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Athletics-Dodgers Preview

Jun 18, 2009 - 6:56 AM By ALAN FERGUSON STATS Writer

Oakland (28-36) at Los Angeles (43-23), 10:10 p.m. EDT

With rookie pitchers scheduled to start four straight games for the Oakland Athletics, Trevor Cahill got that stretch off to a solid beginning Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.

Vin Mazzaro will try to follow with another strong effort and help the visiting A's win their three-game series over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Thursday night's finale.

Cahill yielded two unearned runs over 5 1-3 innings as Oakland snapped a four-game slide by holding on for a 5-4 win. The A's, batting an AL-worst .235, had nine hits - their most since June 6 - and scored more than four runs for just the second time in that 10-game stretch to overcome three errors.

Oakland (28-36) had scored runs in four of its previous 37 innings but plated runs in three of its first six Wednesday. Rajai Davis hit a solo home run in the third inning - his first of the season - and Jack Cust followed with a two-run shot for his second homer in three games. Cust also had a bunt single in the sixth and scored on Orlando Cabrera's two-out base hit.

"We were very fortunate to win the game," said A's manager Bob Geren, whose team is 2-6 in interleague play. "Almost all of their runs came from errors. There's been so many times this year when I've said we played good enough to win and fell short. Tonight, we really didn't play that well and won."

Mazzaro (2-1, 1.37 ERA) will make his fourth career start as the A's trot out a rookie pitcher for the 14th time in 17 games. Josh Outman and Brett Anderson are scheduled to pitch Oakland's next two contests in San Diego.

"It's actually fun because (rookie pitchers) are very moldable. They're very receptive to what they're trying to accomplish," Geren told the team's official Web site. "They're coming around. They've done a great job. It's been a pleasure to watch them."

Mazzaro, who didn't allow a run over his first 17 2-3 innings, was undone by one bad inning in Friday's 3-0 loss to San Francisco. He did not allow a hit the first four innings, but an RBI single by reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum sparked a three-run fifth.

"It was gonna end sooner or later," Mazzaro told the Athletics' official Web site about his scoreless streak. "It doesn't make it any worse that it was a pitcher, but, yeah, that's a pitch I'd like to have back."

A power outage Saturday night at Texas spoiled Randy Wolf's previous outing. After allowing 11 runs in his previous two outings, Wolf (3-2, 3.41) had yielded two hits in five scoreless innings until a light failure caused a one-hour, 41-minute delay.

"It was one of those things you can't control," he told the Dodgers' official Web site. "You just have to deal with it. I stayed ready in hopes they would fix it quickly, but after 30 to 45 minutes, you can't do that."

The Dodgers (43-23) scored all of their runs after Wolf exited in a 3-1 win, denying the veteran left-hander his first win since May 28. Wolf won his only career start against the A's back in 2003.

Oakland is 11-3 against Los Angeles since 1999, but has alternated wins and losses in its last five games at Dodger Stadium.