• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Athletics-Giants Preview

Jun 12, 2010 - 6:18 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Oakland (32-30) at San Francisco (32-27), 9:05 p.m. EDT

Though he's struggled of late, Barry Zito is still enjoying the best start to any of his four seasons with the San Francisco Giants. That still might not be enough for him to beat the Oakland Athletics.

The veteran left-hander again looks for his first win against his former team while trying to help the host Giants to a second consecutive victory over their Bay Area rivals Saturday night.

After struggling in his previous three seasons with San Francisco, Zito (6-2, 3.15 ERA) has pitched well through the first two months of the season. His worst effort of the year came May 21, when he allowed season highs of six runs and nine hits in 6 2-3 innings of a 6-1 loss at Oakland, falling to 0-4 with an 8.85 ERA against the team with which he won a Cy Young Award in 2002.

The Giants (33-27) hope that trend ends and Zito can bounce back from another rough start after he allowed five runs in 5 2-3 innings of a 6-5 win at Cincinnati on Monday.

"I certainly had decent stuff," said Zito, who's 0-1 with a 5.26 ERA since beating Houston on May 16.

After a 6-2 victory in Friday's series opener, the Giants look to secure a winning series against the A's (32-31), who outscored them 10-1 while sweeping a three-game set in Oakland from May 21-23.

San Francisco didn't have Pat Burrell or Buster Posey in that set.

Burrell's two-run homer helped the Giants snap a 22-inning scoreless streak against the A's on Friday. Posey, batting .429 in 13 games since being called up from the minors May 29, extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a triple.

The Giants have won 11 of 17 and appear to be a more confident club since being swept in Oakland.

"We remember," said Bengie Molina, who snapped a 98 at-bat homerless streak with a two-run shot in the opener. "We're not trying to put these games as being key to the season but we want to come out and score some runs. Guys were pumped. I hope we bring that same intensity (Saturday)."

Burrell, 6 for 18 in seven games since the Giants signed him after he was released by Tampa Bay, is 4 for 13 with two homers and seven RBIs in his last four games against Oakland. He's 8 for 21 with three home runs against scheduled starter Ben Sheets.

Sheets (2-5, 4.96) looks to avoid a third straight loss with another strong outing against the Giants. The right-hander, 4-2 with a 2.15 ERA in nine starts versus San Francisco, didn't receive a decision after allowing two hits and striking out eight in six innings of a 3-0 win over the Giants on May 23.

Sheets, who's 6-6 with a 3.36 ERA in 17 interleague starts, has given up four runs in six innings in each of his last two starts overall. He suffered a 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Monday.

Kevin Kouzmanoff extended his hitting streak to a career-high 12 games after recording three hits and an RBI on Friday for the A's, who have lost four in a row across the bay.

Batting .435 with nine RBIs during his streak, Kouzmanoff is 6 for 11 against the Giants this season.