Category: Oakland Athletics

Oakland A’s Preview: A’s open three game series with Dodgers at Chavez Ravine Tuesday

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Ex Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Lance Lynn delivers a pitch the first inning against the Chicago Cubs on Wed Jul 26, 2023 in Chicago. Lynn was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers this week and will start Tue Aug 1, 2023 against the Oakland A’s at Dodgers Stadium (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s won two out of the three games against the Colorado Rockies this weekend. The A’s offense came to life on Friday and Saturday, putting 19 runs on the board and winning 8-5 and 11-3. The A’s offense went back to sleep on Sunday as they lost 2-0. The A’s record is now a woeful 30-77. Additionally, the A’s have the worst run differential (-255) in baseball. The A’s have scored 387 runs and have allowed a whopping 642.

The A’s finish the road trip in Los Angeles as they face the NL West Division leader, the Dodgers, for three games. The Dodgers are 59-45 and have a two-game lead over the San Francisco Giants in the race for first place in the division. The Giants would love to have the A’s commit mayhem by beating the Dodgers.

The Dodgers, favorites to win the pennant in the National League this year, have been hit hard by the injury jinx. The Dodgers’ two best-starting pitchers are not available for the series. Clayton Kershaw, a future Hall of Fame player, is out with a shoulder injury until at least August 10th. Walker Buehler has yet to throw a pitch this season.

Buehler had Tommy John surgery and hoped to return to action around September 1st. Reliever Blake Treinen, a former Oakland Athletic, had rotator cuff surgery and has been unable to perform this season. Treinen is expected back on August 15th. The Dodgers traded with the Chicago White Sox the other day to bolster their pitching.

The Dodgers acquired a starter, Lance Lynn, and a reliever Joe Kelly. Lynn is having a down year. His record is 6-9, and his ERA is a bloated 6.47. Kelly was with the Dodgers in 2018 when they played the Boston Red Sox in the World Series that year. Kelly left the Dodgers to play for Boston and Chicago.

The Dodgers lost shortstop Gavin Lux for the season with a leg injury. The Dodgers lost their star shortstop, Trea Turner, to free agency. Turner is now with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Dodger third baseman Justin Turner left to play with the Red Sox.

The Dodgers made up for the loss of Justin Turner by signing J.D. Martinez as their DH. Martinez had a down year with Boston and is proving Boston wrong for letting him go. Martinez is hitting. 260 with 25 home runs and 75 RBIs.

The Dodgers’ offense is quite potent. Former NL MVP Freddie Freeman and former AL MVP Mookie Betts lead the offense. Other offensive threats are third baseman Max Muncy and catcher Will Smith. Freeman is hitting .329 with 21 homers and 73 RBIs. Betts’ numbers are .227, 27 dingers, and 68 RBIs. Muncy has hit 27 home runs and driven in 70.

The shortstop position has been a problem for the Dodgers this year. The Dodgers have been using Miguel Rojas but acquired Amed Rosario to help improve the play at that position. The Dodgers traded with Boston to bring back the super-utility man, Kike Hernandez. Hernandez can play shortstop, second base, or centerfield.

His ability to play multiple positions gives Dodger manager Dave Roberts the ability to use Mookie Betts in the outfield. David Peralta, James Outman, and Jason Heyward are other players contributing to the Dodger offense. All three players can hit the ball out of the park. The A’s pitching staff will have their hands full trying to contain the potent Dodger offense.

The Dodgers have announced their starters for the series. On Tuesday, Lance Lynn will be making his first start as a Dodger. Lynn has not pitched well this year. He is hoping that Dodger Stadium will be a good place to get a win for his new team.

On Wednesday, Tony Gonsolin will be on the hill for LA. Gonsolin is 5-4 and has an ERA of 4.25. On Thursday, left Julio Urias will start. Urias is 7-6 with an ERA of 4.98. The A’s have yet to announce their starters. Lefties Ken Waldichuk and Hogan Harris may see action.

The A’s would love to get a win or two in the series. The Dodgers are salivating to play the A’s as they hope to get three wins and increase their lead over the Giants. If the Dodgers pitchers are at the top of their game, they could sweep the A’s.

