Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Oakland A’s finished a three-city, 10-game road trip on Wednesday in Tampa Bay. The A’s had a successful trip as they went 6-4 on the trip. They are off today, and resume play Friday night against the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners are in last place in the AL West. They got off to a good start, but things have gone south for them since mid-April. Scott Servais manages the M’s, and people in the Pacific Northwest are sensing that Servais may not be leading the club shortly. There are rumors that he will be replaced, but these are just rumors.

The M’s won the first four games between the two teams. The A’s swept the three-game series when the M’s were in Oakland in late May. The M’s will have lefty Marco Gonzales pitch Friday night. Gonzales beat the A’s on March 20th in Oakland. He is 6-6 and has a 4.75 ERA. Chris Bassitt will pitch for Oakland. Bassitt is 3-2 and has a 3.57 ERA. Friday night’s game will start at 6:37 pm and the A’s will have the first fireworks show of the season after the game.

The A’s will send their ace, Frankie Montas, to the mound on Saturday. Montas (8-2, 2.84 ERA) hasn’t lost a decision since April 29th vs. the Red Sox. Since then, he is 4-0 with a 2.74 ERA. The M’s plan to use an opener to pitch the first inning. They will bring in Wade LeBlanc from the bullpen to pitch in the second. LeBlanc has gone 14 innings and is 1-0 and has a 1.93 ERA in the last two outings coming out of the pen. Sunday’s game will feature the M’s Mike Leake going against Mike Fiers. Leake is 5-6 and has a 4.26 ERA. Leake is 1-2 in seven starts against the A’s the past two seasons. Fiers is 6-3, and he won his last start 4-3 against the Tampa Bay Rays last Tuesday.

The M’s lineup will not be the same the last time they were in Oakland. They have several key players on the Injured List. Shortstop J.P.Crawford is out with an arm injury. Outfielder Mitch Haniger, who absolutely loves to kill the A’s, suffered a ruptured testicle injury and will not be available. Third baseman Ryon Healy, the former Athletic, may be available. Finally, the king Felix Hernandez, who made his living beating the A’s, will also not be available.

The M’s still have players that can do damage. The A’s pitchers will have to find ways to slow down hitters such as Edwin Encarnacion, Dee Gordon, Tim Beckham, Kyle Seager, Daniel Vogelbach, Domingo Santana, Mallex Smith, and Mac Williamson.

The A’s lineup is potent. They have players up and down the lineup that can hit the ball out of the park. Their defense is solid. Third baseman Matt Chapman and first baseman Matt Olson are Gold Glove candidates. Both players can hit the ball out of the park, too. Marcus Semien has been solid all year. Semien, who had trouble fielding his first two seasons with the A’s, worked hard to improve, and the results are showing. Jurickson Profar is playing better. His fielding has improved, and his batting average is on the rise. Both Semien and Profar have some pop in their bats. Catcher Josh Phegley, playing every day for the first time in his career, has given the A’s some offense from the catcher’s spot in the lineup. Outfielders Ramon Laureano, Stephen Piscotty, and Robbie Grossman are not easy outs. DH Khris Davis is one of the most feared sluggers in baseball.

The A’s enter the game with a record of 35-34. Seattle is 29-42. The M’s are playing the Twins in Minnesota on Thursday. The Twins are leading 10-1 late in the game. It appears the Mariners will drop to 29-43 and will be 7 1/2 games behind the A’s.

The A’s would like to add to the M’s woes this weekend. The weather has cooled down a bit and, hopefully, the fans will come out to see the A’s play. Fireworks on Friday night, and on Sunday, the A’s will be giving away a Khris Davis bat courtesy of Ashy Lumber. It will also be Youth Baseball and Softball day and Prostate Cancer Awareness Day. Sunday is Father’s Day, and taking a baseball day with the family is a great way to celebrate.