Oakland Athletics’ Tony Kemp, center, celebrates with teammates after driving in the winning run against the Cleveland Guardians during the ninth inning at the Oakland Coliseum Tue Apr 4, 2023. Kemp is being sought by other MLB clubs with other A’s players before the Aug 1, 2023 trade deadline. (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s are going to Denver to start a six-game road trip. The A’s will play three against the Colorado Rockies this weekend and then face the Los Angeles Dodgers for three more next week. After the Dodger Series, the A’s will return home to play two more games against the Giants Aug 5 and 6.

The series with the Rockies will be a battle between the American League’s worst team and the National League’s worst team. The A’s have a record of 28-76 and are on course to win 44 games and lose 118. The Rockies record (40-62) is better than the A’s.

The A’s have the third worst record in baseball. Each team would love nothing better than a sweep of their opponent. That said, the A’s have not announced their starters for the series. The Rockies have announced Kyle Freeland will pitch Friday night. Rockies’ skipper Bud Black has not announced the starters for the Saturday and Sunday games.

With the trade deadline looming on August 1st, both teams have players likely to be traded. A’s players Tony Kemp, Brent Rooker, and Paul Blackburn have been mentioned as possible players to be gone. Several clubs have expressed interest in obtaining the Rockies’ Randal Grichuk.

The players know that they have no control over what happens. They will still have to put on their current uniforms and give their respective teams their best efforts.

Playing at Coors Field can be a nightmare for pitchers. Before using a humidor, pitchers would quickly see their best pitches leave the park. While the humidor has helped, Coors Field is not where pitchers can relax.

The A’s, as a team, have the worst team batting average (.221) in baseball. They do have some players that can hit the ball out of the park. Rooker, Seth Brown, JJ Bleday, and Ryan Noda have shown that they have pop in their bats.

The Rockies’ pitchers must be careful when pitching to these guys. The Rockies team’s batting average is .253. As for the pitching, the A’s team ERA is .583, the worst in baseball. The Rockies are slightly better (.548). The A’s are 29th in baseball in fielding. The Rockies are 21st.

The teams still have to play the games as scheduled. The A’s fans will see some familiar names on the Rockies’ roster. Former A’s infielder Jurickson Profar is now with the Rockies. Profar has played for the Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, the A’s, and now the Rockies.

First baseman C.J. Cron often played the A’s with the Los Angeles Angels. Former NL MVP Kris Bryant, on the IL. until August 18th, will not be available until August 18th. Bryant is having a down year. The Rockies’ DH Charlie Blackmon is also on the I.LHe will be back on August 4th.

The A’s are lucky Blackmon will not be playing, as he is quite the hit master. The players the A’s will see this weekend include second baseman Harold Castro, shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, and third baseman Ryan McMahon. Tovar has homered ten times and driven in 47. McMahon has sent 16 balls out of the park and driven in 47.

The Rockies will have Jurickson Profar in left field, Randal Grichuk in center, and Nolan Jones in right. Grichuk is hitting .306 with six homers and 25 RBIs.

Key starters on Bud Black’s staff are Chase Anderson, Austin Gomber, and Pete Lambert. Black has not announced if any of those three will face the A’s this weekend. The Rockies’ closer is Justin Lawrence. Daniel Bard is used as the setup guy.

Bard has made a remarkable comeback from obscurity. Bard was a flamethrower with the Boston Red Sox a few years ago. Bard developed a case of the yips and lost his confidence. He was out of baseball until the Rockies gave him a chance to play. Bard has responded but is now having issues with his control.

So, it’s not a battle of the best. It’s a battle between the bottom dwellers of each league. On paper, The Rockies have a better record. They are playing in their home park, a house of horrors for pitchers. The A’s pitching this year has been awful.

A’s skipper Mark Kotsay will have his troops ready. They would love to win the series before heading to LA to play the Dodgers. Hopefully, the A’s can get some wins.