Dereck Rodriguez had no problems sliding back into San Francisco’s starting rotation after a rare appearance out of the bullpen before the All-Star break.

The Giants even hit a couple of home runs Friday night – a rarity these days for manager Bruce Bochy’s ballclub.

Rodriguez pitched three-hit ball into the seventh inning for his fourth consecutive win Joe Barksdale Jersey , sending the Giants to a 5-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics.

”It was just getting back in the mix, throwing off the mound again,” Rodriguez said after his first start since July 6. ”I felt fine. In three weeks I’ve had like two outings. It was good.”

Pablo Sandoval and Ryder Jones homered for the Giants. Andrew McCutchen doubled, drove in a run and made a pair of sliding catches in right field.

Rodriguez (5-1) was masterful during his first career interleague start. Used as a reliever against the Chicago Cubs on July 11 in between starts, the right-hander allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out five, hit two batters with pitches and retired 13 of 14 during one stretch.

Two weeks ago, Rodriguez was fighting for a spot in the Giants’ rotation amid a flurry of injuries to the team’s top three starters and poor outings by others. The son of Hall of Fame catcher Ivan ”Pudge” Rodriguez is likely to stay put now after lowering his ERA to 2.72 – second-lowest among San Francisco’s starters.

”The kid’s just did a great job since he’s been up here,” Bochy said. ”It’s been a pleasure watching how this guy’s handled everything that’s thrown at him.”

Khris Davis doubled and scored for Oakland.

The A’s had won 21 of 27, including six of seven at the Coliseum, before losing in front of their first sellout crowd this season.

The Bay Area rivals are in the midst of playing six consecutive games against each other. Oakland won two of three at San Francisco during the final series before the All-Star break.

”There were times where we had chances to put a little more pressure on them, just didn’t do it tonight Ramon Humber Jersey ,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said.

Reyes Moronta retired two batters for the Giants. Mark Melancon and Tony Watson pitched one inning apiece to complete the four-hitter.

Jones, called up from Triple-A Sacramento before the game, hit a go-ahead homer in the fourth. Sandoval went deep in the seventh. Both home runs came off A’s starter Edwin Jackson (1-2).

San Francisco had hit only six home runs since July 1, fewest in the majors.

”I had a feeling (on) a 2-0 count he was going to give up a cutter in, so I was sitting cutter in and he threw a slider,” Jones said. ”Last year it took me five or six games to do something. It’s good to get in here and help the team win in some capacity.”

McCutchen doubled and scored on Buster Posey’s single in the fourth and had a sacrifice fly in the eighth. He did his best work in the field, though.

A Gold Glove winner as a center fielder in 2012, McCutchen has been uneven in right field this season but made a pair of sparkling defensive plays to take hits away from Matt Chapman in the fourth and Jonathan Lucroy in the fifth. McCutchen finished with eight putouts.

Jackson allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked one.

RELIEF COMING?

Multiple reports indicated the A’s could be close to acquiring Mets closer Jeurys Familia. New York manager Mickey Callaway said he was instructed not to use Familia on Friday night at Yankee Stadium because ”there could be a potential trade happening.” An All-Star in 2016, Familia has 123 saves for the Mets.

THIS AND THAT

Stephen Piscotty has a 10-game hitting streak. . The sellout was the largest paid crowd at the Coliseum since Aug. 13, 2005. . McCutchen’s eight putouts were the most by a Giants right fielder since Randy Winn had eight on April 7, 2006.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Giants: 1B Brandon Belt was placed on the paternity list. Jones started at third base while Sandoval replaced Belt at first. … 3B Evan Longoria (broken hand) went 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI in a rehab game with Sacramento.

UP NEXT

Giants LHP Madison Bumgarner (3-3 Riley Reiff Jersey , 2.90 ERA) goes for his fifth win in seven career starts against the A’s on Saturday night. RHP Trevor Cahill (1-2, 3.10) pitches for Oakland.

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Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward exchanged the kind of toothy giggles normally only found between kids on a playground when they were introduced as the new faces of the Celtics.

