• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Guerrero hopes to keep rolling against Athletics

Apr 8, 2007 - 3:51 PM Oakland (2-4) at LA Angels (5-1) 3:35 pm EDT

ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) -- If the Oakland Athletics hope to gain a split in their four-game series with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, they will have to find a way to contain Vladimir Guerrero.

Guerrero is 5-for-10 with two homers in the first three games of the series. After Oakland won Thursday's opener, Guerrero blasted a three-run homer in the seventh inning of Friday's 5-2 victory and went 2-for-3 with an RBI in a 2-1 triumph for the Angels on Saturday.

One of four players in major league history to bat .300 for 10 consecutive seasons, Guerrero has three homers and 10 RBI in the first six games of the season.

Getting the assignment to slow down Guerrero is Joe Blanton (0-0, 6.00), who has given up six hits and a homer in 23 confrontations with Guerrero. However, the 26-year-old righthander is 0-6 in seven starts all-time against the Angels despite a 3.77 ERA.

In his first start last Tuesday, Blanton yielded four runs and five hits in six innings in a no-decision against Seattle.

Anaheim's Kelvim Escobar (1-0, 3.38 ERA) will make his 16th career start against Oakland. He is 4-7 with a 4.56 ERA and two saves all-time vs. the Athletics. The righthander yielded three runs - two earned - and three hits with five walks in 5 1/3 innings in an 8-3 win over Texas on Tuesday.