Angels at Giants
The Los Angeles Angels will likely be without clean-up hitter Albert Pujols when they visit the San Francisco Giants for a three-game series beginning Friday, but Kole Calhoun seems right at home in the No. 4 spot. Calhoun went 2-for-5 with three RBIs in Los Angeles' 6-5 victory at Oakland on Thursday while improving to 7-for-16 with seven RBIs in eight career games batting clean-up, and there's a good chance the 27-year-old right fielder will hit there all weekend as it appears Pujols (hamstring) could miss multiple games.
The Angels, who are in a stretch of 22 contests in which they don't leave California, took two of three in Oakland before moving across the bay to vie for their fifth straight victory at AT&T Park and seventh in the last eight meetings over San Francisco. The Giants, who begin a 10-game homestand, step out of the National League West for the first time this season after dropping 13 of their first 22 games. San Francisco, the defending World Series champion which also won it all in 2010 and 2012, was outscored 16-8 in dropping two of three at Dodger Stadium this week. Los Angeles' C.J. Wilson makes his first start at AT&T Park since the 2010 World Series and opposes rookie Chris Heston, who was roughed up in his last outing after three quality outings to start the season.
TV: 10:15 p.m. ET, FSN West (Los Angeles), CSN Bay Area (San Francisco)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Angels LH C.J. Wilson (1-2, 3.12 ERA) vs. Giants RH Chris Heston (2-2, 2.77)
Wilson received a no-decision after allowing one run, three walks and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings of a 4-1 victory over Texas on Saturday in a start pushed back two days because of elbow pain. ''(Manager) Mike (Scioscia) knows I'm a really competitive guy and I want to pitch, even if I don't have my best stuff,'' the 34-year-old Californian told reporters. ''I'm going to go out there and try to compete.'' Wilson won his only regular-season start against San Francisco - in 2012 - after losing Game 2 of the 2010 World Series to the Giants when he yielded two runs and three hits in six innings of a 9-0 loss.
Heston couldn't handle hitter-friendly Coors Field in his last outing, allowing six runs and 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings of a 6-4 loss to Colorado on Friday. The 27-year-old Floridian, who is making his sixth career start, permitted five runs (two earned) in his first three turns of the season over 20 2/3 innings while defeating Arizona twice and losing to the Rockies. "We feel a heck of a lot better about our situation having him than not having him. I’ll tell you that,” San Francisco pitching coach Dave Righetti told the San Francisco Chronicle about Heston, who has filled a void left by the injury to Matt Cain (flexor strain).
WALK-OFFS
1. The Giants, who have not scored more than six runs this season, average three per game - second-fewest in the NL to Philadelphia (2.6).
2. Los Angeles DH C.J. Cron is 1-for-12 in his last three games after going 8-for-12 in his previous three contests.
3. San Francisco has grounded into an NL-most 21 double plays while the Angels have hit into 11 - tied for the fewest in the American League with Texas.