OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Oakland Athletics could be providing a look into their future to an American League West rival when right-hander Raul Alcantara makes his major league debut Monday afternoon in the opener of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.The 23-year-old, acquired by the As along with Josh Reddick from Boston in 2011 for reliever Andrew Bailey, has been almost unhittable at Triple-A Nashville since an in-season promotion. Hes gone 4-0 with a 1.18 ERA in his last eight starts, a stretch in which hes struck out 32 and walked just three.Its his time, As manager Bob Melvin proclaimed before Sundays series finale against the Boston Red Sox. Were excited about watching him.The As also will promote another of their top prospects, right-hander Jharel Cotton, to start Wednesday against the Angels.Cotton was one of three pitchers acquired this season at the trade deadline from the Los Angeles Dodgers when the As dealt away Reddick.Alcantara will start in place of left-hander Sean Manaea, who is battling a sore back.He can only hope to be as effective as Kendall Graveman was Sunday in a 1-0 win over the Boston Red Sox.Graveman shut out the Red Sox on six hits over 6 1/3 innings, setting the stage for a walk-off win that allowed Oakland to snap a five-game losing streak.Alcantara will be opposed by Angels right-hander Jered Weaver, who made his major league debut 10 seasons ago. He shut out the Baltimore Orioles on three hits over seven innings that night en route to an 11-2 rookie year.The 33-year-old is just 10-11 with a 5.21 ERA this season, but both marks have improved significantly in his last two starts, during which hes beaten the Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds, allowing only three runs in 12 innings.Weaver has gone 14-11 with a 2.77 ERA in 36 career starts against the As. The ERA is his lowest among all teams hed faced more than 15 times.The veteran pitched a three-hit shutout in his previous visit to Oakland on June 19.Angels manager Mike Scioscia made it clear after Weavers previous start that he has no intention of replacing his top pitchers with prospects just because his club is out of playoff contention.Our philosophy and the way were going to approach every day, he said, is to go out there and win a game by starting with the first pitch of the game and winning that pitch and winning situations and going out there and playing the game the way we need to play it.The Angels flew south from Seattle on Sunday night without right-hander Matt Shoemaker, who remained hospitalized for observation after being hit in the head by a line drive in LAs 4-2 win over the Mariners.Shoemaker was diagnosed with a small skull fracture.The Angels (61-75) won two of three in the series and have opened a three-game lead over the As (58-79) in the battle to escape last place in the AL West.Wholesale Custom Hockey Shirts . Louis Cardinals. Victorino is batting sixth and playing right field after missing two games because of back tightness. Custom NHL Jerseys .C. -- Chris Thorburn thinks one of the reasons the Winnipeg Jets have been successful under new coach Paul Maurice is that theyre playing together as a team. http://www.nhljerseyscustom.com/ . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Cheap Custom NHL Jerseys . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Discount Custom NHL Shirts . Olli Jokinen, Mark Scheifele, and Bryan Little each had a goal and an assist as Winnipeg won 5-2, handing Calgary its record-setting seventh consecutive loss on home ice.BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have re-signed rugged fourth-line forward John Scott to a one-year contract. Listed at 6-foot-8 and 270 pounds, Scott had no points and 69 penalty minutes in 34 games last season. The Sabres acquired Scott by signing him to a one-year contract in free agency last summer to add size and grit to their rooster.dddddddddddd He split the 2011-12 season with Chicago and the New York Rangers. He broke into the NHL in 2008-09, and played his first two seasons with the Minnesota. Over five seasons, Scott has a goal and four assists and 305 penalty minutes in 180 career games. The team announced the signing on Monday morning. ' ' '