LA Angels of Anaheim (94-65) at Oakland Athletics (75-84), 10:05 p.m.

Sports Network | October 2, 2009

(Sports Network) - In their final series before entering the postseason fray, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim head to the Oakland Coliseum this evening for the first of three consecutive matchups with the division-rival Athletics.

The Angels, who clinched their third straight American League West title on Monday, will face the wild card-winning Boston Red Sox in the best-of-five AL Division Series beginning either Wednesday or Thursday at Angel Stadium. Although manager Mike Scioscia has yet to confirm his playoff rotation, it appears as if he'll start John Lackey and Jered Weaver over the first two games.

Lackey had his final prep for the postseason on Thursday, with the right- hander working just two innings and throwing 40 pitches in Anaheim's 11-3 defeat to Texas. He surrendered a two-run homer to the Rangers' Chris Davis in the top of the second and did not factor in the final outcome.

Trevor Bell received the loss after being tagged for six runs (3 earned) and six hits in a 2 1/3-inning stint of relief.

Kendry Morales had a two-run homer for the Angels, who had a four-game winning streak halted. The switch-hitting first baseman leads the club with 34 round- trippers and 107 RBI this season.

Weaver figures to have a shortened outing as well when he makes one last tuneup in tonight's series opener. The 15-game winner has also been recently dealing with a stiff back and hasn't pitched since tossing six innings against the Athletics in a 3-0 loss at Angel Stadium on September 25. He allowed a pair of runs on six hits in that game.

The loss was the third in a row for the lanky right-hander, who's compiled a 15-8 record with a solid 3.84 earned run average through 32 starts in 2009. None of those wins have come at the expense of Oakland, with Weaver having gone 0-1 with a 4.02 ERA in three prior encounters with the A's this year.

For his career, Weaver is 2-3 with a 2.93 ERA in 10 starts versus Oakland.

The Athletics will finish in last place in the AL West and enter their final homestand having lost four straight contests. Oakland was just swept in a three-game set at Seattle, with the Mariners completing the whitewash with a 4-2 decision on Thursday.

Rookie Brett Anderson (11-11) took the loss for Oakland after surrendering four runs in five innings, but only one was earned due to a costly two-out error by third baseman Adam Kennedy in the bottom of the fifth.

"We made one little mistake in the field and they capitalized on it big time," said Oakland manager Bob Geren. "That was the difference."

Jack Cust went 2-for-4 with a solo homer for the Athletics and Daric Barton contributed an RBI double in a losing cause.

Oakland will send out Gio Gonzalez this evening, with the young left-hander aiming to duplicate his most recent meeting with the Angels. Gonzalez shut Anaheim out over 6 1/3 innings to outduel Weaver in that September 25 clash at the Big A, yielding just four hits and striking out seven while walking just one.

The 24-year-old is 6-6 with a 5.73 ERA over 16 starts and three relief appearances this year, but hasn't pitched well at the Coliseum. In his nine home starts, Gonzalez is just 2-4 with a 6.85 ERA and has served up 10 home runs in 44 2/3 innings of work.

Anaheim has gone 5-1 at the Coliseum so far this season and won nine of its 16 overall meetings with the A's in 2009.