by Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s are off Monday as they try to recover from a three-game sweep at the hands of the Houston Astros over the weekend in Houston. The A’s are en route to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to play a two-game set with the Brewers.

The Brew Crew and the A’s had identical records last year. They both went 68-94 in 2015, and both teams are trying to rebuild their franchise to become more competitive in 2016. The Brewers fired manager Ron Roenicke mid-season and replaced him with Craig Counsell.

So far this year, the Brewers are five games under .500 with a record of 26-31. The A’s will be at a disadvantage as Milwaukee is in the National League and the A’s will not be able to use the designated hitter. The A’s have lost three straight and are hoping to get on the winning track Tuesday night. Sean Manaea will pitch for Oakland.Manaea has a record of 2-3 and an ERA of 6.16. Manaea had the best start of his career last week beating the Minnesota Twins. Zach Davies will be on the mound for the Brewers. Davies is coming off the best start of his career. He pitched eight shutout innings against the very potent St. Louis Cardinal offense. Davies is 3-3 and has an ERA of 4.53

The Wednesday game will feature Jesse Hahn for Oakland and Chase Anderson for Milwaukee. Hahn had the worst start of his career Friday night against the Houston Astros. Hahn faced ten batters and recorded just two outs. He allowed seven runs on six hits and two walks. Hahn’s record is 2-3, and his ERA is 6.10. Anderson has a 2.97 ERA in his last five starts, and his record overall is 3-6 and an ERA of 4.68.

The Brewers offense is led by Jonathan Lucroy and Ryan Braun. Both players have been All-Stars in the past, and trade rumors are swirling around both of them Lucroy is signed through 2016, but the club has an option for 2017. Braun, the former NL MVP, is signed through 2020 and the club holds an option for 2021. The Brewers owe Braun 105 million over the next five years, and that might be a problem if and when the Brewers decide to move him.

The Brewer infield is consists of Chris Carter at first, Scooter Gennett at second, Jonathan Villar at short and the veteran Aaron Hill at third base. Carter, the former Athletic, continues to hit for a low average(.222)but has fourteen homers and Thirty-four RBIs on his resume so far this year. Shortstop Jonathan Villar, getting a chance to play after being a backup in Houston, is hitting .306 with five homers and twenty-five ribbies. Villar owns an OPS of .861.

The Brewers bullpen is manned by Will Smith, Junior Guerra, Carlos Torres, Tyler Thornburg and Jeremy Jeffries. Thornburg set a Milwaukee record by retiring twenty-three consecutive batter in his last twelve appearances. His velocity is improved, and his strikeout  average per nine innings is 12.58 Jeremy Jeffries is the closer and has recorded fifteen saves in sixteen opportunities.

The outfield is led by Braun. Braun did not play Sunday as the Brewers decided to give him the day off. Braun will reach the 1500 hit plateau Tuesday night with his first hit. Braun is hitting .337. He has nine home runs and thirty-three RBIs. His OPS is .959.

The A’s , as mentioned earlier, will be trying to snap a three-game losing streak.The A’s offense is led by third baseman Danny Valencia, catcher Stephen Vogt and former Brewer Khris Davis. For Davis, the trip to Milwaukee will be a homecoming of sorts. He played three seasons for the Brewers before coming to Oakland. Davis has turned the page and is now an Athletic and he will be doing his best to send his former team down to defeat. Another former Brewer on the A’s roster is John Axford. Axford is second in career saves for the Brew Crew. Axford record 106 saves as a Brewer and is second to Dan Plesac who recorded 133 for Milwaukee.

The A’s and Brewers will have to make decisions if they will be sellers or buyers. At the moment, neither team appears to be in the mix for a playoff spot. That could change but many people are speculating that both teams will be sellers. The A’s assets are Danny Valencia, Khris Davis, Stephen Vogt, Josh Reddick and Sonny Gray. Reddick, Davis, and Valencia will be free agents at the end of the season and the A’s might want to continue their practice of trading players that might cost them money for prospects. The A’s have stated repeatedly that Gray is not on the trade market but never say never when dealing with Oakland. The Brewers’ chips are Lucroy and Braun. Lucroy’s probably would be easier to move but Braun is a proven slugger and might be attractive to clubs that have a lot of money.

After the two-game set, the A’s have an off-day before flying to Cincinnati to finish the eight-game-ten-day road trip . The A’s then return home to face the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels and play two more interleague games with the Brewers on June 21st and 22nd.