Coming attractions

Upcoming key series:

A's at Angels (September 24-26).

These A.L. West heavyweights will meet six times in the final two weeks, including three times in a season-ending series in Oakland. The A's lead the season series 7-6 and are 4-3 at Anaheim. Oakland aces Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson, both scheduled to pitch in this series, are a combined 3-2 with a 2.80 ERA against the Angels this season. Jarrod Washburn and Kelvim Escobar are scheduled to start for the Angels; both have ERAs over 5.00 against Oakland 2this season. Angels right fielder Vladimir Guerrero is batting .319 with three home runs and 11 RBIs against the A's.

Dodgers at Giants (September 24-26); Giants at Padres (September 28-30).

The first series will have a direct impact on the second. If the Giants can't close the gap in the N.L. West against first-place L.A., the focus will shift to the wild-card race, which includes San Diego. The Padres are 5-2 against the Giants at Petco Park this season. San Francisco swept a four-game series against the Dodgers in June at SBC Park and has been led by--who else?--Barry Bonds. Bonds has six homers and 13 RBIs against L.A. this season, despite 24 walks. Oddly, Brett Tomko is the only current San Francisco starter who has beaten the Dodgers this season.

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