by Jerry Feitelberg

AP file photo: Oakland A’s catcher Stephen Vogt breaks his bat against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday August 14 at the Oakland Coliseum will be one of three of the best players the A’s have going in the line up in Chicago Friday against the White Sox

Chicago-The Oakland A’s are in Chicago to play a three-game series against their long-time rivals, the Chicago White Sox. Both the A’s and White Sox are experiencing very disappointing seasons in 2016. The A’s were hoping to improve after finishing last in the AL West last year. It has not gone well for the Green and Gold for a variety of reasons. The A’s thought the starting pitching rotation would be a plus for them. It was just the opposite. Sonny Gray and Rich Hill were supposed to be the number one and number two pitchers of the staff. Gray has not been the same this year. He has been on the disabled list twice, and when he was healthy, he was not good. Hill, on the other hand, pitched well but was on the DL with a groin strain and later with blisters on his throwing hand. The A’s traded Hill to the Dodgers at the trade deadline, and he has not been able to pitch since his arrival there on August 1st. The A’s lost Chris Bassitt and Felix Dubrount for the season. Both pitchers had Tommy John Surgery. The A’s have called up Sean Manaea, Zach Neal, Daniel Mengden, Andrew Triggs, and Dillon Overton from Triple-A Nashville. Some have had success, but they have not been consistent.

Josh Reddick was the leader of the A’s offense. Josh will be a free agent at the end of the year and did not accept a contract extension from the A’s. So, he is now playing for the Dodgers. The A’s received three pitching prospects from te Dodgers, and they are toiling in the minors right now.  The three best players on the A’s are Khris Davis, Marcus Semien, and Stephen Vogt. Coco Crisp has ben playing well, but this may be his last tango in Oakland. The A’s are looking at Jake Smolinski in center field and Brett Eibner in right.

The A’s have had used the DL 26 times so far this year. Injuries are part of the game, but the A’s were not able to use some of their best players, and they are now seventeen games under the .500 mark are sinking to the bottom of the AL West again

The White Sox front office seems to be in disarray this year. General Manager Rick Hahn and team President Kenny Williams appear to be at loggerheads. The rumors are flying that they have a dysfunctional relationship. Hahn’s contract is up at the end of the season, and he may be out the door. Hahn considered moving the best asset Chris Sale at the trade deadline. Hahn, thinking like the A’s Billy Beane, wanted a package of first-class prospects to start the rebuilding process. They want to avoid signed older, but expensive, free-agent players. The front office saw the success of the Houston Astros and are looking to use that model to rebuild the club. They noted the Yankee’s success with the Core 4 players and the Red Sox program that brought them World Series crowns in 2007 and 2013.

The White Sox made several moves over the winter to improve their club. They signed the veteran Jimmy Rollins to fill the void left by Alexei Ramirez at short. They traded for the A’s second baseman Brett Lawrie and made a big deal with the Cincinnati Reds to bring in Todd Frazier to play third base. Rollins didn’t do the job and was released. Tim Anderson and Tyler Saladino have taken over and share playing time at the position. Lawrie is currently on the DL with a hamstring injury but is on a rehab assignment with the Birmingham Barons. Frazier has good power numbers as he has thirty-one homers and 74 ribbies to his credit. However, his batting average is a lowly .213.

The White Sox thought that they would have a strong starting rotation with Chris Sale, Carlos Rodon, Jose Quintana and James Shields. Sale has been pitched well. He owns a record of 14-6 and can be dominant when he is on his game. Rodon is just 3-8 while Quintana is slightly better at 9-9. The White Sox obtained James Shields from the Padres in the hopes that the big righty had some gas left in the tank. Shields appears to be on the downside as he owns a record of 5-14 combined. The White Sox have a quality closer in the person of David Robertson. Robertson has thirty saves so far this year. Matt Albers, Nate Jones, and Dan Jennings have been prominent pitchers in the Chicago bullpen.

The big first baseman, Jose Abreu is hitting .280 but has just fourteen dingers and 65 ribbies so far. Melky Cabrera is in left and Adam Eaton patrol center field for the Sox. Melky is hitting .297 and Eaton is at .276.

The A’s Kendall Graveman will start for Oakland Friday night. Graveman did not pitch well early in the year but has improved and has been more consistent lately as he has been able to put his pitches where he wants them. His command, in other words, is better. He is 8-8 for the year, and the White Sox will send James Shields to the hill. As mentioned earlier, Shields is not having a good year.

It will be a series of the bottom-feeders, but the A’s are looking to the future. They are evaluating the players that will be here in 2017 and some of the favorites may not be with Oakland next year. The White Sox are in the same boat. Both teams are playing out the string. Bob Melvin and his staff still prepare the same way. The White Sox manager, Robin Ventura, hopes to have his job next year. Rumors are swirling, and he may not be back. Winning this series is a strong incentive for him. The A’s want to snap the losing streak and get back to winning.