SoCal MLB Preview

LA Angels (55-38) at Oakland (51-42), 6:05 pm

OAKLAND, California (Ticker) -- Ervin Santana is hoping a start against the Oakland Athletics can help him get back on track. Santana takes the mound for the Angels on Saturday when the club continues a three-game series against the A's. A 25-year-old righthander, Santana (10-3, 3.53 ERA) was selected to his first All-Star game this week although his recent performances have been less than stellar. Santana is 1-0 over his last three starts but has surrendered 12 runs in 20 innings over that span. He allowed six runs and 10 hits in seven innings during his last outing, but still earned the win as the Angels posted a 9-6 victory over the Texas Rangers on Monday. There is good news - Santana has dominated Oakland during his career, logging an 8-1 record and 1.49 ERA in 12 lifetime starts against the A's, which includes a1-0 mark and 1.80 ERA in three outings this season. Rookie Dana Eveland (7-5, 3.50) seeks his fourth straight win when he counters for Oakland, which trails the Angels by four games for the top spot in the American League West Division.

Florida (49-44) at LA Dodgers (45-48), 7:10pm

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- With wins in nine of his last 10 starts, Ricky Nolasco has been one of the hottest pitchers in baseball. However, he hasn't come anywhere as close to perfection as Hiroki Kuroda did his last time out. Two of the hotter pitchers in baseball will face off on Saturday when Nolasco and the Florida Marlins continue their four-game series with Kuroda's Los Angeles Dodgers. After his seventh start of the season on May 3, Nolasco (10-4, 3.74 ERA) owned a 1-3 record with a 6.10 ERA. Since that time, the righthander has been one of the best pitchers in the majors as he has rolled to a 5-0 record with a 1.81 ERA over his last six outings. While he hasn't had the prolonged success of Nolasco, Kuroda (5-6, 3.39) is coming off his finest performance in a Dodgers uniform. The rookie righthander dominated Atlanta in Monday's 3-0 win, taking a perfect game into the eighth inning before the Braves' Mark Teixeira opened the frame with a double. It was the only hit allowed by Kuroda, who struck out six to win for the third time in four starts. He's also shown no signs of the right shoulder tendinitis that sidelined him last month. Kuroda, who already owns a win in his only other appearance against the Marlins, will be facing a Florida team that leads the majors in home runs (134) and has hit at least one longball in 13 straight games.