OAKLAND, Calif. -- In an effort to avoid a four-game sweep at the hands of their Bay Area rivals, the San Francisco Giants will buck 40 years of baseball tradition.Giants ace left-hander Madison Bumgarner will start Thursday against the Oakland As at the Oakland Coliseum, and he will bat in place of a designated hitter.Bumgarner will become the first starting pitcher to bat intentionally in place of a designated hitter since Ken Brett did so twice for the Chicago White Sox in 1976. Since the DH rule was adopted by the AL in 1973, the only other pitchers knowingly penciled into the batting order in games at AL parks were the Rangers Ferguson Jenkins in 1974 and the Athletics Ken Holtzman in 1975, according to the San Jose Mercury News.The Tampa Bay Rays were forced to use pitcher Andy Sonnanstine instead of a DH in a 2009 game, but that was due to a lineup-card mistake.Bumgarner, who is hitting .175 (7-for-40) with two homers and five RBI this year, will get to bat against As rookie left-hander Dillon Overton due largely to the Giants lack of right-handed-hitting options. Though he pitches left-handed, Bumgarner bats right-handed.Overton, coming off a win in his major league debut Saturday in Anaheim, is excited to face off with Bumgarner the pitcher.Hes one of the best pitchers in baseball, and Ive watched him for numerous years on TV, and Ive taken some pointers from him, Overton said. It will definitely be special to be able to throw against him. It will be fun.Overton had 28 family members from Oklahoma and Texas cheering him on Saturday due a 7-3 victory against the Los Angeles Angels.It was a thrilling start to his career, even though he allowed solo home runs to Mike Trout, Kole Calhoun and Albert Pujols. Those were the only runs Overton allowed in 5 2/3 innings. Now he gets to make his home debut on a day the As will attempt to complete a sweep of the Giants.Being a home-grown guy in this organization, it will definitely be special to throw here finally in front of our home crowd, Overton said Wednesday.After beating the Giants two times at AT&T Park, the As defeated them 7-1 on Wednesday night at the Coliseum. Beating Bumgarner to cap the sweep wont be easy for Oakland, as he is 8-4 with a 1.99 ERA in his career against the Athletics.Hes been awesome, Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford said of Bumgarner. All of his pitches have been sharp. Hes using the cutter and fastball like always, but hes really been mixing in that curveball and been throwing that really well this year, and I think thats probably the biggest difference.Bumgarner had gone 7-0 with a 1.27 ERA over 10 starts before hitting what for him was a rough patch. He has lost back-to-back starts despite allowing a total of just four runs to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies in that stretch.After watching his team commit three errors and lose yet another infielder to an injury Wednesday night, Giants manager Bruce Bochy took little solace in the fact that Bumgarner would be on the mound for the series finale.We just have to clean it up, Bochy said. Thats the one thing we were doing very well is catching the ball. You deal with the streaks where you have trouble scoring runs, but the one thing we should be consistent at is catching the ball. Were a pretty good team defensively, and thats gotten away from us.Giants starting second baseman Joe Panik (concussion) went on the seven-day disabled list Wednesday, joining starting third baseman Matt Duffy (left Achilles strain) and backup infielders Kelby Tomlinson (left thumb sprain) and Ehire Adrianza (fractured left foot).Now infielder Ramiro Pena, who started in Paniks place Wednesday, could be headed to the DL. He sprained his left ankle in the third inning in a collision with right fielder Mac Williamson as they pursued a pop fly. Pena, who was charged with an error, stayed in the game until being replaced by a pinch hitter in the fifth.Hes pretty sore, Bochy said. X-rays were negative. Well get an MRI tomorrow. Hes looking at (missing) five to seven days. I think its pretty evident were going to have to get somebody to help out here.Overtons personal rooting section will be decidedly smaller Thursday than it was Saturday, but he still will have six to eight family members at the game.My wifes going to be here, my grandparents will be here and my cousin and uncle will be here, Overton said. And I just found out today my mother-in-law and my wifes grandpa will be here.They should see a much more relaxed pitcher on the mound.Since Ive already had one outing, I think it will be a little easier to not be so star-struck when I go out there this time, said Overton, a second-round pick in 2013 out of the University of Oklahoma. Just easier to stay focused and be ready to do what I need to do. I think it will be fun, and Im looking forward to it. Thomas Hickey Jersey . Schenn scored the game-winning goal and added two assists to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Tuesday. 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Jason Chimera Jersey . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. Brock Nelson Jersey . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup. (STATS) -- As the middle of the FCS regular season arrives, a whopping seven teams that were nationally ranked in the preseason are floundering under losing records.Its now, but probably never for most of them as far as gaining an FCS playoff bid.The most promising situation belongs to Northern Iowa (2-3, 1-1 Missouri Valley), which was ranked fifth in the preseason. The problem for the talented Panthers is it that four of their remaining six conference opponents are ranked in the Top 15 (Youngstown State, North Dakota State, Western Illinois and South Dakota State).But UNI played such a tough non-conference schedule and had a win over an FBS opponent (Iowa State) that even a 6-5 record may land it an at-large bid -- like Western Illinois last year.An at-large bid is unlikely for defending Patriot League champion and preseason No. 21 Colgate (1-4, 0-1), which is reeling with a three-game losing streak. It needs help to gain the leagues automatic bid again, the best bet in a seven-team league likely being a tie for the league