Giants Go With Flow and Defeat Athletics

OAKLAND —  Jeff Kent has no explanations for hitting streaks--even his own.

“As a player you don’t try to analyze it, you just go with the flow,” he said.

Batting third in the lineup for the third consecutive game, Kent hit a two-run homer and drove in another run as the San Francisco Giants beat the Oakland Athletics, 5-3, Saturday.

Over the three games he has hit in front of Barry Bonds, Kent has batted .533, going eight for 15 with three doubles, two homers and 12 runs batted in.

“I’ve only hit there three times,” he said. “I’ve hit five years in another place in the lineup and put up numbers there too.”

Giant Manager Dusty Baker flip-flopped Kent and Bonds in the batting order for the first time this season on Thursday.

The move came in a week where the spotlight was already on Bonds and Kent. The two got into a dugout scuffle in San Diego on Tuesday, a fracas that was captured by television cameras.

Jason Schmidt (4-2) gave up three runs and six hits over seven innings for the Giants, who have won four of their last six games. He struck out nine. Robb Nen pitched the ninth for his 21st save.

The A’s fell to 15-2 in interleague play, with their only losses coming to the Giants. Cory Lidle (2-7) gave up four runs and eight hits over six innings.

There were 53,501 fans at the game between the cross-bay interleague rivals--the third-largest baseball crowd in Coliseum history.

Kent homered off Lidle in the Giants’ three-run first inning.