Taking the A’s lightly would be a mistake. The A’s may not have the name players like the Dodgers, but guys like JJ Bleday, Ryan Noda, Zack Gelof, and Brent Rooker can send the ball out of the park, and the A’s can make life a wee bit more miserable for the Dodgers. A’s manager Mark Kotsay will have his team ready. The A’s players will give Kotsay a 100% effort. They may not win, but they will give the Dodgers a total effort.

Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason: Rockies manager Black says shutout on A’s was “pitching at it’s finest”; A’s will not have roof on new ballpark in Vegas

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Oakland Athletics pitcher Ken Waldichuk throws to a San Francisco Giants batter during the fourth inning at Oracle Park San Francisco on Tue Jul 25, 2023. Waldichuk is expected to get the start Tue Aug 1, 2023. (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Barbara:

#1 The Colorado Rockies (41-64) starting pitcher Ty Blach and four relievers put out the Oakland A’s (30-77) fire and avoided getting swept at Coors Field in Denver on Sunday with a 2-0 shutout.

#2 Rockies pitchers Matt Koch, Brent Suter, Daniel Bard, and Justin Lawrence relieved for Colorado and left the A’s scratching their heads on how to get on the scoreboard after having some landslide games in this series.

#3 Rockies manager Bub Black said that it was a game that the Rockies needed after getting defeated twice by the A’s who have the worst record in baseball twice at home and Black said it was pitching at it’s finest.

#4  The A’s Ramon Laureano got two hits and A’s pitcher Luis Medina threw for 5.1 innings giving up six hits and two runs. Two of the A’s players who got some decent production in Sunday’s loss.

#5 The A’s head to Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles to open up a three game series on Tuesday night Aug 1st at 7:10pm PT. The A’s have not announced a starter as of Sunday night and the Dodgers will start Lance Lynn (6-9 ERA 6.47).

#6 Just wanted to ask you about the relocation vote to Las Vegas for the A’s in November. The A’s will have the renderings ready before Thanksgiving. Does the timing of this vote strike you as a coincidence that the World Series will be over and interest in baseball would over for the winter and the owners can get the relocation vote in?

#7 Barbara the A’s are reconsidering putting a roof on the new Tropicana park in Vegas, fans do turn out in over 100 degree heat for the A’s minor league team the Las Vegas Aviators. Do you see the A’s taking that into account as a reason why they would drop the roof.

Barbara Mason does the A’s podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Rockies Foil A’s Bid For Sweep; Oakland blanked by Colorado’s Five Man Rotation 2-0

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Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ty Blach works against the Oakland Athletics in the fifth inning at Coors Field in Denver on Sun Jul 30, 2023 (AP News photo)

Rockies Foil A’s Bid For the Sweep Oakland Falls Short 2-0

By Barbara Mason

Sunday afternoon the Oakland A’s (30-77) played the third and final game of their series with the Colorado Rockies (41-64). The A’s couldn’t seal the deal in picking up the sweep getting shut out by starter Ty Blach who pitched for five innings giving up three hits and striking out two. The A’s bats also fell silent against four relievers who followed Blach in the 2-0 loss at Coors Field.

This game did not go the way Oakland had envisioned. The game was scoreless through the first two innings. The Rockies tallied two runs scoring a run in each of the third and fifth innings. Ryan McMahon set up both runs. He singled in the third inning, driving in Austin Wynns and in the fifth he doubled in Ezequiel Tovar who crossed home plate giving Colorado a 2-0 lead.

The Rockies would take the 2-0 lead into the eighth inning. Colorado threatened to extend their lead in the ninth inning with runners on base but the A’s kept them off the scoreboard.

Oakland had the ninth inning to try to salvage this game. Seth Brown struck out, JJ Bleday struck out and Shea Langeliers flied out. That was the ball game and the Rockies had foiled the sweep for the A’s with five pitchers getting the shutout.

Oakland’s Luis Medina went 5.1 innings taking a bit of pressure off the A’s bullpen. He allowed the six hits that turned out to be the only Colorado strikes in the game. Medina also allowed the two runs with six strikeouts.

Oakland had a great opportunity in the seventh inning loading the bases. Nick Allen came to the plate and got a terrible call that ended the inning and any chance for the A’s to get on the scoreboard. Oakland only had five hits in the game.

A’s post game notes: Oakland won the first two games of the series, the second game was a bit of a blowout 11-3. The A’s have not seen many blowouts this season so this game was a beautiful thing. A win in Sunday’s game would have been a sweep for the A’s but they fell short. It also would have been their second sweep of the season.

