San Francisco @ Oakland preview
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Last Meeting ( May 21, 2010 ) San Francisco 1, Oakland 6
The Oakland Athletics had one key player come back on Friday and are on the verge of having a second one return.
Center fielder Coco Crisp returned from a pinkie injury and played for the first time this season on Friday, while second baseman Mark Ellis (hamstring) is about to rejoin the Athletics.
Crisp had two hits and two RBIs in his season debut to help Oakland defeat the San Francisco Giants in the opening game of the weekend interleague series rivalry. He’ll be back in the leadoff spot Saturday.
Crisp is expected to provide a boost to the top of Oakland's order. He has stolen 20 or more bases four times during a major-league career that began in 2002.
The Athletics have used Rajai Davis and Cliff Pennington in the leadoff spot this season, but neither player fits the role as well as Crisp, who has 137 career stolen bases and was signed by Oakland as a free agent this past offseason.
Meanwhile, Ellis could rejoin the team before the weekend concludes.
Ellis played with Triple-A Sacramento on Friday night during a rehab stint. If the hamstring holds up without a setback after a nine-inning game, he’ll soon be back with the A’s.
The scrappy second baseman has played in just one game since April 11. He has a .323 average in 31 at-bats this season.
San Francisco also plans to welcome back a key player as shortstop Edgar Renteria is expected to be activated from the disabled list on Saturday.
Renteria is hitting .316 in 76 at-bats for the Giants but has been sidelined since May 6.
Renteria’s return comes at a good time because his replacement, Juan Uribe, left Friday’s game in the third inning because of a tight hamstring.
Uribe, who can also play second base and third base, leads the Giants with 25 RBIs.
Matt Cain (2-3) will be on the hill for San Francisco and he’s 2-4 with a 2.89 ERA in six career starts against the Athletics.
Cain has allowed more than three earned runs just once this season in eight starts. Cain has a 3.33 ERA.
Oakland will start Gio Gonzalez (4-3), who runs hot and cold. Gonzalez has gone seven innings three times but also hasn’t made it out of the fifth on three other occasions.
Gonzalez has a 4.05 ERA. He won his last start when he allowed three runs and four hits in seven innings against Seattle.
Gonzalez has pitched just once in his career against the Giants and San Francisco hitters roughed him up for six runs – four earned – and 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings.