Oakland @ San Francisco preview
Oracle Park
Last Meeting ( May 23, 2010 ) San Francisco 0, Oakland 3
It was quite a sight when the Oakland Athletics hosted the San Francisco Giants last month.
Oakland pitching completely shut down the Giants bats as the Athletics allowed just one run while sweeping the three-game series in Oakland.
The scene shifts across the bay to San Francisco for another weekend three-game series between the Bay Area teams, with the Athletics hoping to again silence the Giants hitters.
Left-hander Gio Gonzalez, one of the dominant pitchers from last month’s series, starts Friday’s opener for Oakland against two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum.
Gonzalez allowed just two hits over eight shutout innings during a 1-0 victory on May 22. He struck out five and walked one.
Gonzalez (6-3, 3.58 earned-run average) has won three straight decisions and last lost on May 12. He has allowed three earned runs or less in each of his last five starts.
In his last start, Gonzalez beat Minnesota when he allowed two runs in seven innings.
Lincecum didn’t pitch against Oakland in last month’s series and hasn’t flashed his Cy Young form often enough this season.
Lincecum (5-2) has won just once since April 23 and endured a stretch in which he walked five hitters in four consecutive starts. His ERA over his last four starts is a very uncharacteristic 6.85.
The hard times have boosted his season ERA to 3.20. It stood at 1.76 after Lincecum beat Houston on May 15.
Lincecum has always fared well against Oakland. He has a 3-0 mark and 1.23 ERA in four career starts against Oakland.
In his most recent outing, Lincecum allowed three runs in seven innings against Pittsburgh while getting a no-decision.
Both teams are in third place in their respective divisions entering the series.
San Francisco (32-27) is 3 ½ games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West, while Oakland (32-30) is two games behind Texas in the American League West.
The Athletics hope to have center fielder Rajai Davis back in the lineup. Davis injured a hamstring on Monday and hasn’t played since. He’s tied with Juan Pierre of the Chicago White Sox with a major league-high 23 steals.
Oakland will be without catcher Kurt Suzuki, who will be placed on the three-day bereavement list after a death in his family.
Third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff stretched his hitting streak to 11 games in Thursday’s victory over the Los Angeles Angels. Kouzmanoff is batting .272 and has a team-leading 32 RBIs.
San Francisco first baseman Buster Posey has been red-hot since he was recalled, batting .444 (20-for-45) with one homer.
Posey’s bat has forced Aubrey Huff to play left field but Huff hasn’t been affected by the move. He’s batting .300 with eight homers and 28 RBIs. Huff is second on the team in homers and RBIs behind Juan Uribe (nine homers, 38 RBIs).