The A's will look to win their ninth straight game as they take on the Dodgers in Game 2 of the three-game Interleague series at McAfee Coliseum on Saturday.

Oakland has won 11 of its last 12 games, and Kirk Saarloos will take the mound against Derek Lowe.

Saarloos will make his eighth start since starting the year in the bullpen. In 15 career Interleague appearances, he is 2-1 with a 6.52 ERA and a .386 opponents' batting average.

With a win on Saturday, the A's will guarantee a fifth straight series win. Oakland hasn't lost a series since May 29-31, against Kansas City.

The A's are in sole possession of first place in the West and have gained five games on the Rangers during their winning streak.

Pitching matchup
OAK: RHP Kirk Saarloos (3-4, 4.82 ERA)
Saarloos snapped a three-game losing streak with his last start against the Yankees. He went six innings and held New York to two runs on four hits. Saarloos is 1-3 with a 4.97 ERA over his last four starts. When he pitched for Houston in 2002, he went 0-1 with a 4.76 ERA in two starts against the Dodgers.

LAD: RHP Derek Lowe (5-3, 2.83 ERA)
In his last start, Lowe earned a no-decision after going 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs and eight hits at Coors Field. Since his loss on Opening Day, Lowe has gone 5-2 with a 2.28 ERA. The former Red Sox pitcher is 10-2 lifetime against the A's with five saves and a 3.54 ERA.

Player to watch
Adam Melhuse has never faced Lowe before, but had three hits in the No. 3 spot after replacing Mark Kotsay in the lineup in Friday's win. It will be interesting to see if A's manager Ken Macha keeps him in the lineup as a designated hitter with Frank Thomas on the disabled list.

On the Internet
 MLB.TV
 Gameday Audio
•  Gameday
•  Official game notes

On television
• KICU

On radio
• KYCY 1550 AM

Up next
• Sunday: Athletics (RHP Joe Blanton, 6-6, 5.04 ERA) vs. Dodgers (RHP Aaron Sele, 3-1, 2.32 ERA) 1:05 p.m. PT
• Monday: Athletics (RHP Dan Haren, 6-5, 3.44 ERA) at Rockies (RHP Byung-Hyun Kim, 3-4, 5.40 ERA) 6:05 p.m. PT
• Tuesday: Athletics (RHP Esteban Loaiza, 2-3, 6.03 ERA) at Rockies (LHP Jason Jennings, 5-6, 4.32 ERA) 6:05 p.m. PT