(Sports Network) - Joe Saunders tries to become the majors' first 13-game winner this evening when the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim play the second of four games against Texas at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Saunders, selected to his first All-Star Game on Sunday, improved to 12-4 on the season on Wednesday against Oakland, as he allowed four runs (two earned) and six hits in 6 1/3 innings, lowering his earned run average to 3.04.

His 12 wins are tied with Arizona's Brandon Webb for the major league lead. Webb is also in action tonight.

The left-handed Saunders is 2-2 lifetime against the Rangers with a 6.08 ERA in five starts.

Texas will counter with lefty Matt Harrison, who will be making his first big league start. Eric Hurley was slated to go tonight, but he is battling a hamstring injury and likely won't pitch until Sunday at the earliest.

The 22-year-old Harrison has split time this season between Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Oklahoma and is a combined 6-3 with a 3.43 ERA, 55 strikeouts and 28 walks.

Harrison is the 11th starter the Rangers have used this season, tied for the most in the league with the Yankees.

In the opener of this set on Monday, Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter hit monstrous homers as part of a six-run second inning, lifting the Angels to a 9-6 win.

Hunter had three hits, including a pair of homers, and drove in three runs, while Guerrero and Jeff Mathis each hit two-run homers during the big uprising in the second frame, as Los Angeles won for the fifth time in six games despite a shaky outing by Ervin Santana.

Santana (10-3), named to his first All-Star contest on Sunday, allowed a season-high 10 hits and surrendered six runs, while striking out six over seven innings.

Francisco Rodriguez also pitched out of trouble in the ninth inning for his 35th save, making history in the process. That eclipsed the most saves prior to the All-Star break. Atlanta's John Smoltz had 34 in the same time span in 2003.

David Murphy smacked a three-run homer and Chris Davis added a two-run shot for the Rangers, who had won two in a row over the weekend at Baltimore. Ian Kinsler extended his hitting streak to 19 games, going 4-for-5, scoring once.

Luis Mendoza (1-3) was battered to the tune of nine hits and eight runs over 1 1/3 innings to suffer the loss. Dustin Nippert yielded just four hits and a run while fanning four in seven effective relief frames.

The Angels have won four of six this season from the Rangers, including all three contests in Arlington.