Kansas City @ Oakland preview

Kansas City at Oakland

Last Meeting ( Aug 2, 2010 ) Kansas City 0, Oakland 6

The complete game is back in the Oakland Athletics’ pitching arsenal.

The Athletics have put together three consecutive complete-game efforts and will look for another on Tuesday night when Vin Mazzaro takes the hill against the Kansas City Royals in the second of a three-game series.

So you noticed that Mazzaro has never thrown a complete game in 28 major-league starts? That’s fine – Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez never had thrown one either and Dallas Braden’s first career complete game came in his famous perfect game on Mother’s Day against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The trio of Braden, Gonzalez and Cahill combined for more complete games the last three days than Oakland had thrown all year. The Athletics had just two complete games in the 102 contests before the trio put together Oakland’s first streak of three straight pitchers going the distance since Gil Heredia, Tim Hudson and Barry Zito did so late in the 2000 season.

Braden started the streak with Saturday’s victory over the Chicago White Sox and Gonzalez also went the distance in Sunday’s loss to the South Siders.

Cahill followed suit in Monday’s series opener against the Royals when he tossed a three-hit shutout. Cahill was helped by a stellar defensive performance that included five double plays.

The timing of the strong pitching performances couldn’t have come at a better time, considering that All-Star closer Andrew Bailey remains sidelined with a rib injury.

Mazzaro’s longest stint came on July 18 against these same Kansas City Royals when he went 7 2/3 innings and allowed one run and seven hits.

The victory over Kansas City was one of four straight wins for Mazzaro, a streak that ended when the Texas Rangers reached him for seven runs and 12 hits in 5 1/3 innings last Thursday.

Mazzaro, who is 6-3 with a 4.04 ERA this season, has won both career starts against the Royals.

Kyle Davies starts for Kansas City and the right-hander has just one victory in his last 10 starts.

Davies (5-6, 5.48 ERA) defeated the New York Yankees on July 24 for his first victory since May. He received a no-decision against the Baltimore Orioles in his last outing.

Davies is 2-1 with a 3.32 ERA in four career starts against Oakland.

Kansas City third baseman Wilson Betemit had one of the three hits against Cahill on Monday to extend his hitting streak to seven games. Betemit is 10-for-24 (.417) during the streak.

Oakland’s Jack Cust went 2-for-2 with two walks on Monday to emerge from a six-game slump in which he went 3-for-19 (.158) with 12 strikeouts.

Cust has struggled against Davies. In five career at-bats, he has struck out four times.

Meanwhile, Oakland pitcher Ben Sheets will undergo elbow surgery next week and could be sidelined into the 2011 season.