”It’s about to be crazy, G,” Irving said in the ear of Hayward to a soundtrack of clicking camera lenses as they sat on a dais back in September two days after Boston’s blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Seven months later, Irving has proven to be prophetic – albeit not how he had in mind.

It has been crazy unlucky for the Celtics. Stunning too. Al Horford said even shocking.

And though things haven’t gone as scripted in Boston, the Celtics will open the playoffs at the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference believing they can win it all without their injured offseason acquisitions.

”Finals. I’m very confident,” guard Terry Rozier when asked how far Boston can go. ”Everybody has to be on the same page. And we just gotta play. And play hard.”

That’s been Boston’s calling card throughout the season. They have no choice but to play hard because from Hayward’s gruesome, season-ending left ankle injury on opening night, to the recent pair of left knee surgeries that has sidelined Irving, luck has been in short supply beyond the Celtics’ Leprechaun mascot named Lucky.

Horford acknowledged being shocked when he heard that Irving was done for the season. But he said the time has passed for sulking about misfortunes.

”We can’t dwell on the past,” Horford said. Obviously it makes it more difficult. Kyrie Ali Marpet Jersey , he’s the leader of this team. We won with him and now we have to find ways to do it without him.”

In addition to Irving and Hayward, Boston will also be without productive rookie Daniel Theis (left knee surgery) for the season and Marcus Smart (right thumb surgery) until at minimum the second round. That’s not to mention a plethora of nagging injuries that have dogged the rest of the roster.

Yet, in an Eastern Conference that features a less-than-dominating LeBron James-led Cavaliers team, Boston veterans Horford and Marcus Morris and its corps of talented young players led by Jaylen Brown, Rozier and rookie Jayson Tatum give it as legitimate a chance as anyone to make it to the NBA Finals.

The Celtics will finish with their second straight 50-win season and their highest number of victories under coach Brad Stevens.

Last season as the East’s top seed, Boston made it to the conference finals in spite of being smacked with adversity on the eve of the postseason following the death of Isaiah Thomas’ sister. Thomas returned to the team, but was then lost midway through the conference finals to a hip injury he’d been quietly playing through.

”With Isaiah, we had him all year. Even though he was banged up, he was with us,” Horford said. ”Now with our group this year it’s different. We’ve been having so many injuries throughout the year that I feel like our guys – we’re much more prepared handling everything that we’re going through.”

The good news is this Celtics team has already done an admirable job of figuring things out without Hayward and Irving.

They’ve played all but five minutes this season without Hayward. In 20 games without Irving they are 13-7.

Irving played his last game on March 11. That’s given Boston time to see what its remaining rotation will look like. One thing it will certainly mean is a lot more minutes for reserves like Shane Larkin and Greg Monroe, as well as rookies Semi Ojeleye and Guerschon Yabusele.

Stevens acknowledged that there was hope after Irving’s first surgery on his knee last month that removed a tension wire that he would be able to return early in the playoffs. Having him ruled out has ”just solidified that this is where our focus needs to be” he said.

”It’s a great opportunity for the other guys and it’s our job to coach them Laquon Treadwell Jersey ,” Stevens said. ”I believe in the guys in our locker room. They believe in themselves.”

Without Irving, the most glaring deficiency for Boston is its lack of a go-to scorer. Brown is just a few games removed from scoring a career-high 32 points, and Rozier only recently had a 25-game double-digit scoring streak stopped. He’s also proven to be a dependable defender.

Still, there is a sense in the East that Boston may be susceptible to a first-round upset. Miami and Milwaukee, currently have the same record (43-37) as the No. 6 and 7 seeds respectively. The Heat won 2 of 3 meetings this season with Boston, while the Celtics split their four games with the Bucks. Washington, at No. 8 leads the season series with Boston 2-1 with the series finale set on Tuesday night.

Vulnerable or not, Horford has a message for whoever their first-round opponent is.

”We’re the (No.) 2 seed. We have home-court advantage,” he said. ”And this point, the only thing I can say to that is I can’t wait for the playoffs to start.”

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