PREVIEW: Giants at Athletics

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Interstat) — The San Francisco Giants visit the Athletics on Friday night at Sutter Health Park for the opener of a three-game interleague series, the first of six meetings this season between the Northern California rivals.

The Athletics (22-21) are playing their home games in West Sacramento while their new ballpark in Las Vegas is being built. They enter with a record one game above .500, having split a two-game set against St. Louis after dropping Tuesday’s series opener. The Giants (18-25) are coming off a 4-0 shutout loss Wednesday at Dodger Stadium, which snapped a three-game winning streak that included back-to-back wins over the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

Pitching matchup

Right-hander Tristan Beck (2-3, 4.15 ERA) is slated to start for San Francisco. In his most recent outing Wednesday at Los Angeles, Beck threw two scoreless innings of relief, allowing two hits with no walks and no strikeouts. He has made 11 appearances this season, with two starts.

Left-hander Jacob Lopez (4-2, 4.26 ERA) is expected to start for the Athletics. Lopez took the loss Thursday against St. Louis, allowing two earned runs on four hits over five innings with two strikeouts. He has been solid over his past four starts, posting a 3.12 ERA across 18 1/3 innings, though he was roughed up for six earned runs in 5 1/3 innings against Cleveland on May 2.

Players to watch

For the Giants, Beck will be a key arm out of the bullpen or as a starter. He has allowed earned runs in just two of his past seven appearances.

For the Athletics, Lopez has been effective when limiting damage. He has held opponents to two earned runs or fewer in four of his five outings since April 21, covering 21 2/3 innings.

Recent trends

San Francisco has struggled offensively, scoring three runs or fewer in five of its past seven games. The Giants managed just four hits in Wednesday’s loss. Right-hander Robbie Ray started that game, allowing three runs on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings. Right-hander Joel Peguero tossed 1 1/3 hitless innings in relief.

Oakland has won five of its past nine games. Third baseman Zack Gelof went 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI in Thursday’s loss. Right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.

Simulator projection

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 5-4 win for San Francisco.

Up next

The series continues Saturday and Sunday, both at Sutter Health Park. The Giants then travel to Arizona for a four-game set starting Monday.