John Lackey continued his dominance against Oakland, improving to 13-3 lifetime, his most wins against any opponent, with a 2.77 ERA, following Friday's 3-1 win.

"I don't know," Lackey shrugged when asked to explain his success against the division rivals. "I like the mound here, I will say that. It's a pretty good place to pitch, but I wouldn't put too much into it."

But it's not just the Coliseum. Lackey is 7-2 with a 2.91 ERA in Oakland and 6-1 with a 2.60 ERA at Angel Stadium.

He's been even better this season, though. In five starts since coming off the disabled list with a strained triceps, Lackey has a 1.70 ERA and has allowed more than one earned run just once.

"John's really found his groove as he came off disabled list," Manager Mike Scioscia said. "He's pitching deep into games, rebounding with every start. He's obviously a big part of our rotation."

And for someone who won 19 games and an ERA title last season, Lackey seems to be even better. He credits improved fastball command, and lately, improved velocity on the pitch. Lackey threw first-pitch strikes to 17 of the 25 hitters he faced.

"He hit his spots with his fastball," A's first baseman Daric Barton said. "He was hitting both sides of the plate and he used his off-speed to keep us off balance."

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