Oakland @ Cleveland preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 28, 2016 ) Cleveland 6, Oakland 4

A pair of promising 25-year-old right-handers take the mound Friday as Kendall Graveman leads the Oakland Athletics into the opener of a three-game series versus Trevor Bauer and the host Cleveland Indians. Graveman has won four straight starts and hasn't tasted defeat in more than two months while Bauer is looking to get back on track after a trio of difficult outings on the heels of a three-game winning streak.

The American League Central-best Indians - like Bauer - have also hit a rough patch and seen their lead over second-place Detroit shrink to 4 1/2 games after dropping four of five to AL East-leading Baltimore and NL East-best Washington. Francisco Lindor is riding a five-game hitting streak and has scored six times in his last eight heading into Friday's tilt versus Graveman, against whom he is 3-for-6 with a double in his career. Oakland has momentum on its nine-game road trip as it has won four straight series for the first time in two years and has emerged victorious in nine of 13 games since the All-Star break. "There's a loose relaxness in the clubhouse before the games. It's a good chemistry. Winning creates that," Khris Davis, who belted two homers in Wednesday's 6-4 victory over Texas and has six RBIs during his five-game hitting streak, told reporters.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, CSN California (Oakland), STO (Cleveland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics RH Kendall Graveman (7-6, 4.15 ERA) vs. Indians RH Trevor Bauer (7-4, 3.65)

Graveman recorded his second career complete game Saturday after yielding three runs in a 4-3 victory over Tampa Bay. The Alabama native permitted only eight earned runs in 30 2/3 innings during his four-start winning streak and is 6-0 since a hard-luck loss to the New York Yankees on May 19. Graveman will have a tall task on his hands against the Athletics, who are 15-4 in their last 19 contests when facing a right-handed starter.

Bauer fell to 0-2 in his last three outings Saturday after yielding five runs for the second time in that stretch. The Californian was taken deep on two occasions in a 5-1 loss to Baltimore after surrendering that same number of homers over his previous eight starts. Bauer looks to bounce back versus Oakland, against which he allowed one run on four hits in 6 2/3 innings of a no-decision in his lone encounter with the club in August 2015.

WALK-OFFS

1. Cleveland CF Tyler Naquin has 10 RBIs and seven runs scored while hitting safely in all but one of his last nine contests.

2. Oakland CF Coco Crisp has gone 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs in back-to-back games after going 3-for-28 in his previous seven.

3. The Indians are 7-9 versus the AL West.

PREDICTION: Indians 3, Athletics 2