(Sports Network) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim try to close out the first half of the 2008 campaign on a high note as they finish up a three-game set against the Oakland Athletics at McAfee Coliseum this afternoon.

On Saturday the Angels posted their second win in their last three outings with a 4-1 victory, giving the club a five-game lead in the American League West standings over the A's.

In Saturday's contest, Erick Aybar scored a pair of runs for the visitors, while Howie Kendrick picked up a couple of hits in the three-run win. Starting pitcher Ervin Santana moved to 11-3 on the season by pitching seven shutout innings, allowing just five hits and a pair of walks, while striking out 10, before giving way to the bullpen and eventually Francisco Rodriguez, who earned his league-leading 37th save.

Oakland starter Dana Eveland had a bit of trouble with his control, issuing five walks in just 5 1/3 innings, which led to a pair of earned runs for the visitors. The setback stopped a brief two-game win streak for the A's, who will be hitting the road immediately following the All-Star Game to take on both the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Emil Brown and Carlos Gonzalez each had a couple of hits, the former scoring the only run of the game for the A's and the latter getting credit for the RBI.

Originally scheduled to take the hill for the Angels today was Joe Saunders, but with his wife finally giving birth to their daughter on Saturday night, the club decided to call up Dustin Moseley for a spot start.

The right-hander has appeared in seven games with the Angels this season, sporting a 1-3 record and an unsightly 7.85 ERA. His most recent start in the majors took place in late April when he made it through five innings and gave up three runs to the Tigers.

Moseley is 1-1 in his career versus Oakland, having suffered a loss against the club earlier in the campaign.

Oakland's Justin Duchscherer has to be considered one of the top hurlers in the American League, thanks to a league-best 1.78 ERA over the course of 101 innings so far in 2008.

Duchscherer, now just three strikeouts away from 300 for his career, has an impressive 6-0 lifetime mark, displaying an incredible 1.28 ERA. A seven-year veteran who was used almost exclusively out of the bullpen coming into this season, the right-hander posted his second straight win on Tuesday in a 2-0 decision versus Seattle at home.

In that contest Duchscherer went the distance for the first time this season, limiting the Mariners to a mere two hits and striking out four as he continued to lower his ERA.

Since losing to Texas in late May, Duchscherer has won six of seven decisions.

The Angels will have to play without third baseman Chone Figgins for the time being, after the club placed him on the bereavement list Saturday. Figgins has since gone to Florida to be with his father, who suffered a mild stroke Friday night. In order to fill his roster spot the club called up Sean Rodriguez from Triple-A Salt Lake. Having fellow third baseman Maicer Izturis suffering from a sore right hamstring doesn't help matters at the moment either.

Counting against Oakland these days is an offense that ranks second-to-last in the AL in hitting with an average of only .250 through 94 games. Then again, the Angels are not that far ahead of the A's, sporting a .257 average.