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A's ace Cahill eyes win No. 7 in bout with Halos

May 25, 2011 - 2:56 PM (Sports Network) - Runs for the opposing team already figure to be at a premium when A's starter Trevor Cahill takes the hill, but if Angels hurler Ervin Santana can duplicate his last outing hitters on both sides could be in for a long night.

Cahill gets another shot at becoming the majors' first seven-game winner, while Santana looks to build off of a gem last time out as Oakland and Los Angeles play the third contest of four straight in Anaheim.

Facing the Braves on Friday, the right-handed Santana snapped a three-start winless drought (0-1) by hurling the sixth shutout of his career. He threw a four-hitter, striking out seven without a walk.

"They were swinging at everything, so I told myself to keep the ball down and throw strikes. We needed it," said the 28-year-old Santana, who improved to 2-4 with a 4.18 earned run average in 10 starts with his 10th career complete game.

While Santana was able to pick up his first win since April 29, Cahill has been a consistent force all season long. He is 6-1 in 10 starts with a 1.79 ERA that ranks second-best in the American League.

Cahill did fail to become baseball's first seven-game winner last time out with a tough-luck no-decision against the Giants, but gets another chance at that distinction tonight. He is one of three six-game winners, including Boston's Jon Lester and Roy Halladay of Philadelphia, scheduled to pitch today.

Facing Oakland's Bay Area rival on Friday, the 23-year-old righty gave up just one run on one hit and two walks in six innings of action, striking out six in his club's 2-1 extra-inning loss. Cahill has allowed more than one earned run in just two of his 10 outings this year.

Pitching away from Oakland hasn't been an issue for Cahill either as he is 3-0 with a 2.27 ERA in five road starts this season.

Both Santana and Cahill have had success against each other's club. Santana is 12-3 with a 1.99 ERA in 21 career games versus Oakland, including 19 starts, while Cahill is 4-1 with a 1.81 ERA in seven matchups with the Angels.

The A's will be looking to pick up a second straight win after snapping a six- game slide with Tuesday's 6-1 win. Oakland had scored just 10 runs over his skid, but David DeJesus broke the offense out of its slump with a pair of homers and four RBI.

Spotted a 5-0 lead by the fourth frame, Guillermo Moscoso (1-0) threw six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and three walks while fanning three in his first major league start.

"It feels pretty good. I'm happy. I tried to stay in there as long as I can," Moscoso said. "I tried to keep the ball down and hit the corners. Getting those runs early made me feel more aggressive."

The five-run victory meant that Athletics manager Bob Geren did not have to go to new closer Grant Balfour, who is taking over the role from the struggling Brian Fuentes for now. Fuentes has been charged with a loss in his last four appearances and is 1-7 with a 5.06 ERA this season.

Dan Haren was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs over seven innings of work as the Angels had their brief two-game win streak snapped and lost for the seventh time in 10 games.

"I just made a couple of mistakes. I settled down and got pitches down in the zone, but by then it was too late," said Haren, who is winless in his last seven starts.

Oakland has won four of five over Los Angeles since a six-game series losing streak and picked up its second victory in its last 11 at Angel Stadium.