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Giants, A's continue series at the Coliseum

Jun 18, 2011 - 2:56 PM (Sports Network) - The San Francisco Giants will try not to lose their grip on first place in the National League West Division tonight, when they continue a three-game interleague series with the Oakland Athletics at the Coliseum.

The Giants dropped a 5-2 decision in Friday's series opener and saw their lead atop the NL West shrink to just a half-game ahead of Arizona. Staff ace and two-time NL Cy Young Award recipient Tim Lincecum lost to the A's for the first time in his career (5-1) and allowed three runs -- two earned -- in six innings with seven strikeouts and five walks.

"I was battling the whole time instead of cruising, which is what I'd like to do," said Lincecum, who is 5-6 on the season. "I've just go to do better."

Cody Ross homered for the Giants, who were coming off a 3-2 loss in 10 innings at Arizona on Thursday and have lost two in a row since winning three straight and seven of 10 games. Giants closer Brian Wilson is riding a 14 1/3 scoreless innings streak, going 1-0 with eight saves in that 13-game stretch.

San Francisco is 2-2 on a six-game road swing and 41-43 all-time in the Bay Bridge series since interleague play began in 1997. It is still 13-5 in the last 18 meetings with the Athletics. San Francisco swept a three-game series versus Oakland from May 20-22 this season at AT&T Park and had won six straight in the series.

The A's, of course, swept the Giants to win the 1989 World Series and are 137-115 against the National League. San Francisco owns a 116-112 mark in interleague play.

The Giants will go with Jonathan Sanchez tonight and he's 4-4 with a 3.47 earned run average in 14 starts. He owns a 1-2 mark in his last three decisions, spanning six starts, and did not figure into the outcome of a 4-2 win over Cincinnati on Sunday.

Sanchez allowed two runs over six innings with five strikeouts. The lefty, who is 2-3 in seven road starts, posted a no-decision versus Oakland at AT&T Park on May 22 in a 5-4 triumph, permitting only one run though six frames. He is 1-2 with a 2.84 ERA in nine career games (4 starts) against the A's.

Oakland has won three in a row since losing three straight and 13 of 14 games, and improved to 4-11 this month with Friday's victory.

Conor Jackson had three hits and an RBI, Jemile Weeks ended 2-for-4 and knocked in a run and both Josh Willingham and Scott Sizemore had RBIs for the Athletics, who are still six games off the lead in the AL West despite how poorly they have played recently.

"That's a great win for us," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "That's the world champions that we have a ton of respect for and one of the great pitchers in the game."

Graham Godfrey pitched seven strong innings in his second major league start and outworked Lincecum, allowing six hits and one earned run for the win. Grant Balfour set the Giants down in the eighth and Andrew Bailey recorded his third save with a scoreless ninth inning.

Guillermo Moscoso will try to stop a three-game losing streak when he takes the ball for the Athletics tonight. Moscoso was last in action during a 5-4 loss to the White Sox on Sunday, as he allowed five runs -- four earned -- and six hits in 6 1/3 innings.

Moscoso, a right-hander, is now 2-3 on the season with a 3.91 earned run average in six games (4 starts). He has never faced the Giants.