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Athletics-Angels Preview

Sep 27, 2009 - 7:13 AM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

Oakland (75-80) at Los Angeles (90-64), 3:35 p.m. EDT

The Los Angeles Angels are closing in on a fifth AL West title in six years, but they can't be happy with the way they have pitched in this series against the Oakland Athletics.

The Angels will have their hottest pitcher on the mound Sunday in Joe Saunders as they try to end a season-high four-game slide and avoid a three-game home sweep.

Los Angeles (90-64) had been the only team in the majors to not lose more than three straight games before dropping the first two games of this set. The Angels' magic number to clinch their third straight division title remained four after a 15-10 loss Saturday night.

Oakland (75-80) had 11 hits in a 3-0 victory Friday and added 19 Saturday as Kurt Suzuki and Jack Cust each had three hits and four RBIs. Cust doubled in the go-ahead run during a six-run eighth inning.

"You don't want to mess with a team that's out of it like they are," Angels center fielder Torii Hunter said. "A lot of guys over there are fighting for positions next year, and they come hungry. I'm not saying we don't, but they're starving."

The Athletics are in position for their first sweep of three or more games in Anaheim since winning four games Oct. 4-7, 2001.

Saunders (14-7, 4.63 ERA) may be the right guy to try to slow down Oakland's hot bats as he's 5-0 with a 2.11 ERA over his last six outings. He fell two outs shy of his second complete game of the season as he allowed two runs and seven hits in a 5-2 victory over the Yankees on Monday.

The left-hander's ERA had ballooned to a season-worst 5.33 before his hot stretch.

"All year long our bats have been carrying us," Saunders said. "Us starters have kind of figured it out."

Saunders is 2-1 with a 2.79 ERA in three starts against the Athletics in his career, and 7-3 with a 3.97 ERA in 12 career outings.

Suzuki is 2 for 22 in his career against Saunders while Cust is 1 for 10 with seven strikeouts. Ryan Sweeney, 5 for 10 in this series, is hitless in three at-bats versus Saunders.

Oakland improved to a major league-best 17-7 in September with its fifth straight road victory Saturday. The A's are 6-3 in Anaheim in 2009.

"We've been putting it together pretty good over the last couple of weeks," Sweeney said. "It's a little bit too late, but we've got nothing to lose right now."

Edgar Gonzalez (0-3, 5.22) will make his sixth start for Oakland. He allowed a season-high six runs with nine hits over 3 1-3 innings in a 10-3 loss to Texas on Monday.

The right-hander has never started against the Angels. He yielded two runs and three hits over 5 1-3 innings of relief against them over two appearances from July 16-18.