Game Preview: Angels At Athletics

(AP) - Jered Weaver is winless through the first four starts of a season for the first time in part because Sonny Gray bettered him less than a week ago.

For Gray, it was an extension of an impressive start to his second full season, while Weaver limited damage but continued getting hit at a clip he's not quite used to.

The right-handers square off again as the Oakland Athletics host the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night to open a three-game series, with some additional buzz surrounding the Angels after the departure of Josh Hamilton in a trade with Texas.

Gray (2-0, 1.91 ERA) held Los Angeles to a run and two hits while striking out seven in seven innings of Wednesday's 9-2 Athletics victory at Anaheim.

"For the most part, he's basically pitched the same game every time this year," manager Bob Melvin said. "He gets a strikeout when he needs one, gets the ball on the ground when he needs it, and his competitiveness shows up every time. He kicks it into another gear."

Gray moved to 3-1 with a 2.45 ERA in seven career games against the Angels (9-10). Of his six starts, two have come against Weaver and Gray has won both.

Albert Pujols' 1-for-16 mark highlights the Angels' offensive shortcomings against him, while Kole Calhoun (2 for 18 with seven strikeouts), Matt Joyce (2 for 11) and Chris Iannetta (0 for 7) have also struggled. Mike Trout is 4 for 16 with two home runs and seven strikeouts.

Weaver (0-2, 5.25) allowed a run and eight hits in six innings of the last matchup before the bullpen let things get out of hand. He didn't surrender a home run for the first time this season, but hasn't lasted more than six innings in any of his four starts.

"I've just got to prove to (manager Mike Scioscia) that I can get deeper in games," Weaver said. "I'm still trying to find my way, and it's getting better each and every time."

Limited offense has also been a factor, as Los Angeles has supplied Weaver with 2.42 runs of support per game.

Weaver has gone 7-2 with a 1.79 ERA in his last 11 starts against the Athletics (8-12), though he hit a rough patch in Oakland last season, going 1-1 with a 5.68 ERA in two starts.

The clubs split four games last week. Oakland dropped the series finale and has lost four in a row after being swept by Houston at home over the weekend.

The A's longest skid last year was five games and they're four under .500 for the first time since July 1, 2012, but they aren't panicking.

Oakland's off day Monday - just its second - provided a tired bullpen with some rest. The relievers have posted a 7.91 ERA in six games and have pitched 25 1-3 innings in the past seven - among the most in baseball in that span.

"With the state of our bullpen right now, we need a day off," manager Bob Melvin said. "We're one of the few teams that's only had one, if not the only one. We did a lot of good things right today, but we're doing just enough to lose games right now."

Los Angeles has been more concerned with its lineup after entering Sunday's matchup with Texas with a .219 average. Despite a 15-hit day, the Angels fell 5-4 to snap their three-game win streak.

Pujols bumped his average to .200 with two hits while Calhoun had three and is 12 for 25 over six games. C.J. Cron entered the series batting .154 but went 8 for 12.

Hamilton will no longer be a part of that lineup, though he hadn't made an appearance for Los Angeles this year anyway. The talented but troubled slugger was returned to the Rangers on Monday for a player to be named or cash.

Hamilton endured two troublesome seasons with the Angels on a $125 million, five-year contract, suffering a relapse of alcohol and cocaine abuse this past offseason and spending all of this season on the disabled list after shoulder surgery. However, he was an All-Star each year for the Rangers from 2008-12 and was the 2010 AL MVP.

Updated April 27, 2015