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All-Star matchup highlights series rubber match

Jul 13, 2008 - 2:52 PM LA Angels (56-38) at Oakland (51-43) 4:05 pm EDT

OAKLAND, California (Ticker) -- All-Star Justin Duchscherer makes his final start of the season's first half on Sunday as the Oakland Athletics host the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Duchscherer (10-5, 1.78 ERA) leads the major leagues in ERA and will enter the second half among the candidates to snatch the American League Cy Young award.

Angels starter Joe Saunders (12-5, 3.07) finds himself in that class, too.

The 27-year-old All-Star has allowed three runs or less in eight of his past 10 starts and hopes to stymie the Athletics for the second time this month. On July 2, he threw 6 1/3 innings, allowing just two earned runs and six hits.

Duchscherer faced the Angels on May 1 and suffered his worst start of the year by surrendering six runs in five innings.

On Friday, Oakland was supported by newly acquired starter Sean Gallagher, who was a part of the package the Chicago Cubs sent in exchange for Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin this week. The 22-year-old threw seven brilliant innings en route to a 9-2 victory.

Ervin Santana, however, shut down the Athletics on Saturday, allowing just five hits in seven scoreless innings in the Angels' 4-1 win.

Howie Kendrick, who saw his nine-game hitting streak come to an end on Friday, collected two hits and an RBI on Saturday for the Angels.