San Francisco Giants: Struggling Oakland A's Under New Management on Deck

Weekend Probables

Friday: Tim Lincecum (5-5) vs. Graham Godfrey (0-0)

Saturday: Jonathan Sanchez (4-4) vs. Guillermo Moscoso (2-3)

Sunday: Matt Cain (6-4) vs. Trevor Cahill (6-5)

Preview

The Giants will be heading home, sort of, to start their three-game set with the Oakland A's and they are two teams with similar stories but with completely different results.

Both have been ravaged by injuries and have struggled to score runs all season but the difference has been how they have overcome those issues.

The Giants lead the NL West and the A's are dead last in the AL West.

San Francisco last saw Oakland on May 22 as the Giants completed the sweep with two walk-off wins.

The A's come in having won two games in a row but are 8-15 since their series with the Giants, including a 10-game losing streak.

The Giants, over that same period, are 12-11 and had Buster Posey and possibly Freddy Sanchez sustain season-ending injuries.

So, to say the least, both teams have dealt with adversity.

The key for the Giants will be figuring out rookie pitchers Graham Godfrey and Guillermo Moscoso. The Giants have gone a god job to this point with rookie pitchers.

They have struggled through the first time of the order only to take advantage after that.

The use of the DH will give the Giants more of an opportunity to give Pat Burrell some at bats and some rest for Aubrey Huff.

Tim Lincecum's last outing against the A's resulted in a complete game shutout in a 3-0 win.

The Giants will be entering a stretch of 10 road games in the next 16.

On the road, San Francisco has scored more than four runs per game, nearly a run and a half better than at home.

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Zack Farmer is a freelance reporter who has written for the San Francisco Examiner, Bay Area News Group, Patch.com and CSNBayArea.com.