fanned seven.

Oakland won the final seven meetings between these teams last season, giving it a 13-6 advantage for the year. The A's are 23-16 against the Rangers in the last two-plus seasons, including 11-9 at the Ballpark in Arlington.