by Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s will meet the Cincinnati Reds in a three-game series starting Friday night in Cincinnati. This will be the final stop on an eight-game, ten-day road trip that saw the A’s lose three in Houston and two more in Milwaukee. The A’s hope to get back on the winning track and they will send Sonny Gray to the mound. Gray’s season has not been going well for him as he did not pitch well. Gray went on the DL when the medical staff discovered that he was suffering from a strained right trapezius muscle. Gray returned to action last weekend in Houston and pitched very well. Gray went five innings and allowed just one run and five hits.

The Cincinnati Reds are another team that is trying to rebuild. The Reds own a record of 22-37 and are in last place in the NL Central trailing the division-leading Chicago Cubs by 19 1/2 games. The Reds are managed by Bryan Price. Price is a Bay Area product. He graduated from Tamalpais High School and went to UC Berkeley. Price was the pitching coach for the Reds when they were managed by Dusty Baker. The Reds, like the A’s, seem to be either very good or very bad. The Reds, in their long history, have won nine NL Pennants and five World Series. The last time the Reds were in the World Series was 1990 and they swept the favored Oakland Athletics four games to none. Since 199o, the Reds have made the playoffs four times, and three of those were under the tutelage of the aforementioned Dusty Baker. The A’s, on the other hand, have also not been to the World Series since 1990. They made the playoffs nine times, the last being the Wild Card game against the Royals in 2014.

The A’s best starter this year, Rich Hill, has been placed on the Disabled List due to a groin strain. Hill seemed to be making progress, but he aggravated the injury during a bullpen session. Third baseman Danny Valencia missed the Milwaukee series due to illness and hopes to play Friday night. Leftfielder Khris Davis has numbness in a finger due to an elbow injury.Davis did not play in Milwaukee either but did pinch-hit in one of the games. The A’s need both those players in the lineup.

The Reds infield shapes up this way. Former NL MVP, Joey Votto will be at first. Votto is hitting just .230 but has eleven homers and 39 RBIs to his credit. The veteran, Brandon Phillips will be at second, and Zach Cozart will be at short. Cozart is having a terrific season so far. He is hitting .303 with nine dingers and twenty-five RBIs. Rounding out the infield is Eugenio Suarez. Suarez, while not hitting for average (.234) has a lot of power. He has hit thirteen home runs and driven in thirty-nine.

Adam Duvall, the former San Francisco Giant, patrols left field for the Reds. Duvall was sent to Cincinnati last year when the Giants acquired Mike Leake. Duvall is having a big year for the Reds. He is hitting .268 and has hit seventeen home runs and knocked in thirty-nine. The speedy Billy Hamilton is in center. Hamilton is hitting .268 and has sixteen stolen bases. The steady Jay Bruce plays in right, and he also has put up good numbers. He owns a batting average of .284 and has put thirteen balls out of the park. Bruce has driven in forty-one so far.

The Reds starting rotation, as the A’s, leaves a lot to be desired. The pitchers are Anthony De Sclafani, Dan Straily, Alfredo Simon, lefty John Lamb and another lefty Brandon Finegan. De Sclafani will pitch Friday night against Oakland and has no record this year. Dan Straily, the former Oakland Athletic, and Houston Astro gets the ball on Saturday, and John Lamb will pitch Sunday. Sonny Gray pitches Friday night for Oakland. Kendall Graveman will follow on Saturday. Graveman has a record of 2-6 and an ERA of 5.49. Graveman’s last outing against Houston was  a no-decision. He allowed five runs on seven hits in just 4.1 innings of work. Graveman has not been able to complete the sixth inning in seven of his eleven starts. Sunday will feature two left-handed pitchers. Sean Manaea (2-4,6.20ERA) has pitched better in his last two outings. He beat the Twins but took the loss in his last start against the Brewers. John Lamb(1-3, 4.74 ERA) goes for the Reds.

After the Reds series, the A’s return home to start a nine-game homestand against the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angeles and the Milwaukee Brewers.