San Francisco @ Oakland preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 30, 2013 ) San Francisco 3, Oakland 4

The Oakland Athletics know they can beat the Houston Astros. Now it’s time to prove themselves against the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants. The teams begin a two-game set in Oakland on Monday before playing two games at AT&T Park on Wednesday and Thursday. The Athletics improved to 9-0 against Houston after completing a three-game sweep over the weekend. They’re 19-23 against every other team.

San Francisco sits atop the National League West along with Arizona after completing a 4-2 homestand. The Giants will be tested over the next few weeks with 14 of their next 18 games on the road against contenders such as Oakland, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Atlanta. With starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong (hand) out for the next four-to-six weeks, left-hander Mike Kickham will be recalled from Triple-A Fresno to make his major-league debut on Tuesday.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (San Francisco), Comcast SportsNet California (Oakland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants LH Madison Bumgarner (4-2, 2.89 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Dan Straily (2-2, 5.73)

Bumgarner bounced back from a dismal outing against Colorado with a strong seven innings against the Nationals last Wednesday. The 23-year-old lefty allowed one run on 115 pitches and drew high praise from Washington slugger Bryce Harper. “Kid’s unbelievable,” Harper told reporters. “He’s one of the best guys I’ve faced all year.” Chris Young is 7-for-14 with a homer against Bumgarner, who has worked at least six innings in eight of his 10 starts.

Straily had a breakout performance against Texas last Tuesday, outdueling Rangers ace Yu Darvish by throwing seven shutout innings and allowing two hits in the Athletics’ 1-0 victory. “The best pitching performance we've seen out of him to date,” manager Bob Melvin told reporters. “I think he just gained confidence as the game went along.” The 24-year-old Straily, making his first career appearance against the Giants, has allowed one home run over his last four starts.

WALK-OFFS

1. Athletics 1B Nate Freiman is 13-for-38 (.342) against left-handers and hitless in 15 at-bats against right-handers.

2. Giants C Buster Posey is batting .421 during a 10-game hitting streak

3. Athletics INF Jed Lowrie returned to the lineup Sunday after missing three games due to a bruised right foot.

PREDICTION: Giants 3, Athletics 2