Giants-Athletics Preview

Jarrett Parker's historic performance helped San Francisco clinch the Bay Bridge Series.

On the brink of being eliminated from postseason contention, it may be one of the few things the Giants can hang their hat on.

The Giants will try to close out this series Sunday with another road victory against the rival Oakland Athletics, though it may be their last day in the playoff race.

San Francisco (80-74) could be eliminated Sunday depending on this result and how the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers do in Colorado. The club was able to enjoy a 14-10 victory Saturday behind Parker, who hit three home runs with seven RBIs, the first such performance by a Giant since Willie Mays hit four homers and drove in eight in a win at Milwaukee on April 30, 1961.

"That's unbelievable," Parker said. "Speechless. I can't really even respond to that to be even be mentioned in that kind of company."

Parker is batting .370 through his first 14 career games, homering five times in the last three.

"He looks like 'The Natural' right now the way he's swinging the bat," said manager Bruce Bochy, who called it the best offensive performance he had ever seen.

The win pushed San Francisco's advantage this year against Oakland to 4-1, securing just its second season series win in six years. A win Sunday would also mark just the second road series victory overall in eight tries for the Giants.

Buster Posey went 2 for 5 Saturday with a double and continues to enjoy hitting against the A's, going 11 for 20 in the season series. He had been hitting just .225 over his last 11 games prior to this weekend set.

Chris Heston (11-10, 3.51 ERA) is still looking for his first victory since July 27, going 0-5 with a 4.60 ERA in nine starts since. He owns a 2.7 run-support average in that span compared to 5.9 previously. Heston can't blame his offense too much for his winless drought, though, having completed 4 2-3 innings or fewer six times in his last nine games.

Inefficiency has been one of the reasons Heston hasn't been able to go deeper. He walked five in San Francisco's 4-2 win at San Diego on Tuesday, getting pulled after he loaded the bases with one out in the fifth inning despite yielding two hits and no runs.

Heston is 1-1 with a 2.05 ERA in four interleague starts.

Oakland (65-90) continues to struggle to find quality pitching down the stretch. Barry Zito lasted just two-plus innings and gave up four runs Saturday in his first start since 2013, running the Athletics' ERA up to 8.56 during a 1-6 stretch.

Sean Nolin (1-1, 4.57) will make his fifth start since being called up from Triple-A Nashville. The left-hander had given up three runs or fewer in each of his first three before surrendering five runs and seven hits over five-plus innings before escaping without a decision in an 8-6 loss to Texas on Tuesday.

Posey is 14 for 29 against lefties since Aug. 30.