San Francisco @ Oakland preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 26, 2015 ) San Francisco 14, Oakland 10

The San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics will attempt to return to normalcy when they finish their interleague series Sunday in Oakland. In a Saturday matinee that featured the marquee matchup of retiring Bay Area greats Tim Hudson and Barry Zito, the clubs utilized 16 pitchers in a wild 14-10 win for the Giants.

The contest featured 30 hits, 10 walks, two hit batters and an error, but it did serve to snap San Francisco's six-game slide at O.co Coliseum. The Giants remain mathematically alive in the National League West race, although it is all but over with a seven-game gap between them and the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers. All-Star catcher Buster Posey hasn't stopped giving his all for the Giants, picking up two more hits Saturday to improve to 11-for-20 against Oakland this season. San Francisco rookie Jarrett Parker stole the show with three homers and seven RBIs, making him the first Giants player to accomplish that feat since Willie Mays in 1961 and giving the right fielder five home runs in a three-game hot stretch.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (San Francisco), CSN California (Oakland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants RH Chris Heston (11-10, 3.51 ERA) vs. Athletics LH Sean Nolin (1-1, 4.57)

Heston has failed to get through six innings in each of his last six starts and has not finished five in four of them, including 4 1/3 scoreless frames at San Diego on Tuesday. He limited the Padres to two hits and struck out seven, matching his second-highest total since he fanned 11 in his no-hitter against the New York Mets on June 9. Heston, who has never faced Oakland, is 6-4 with a 3.96 ERA in 15 road starts.

After giving up a total of six runs in his first three starts with Oakland, Nolin was reached for five in five innings of a no-decision against Texas on Tuesday. He has 12 strikeouts against 10 walks overall and has served up a home run in three consecutive outings. The 25-year-old has allowed eight runs on 12 hits and five walks in 11 innings at home.

WALK-OFFS

1. San Francisco 2B Kelby Tomlinson is 7-for-15 with four runs scored in his last three games.

2. Oakland has 90 losses for the first time since 1997.

3. Giants OF Marlon Byrd is 7-for-19 with five RBIs during his team's current road trip.

PREDICTION: Giants 6, Athletics 5