Oakland A’s starter Chris Bassitt will get the call on Fri Aug 6, 2021 at the Oakland Coliseum for the first of four games against the Texas Rangers (AP file photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–This weekend, the Oakland A’s have an off-day on Thursday before their three-game series with the pesky Texas Rangers. The Rangers are 39-69 for the season and are in last place in the AL West. They are 4-6 in their last ten games and are 13-40 on the road.

The Rangers sent their best pitcher, Kyle Gibson, and their closer Ian Kennedy to the Philadelphia Phillies at the July 30th trade deadline. They traded one of their best players, right fielder Joey Gallo, to the New York Yankees. There is no doubt that the Rangers are in rebuild mode.

The A’s cannot afford to take Texas lightly. So far this season., the teams have split the ten games played. The Rangers would love nothing better than upsetting the A’s applecart. The players can be loose. The young guys on the Texas team will be playing hard, hoping to make sure that they will be in the Rangers’ plans for next year.

The A’s, on the other hand, are fighting for a playoff berth. Oakland is 61-48 and owns the second AL Wild Card. They would love to win the AL West crown. They trail the Houston Astros by four and 1/2 games. They have six games left with Houston in September.

The A’s know that they have to keep winning to maintain the second Wild Card spot. They lead the revitalized Yankees by two games. The Yanks are 16-8 and are moving up in the AL East division. The additions of Gallo and Anthony Rizzo have helped the Yankees surge. The Toronto Blue Jays are also playing better ball since the trade deadline. Toronto, as well as the Seattle Mariners, trail Oakland by three games. 

The Rangers will not have two players available to play against the A’s this weekend. This year, versatile Eli White, who has given the A’s fits, is on the 10-day IL. Outfielder Willie Calhoun is on the 60-day IL with a left ulnar bone fracture.

Players to keep an eye on are catchers Jose Trevino and Jonah Heim. Heim, who went to Texas in the trade for Elvis Andrus, would love nothing more than find a way to beat his old mates. Ranger center fielder Adolis Garcia is hitting .251 and has 23 homers and 64 RBIs. Without Joey Gallo hitting behind Garcia, the A’s pitchers will be able to pitch around him. 

On Friday night, the A’s will send Chriss Bassitt to the mound to face the Rangers. Bassitt is 11-3, and his ERA is 3.28. Mike Foltynewicz is 2-10 for the year. For some reason, Folty had had success against the A’s in his career. He beat them when he was with the Atlanta Braves, and he beat the A’s earlier in the season. With three new players, Starling Marte, Yan Gomes, and Josh Harrison, the A’s want to send Folty to an early shower.

Saturday’s game will feature lefty Cole Irvin going for Oakland. Irvin lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to the Angels last weekend. The Rangers have not announced their starter yet. On Sunday, the A’s are hoping James Kaprielian will be ready to pitch. Kaprielian has been on the 10-day IL.

If he can’t go, the A’s will use Daulton Jefferies. Jefferies recorded his first Major League victory against the Angels last Sunday. The Rangers have penciled in Jordan Lyles to start against the A’s.

After the three-game series against the Rangers, the A’s have a ten-game road trip. They play three against Cleveland, three more with the Rangers, and four with the Chicago White Sox. 

Player signing: The A’s announced they have signed slugger Khris Davis to a Minor League Contract. Davis hit forty or more home runs in four consecutive seasons with Oakland. He slumped in 2019 due to an injury when he ran into a wall attempting to catch a foul ball.

He had a poor 2020 season, and the A’s sent him to Texas in exchange for Andrus. Davis was released on June 13th. He was hitting. 157 and had two home runs in 22 games. “Given an opportunity, we’d love to have him back in the organization,” manager Bob Melvin said on Wednesday. “

It’s giving an opportunity for him to get back to where he was in the past, and he hasn’t had the opportunity here recently, so we’ll see what happens in Triple-A. “Obviously, we wish him the best. We hope he gets off to a good start and plays his way here.”