title. But it cant be a two-way share with Lehigh, which won the head-to-head matchup.At this point, a winning record is probably the best scenario for William & Mary (2-4, 0-3 CAA), which was No. 9 in the preseason; Illinois State (2-4, 0-3 Missouri Valley), No. 10; Portland State (2-4, 1-2 Big Sky), No. 17; Northern Arizona (2-4, 1-2 Big Sky), No. 18; and Towson (1-4, 0-3 CAA), No. 24.High expectations bring a lot of pressure to teams. Sometimes too much.SECOND AND 10=Ten more observations from the FCS weekend:1.) The team of the week could probably be South Dakota for its 28-25 win over Northern Iowa in the Missouri Valley Conference, but lets go with Southeastern Louisiana, the 2013 and 14 Southland Conference champ, which beat last years champ McNeese 31-24. Incredibly, the Lions won the game with an 82-yard touchdown pass with eight seconds remaining. With the score tied 24-24 and the ball deep in its territory, it looked like Southeastern was ready to run out the clock and go into overtime. But Justin Alo threw a second-down pass along the sideline that just got by leaping McNeese cornerback Jermaine Antoine, who put his hands on the ball before it fell into Brandon Ackers hands in stride as he raced away.2.) Midway through the regular season, there may be some coaches facing the hot seat if their teams dont pick up their play, including Bruce Fowler of Furman (0-6), Dave Brock of Delaware (2-3), Frank Tavani of Lafayette (1-5), Ron Gould of UC Davis (1-5) and Harold Nichols of Presbyterian (1-4).3.) The better offenses in the FCS have to include Lehigh (4-2), which has averaged a shade under 50 points during its four-game winning streak, including a 45-31 dispatching of fading Patriot League champ Colgate. Quarterback Nick Shafnisky has his choices in power running back Dom Bragalone and seemingly unstoppable wide receivers Troy Pelletier and Gatlin Casey, who have both gone over 100 yards in three straight games. Last years senior class was the first to leave Lehigh without a league title in more than 20 years. This years senior class seeks a different end.4.) While Montana has risen to a higher level under second-year coach Bob Stitt, the story isnt as promising at Montana State, where first-year coach Jeff Choate is trying to prevent the Bobcats second straight losing season. They are 2-4 overall and 0-3 in the Big Sky following a 20-14 home loss to Northern Arizona. The loss of quarterback Dakota Prukop to a graduate transfer set the Bobcats back tremendously. If there is a positive, the defense has improved under coordinator Ty Gregorak, who joined Choates staff from Moontana.ddddddddddddThe Bobcats rank first in the Big Sky Conference in scoring defense (20.4 ppg) and second in total defense (370.6 ypg) after ranking eight and 10th, respectively, a year ago.5.) Much of the focus in the MEAC centers on North Carolina A&T and star tailback Tarik Cohen, but North Carolina Central (4-2, 3-0) sits alone in first place, a half-game ahead of A&T and Morgan State. The Eagles, who have won a share of the title each of the past two seasons under coach Jerry Mack, beat Florida A&M 17-13 for their 11th straight win over a non-FBS opponent. The Eagles had an impressive 14 tackles for loss, including Reggie Hunter with 3 1/2. Their big game with rival A&T is at home on Nov. 19.6.) With Albany, Cornell and Tennessee State losing, there are only five remaining unbeaten teams, and all are nationally ranked: Chattanooga (6-0), The Citadel (5-0), Sam Houston State (5-0), North Dakota State (5-0) and Harvard (4-0). Conversely, there are six winless teams: Abilene Christian (0-6), Furman (0-6), Mississippi Valley State (0-6), Austin Peay (0-5), Delaware State (0-5) and Bethune-Cookman (0-4).7.) After allowing 20 rushing touchdowns last season, Youngstown State has yet to surrender one this season in its 4-1 start, including Saturdays 20-6 defensive gem at Illinois State. Opponents are averaging under three yards per carry. Its a huge improvement for the Penguins, who have melted in November in recent years as theyve tried to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.8.) The ability to convert third downs is huge. Among the top 20 in third down conversion percentage, every team has a winning record except for UT Martin, which is .500 (3-3) with two of the losses against FBS opponents. The Ohio Valley Conference squad is one of six teams clicking over 50 percent, a group led by Harvard (58.2 percent) and including James Madison, Eastern Washington, San Diego and Lehigh.9.) One midseason ballot for national offensive player of the year: 1. Eastern Washington quarterback Gage Gubrud; 2. Fordham running back Chase Edmonds; 3. South Dakota State quarterback Taryn Christion; 4. Eastern Washington wide receiver Cooper Kupp; and 5 (tie). James Madison running back Khalid Abdullah and Sam Houston State quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe.10.) One midseason ballot for national offensive player of the year: 1. Northern Iowa defensive end Karter Schult; 2. Saint Francis safety Lorenzo Jerome; 3. Villanova defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon; 4. Sam Houston State defensive end P.J. Hall; and 5 (tie). Stetson safety Donald Payne and Youngstown defensive end Derek Rivers.---=A LOOK AHEAD=Next weekends FCS games provides one of the bigger Saturdays of the regular season. Matchups from the Top 25 include Chattanooga at The Citadel, the top Southern Conference teams and defending co-champs; South Dakota State at top-ranked North Dakota State and Northern Iowa at Youngstown State in the Missouri Valley; Villanova at Richmond in CAA Football; and Central Arkansas at McNeese in the Southland.Also: Big Sky, Southern Utah at North Dakota and Cal Poly at Portland State; CAA, Albany at Maine and James Madison at New Hampshire (which may become a Top 25 game in this weeks STATS poll); Ivy, Columbia at Penn (Lions coach Al Bagnoli makes a return to Penn); and MEAC, North Carolina A&T at Bethune-Cookman (Thursday night).Other key matchups: Northeast, Bryant at Saint Francis; Ohio Valley, Eastern Kentucky at Tennessee State; Pioneer, San Diego at Drake; and SWAC, Southern at Jackson State. 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