Oakland will now head out west for a three game series with the NL West leader, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ken Waldichuk (2-6 ERA 6.38) will take the mound for the A’s. Lance Lynn (6-9 ERA 6.47)will start for the Dodgers. First pitch is scheduled for Tuesday at 7:10 PM PT.

Oakland lets loose on Colorado with five run second inning; A’s Pepper Rockies 11-3

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Oakland Athletics’ JJ Bleday, left, congratulates Zack Gelof for a solo home run off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Chris Flexen during the second inning at Coors Field in Denver on Sat Jul 29, 2023 (AP News photo)

A’s Pepper Rockies 11-3

By Barbara Mason

The Oakland A’s (30-76) offense had flourished in game one but could they repeat that in game two? They did with a 11-3 whipping on the Colorado Rockies (40-64) at Coors Field in Denver Sunday.

The A’s got an early run in the first inning taking a 1-0 lead. Seth Brown sacrificed and Zach Gelof scored.

Oakland scored five runs in the second inning to take a 6-0 lead. Jace Peterson and Tyler Soderstrom both scored. The A’s then hit back to back home runs. Gelof hit a solo shot and Brent Rooker had a two run homer.

The Rockies got on the board in the second inning with a single run, Elias Diaz scored off a Michael Toglia single.

Colorado scored another run in the third inning trying to sneak back into this game. C.J. Cron singled bringing Ryan McMahon home. Oakland still had a nice lead 6-2.

Going into the sixth inning. The A’s. went on another crazy scoring sequence. They tacked on four more runs in the inning taking a 10-2 lead. Gelof, Brown, JJ Bleday and Ramon Laureano all crossed home plate. The A’s would add another run in the seventh inning enjoying a comfortable lead 11-2.

The Rockies would hit a homer in the eighth inning off the bat of Randal Grichuk. Trailing 11-3, the Rockies had a lot of work to do and little time to do it. Colorado had 12 hits in the game but left a lot of runners stranded. In contrast, Oakland had 13 hits and brought most of those base runners home.

Going into the ninth inning the A’s were three outs away from their 30th win of the season.

Paul Blackburn had a nice showing on the mound going six innings allowing nine hits and two runs in the win. The A’s pitching staff had no walks in this game; it was a solid game for them.

A’s post game notes: Friday night the A’s took a 7-1 lead over the Colorado Rockies going into the eighth inning. Colorado got a mini rally going scoring three runs in the eighth but Oakland was able to hold on winning the game 8-5. The A’s had 14 hits in that game and Saturday night got a second win in Colorado.

Oakland will be going for the sweep in Sunday’s game three. Luis Medina (3-7 ERA 5.50) will take the mound for Oakland and for the Rockies Ty Blach (0-0 ERA 5.51) will get the nod. First pitch is scheduled for 12:10 PM.

A’s Hold on to Beat the Rockies 8-5

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics kicked off the weekend by visiting the Colorado Rockies Friday. The A’s held on to beat the Rockies 8-5 in their series opener at Coors Field. Oakland improved to 29-76, while Colorado fell to 40-63.

The A’s starting lineup featured Tony Kemp, Zack Gelof, Brent Rooker, Jordan Diaz, Ramón Laureano, JJ Bleday, Aledmys Díaz, Shea Langaliers, Nick Allen, and JP Sears. Sears (2-7, 4.09 ERA) got the win after pitching five innings and giving up four hits, one earned run, one walk, five strikeouts, and one home run.

The A’s got on the board first in the top of the first inning. Ramón Laureano singled on a ground ball to Randal Grichuk. Brent Rooker scored for a 1-0 lead. Jordan Diaz went to second base.

The A’s scored thrice in the top of the second inning. Shea Langaliers tripled on a fly ball to Brenton Doyle. Aledsmy Díaz scored for a 2-0 lead. Tony Kemp hit a sacrifice bunt. Langaliers scored for a 3-0 lead. Nick Allen went to second base, while Kemp went to first base on a Kyle Freeland committed a throwing error. Jordan Diaz reached on a ground ball to Alex Trejo, a call that stood after an official scorer’s ruling. Nick Allen scored for a 4-0 lead. Kemp went to third base, while Brent Rooker went to second base.

The A’s scored once in the top of the third inning. Nick Allen tripled on a sharp line drive to Jurickson Profar. Shea Langaliers scored for a 5-0 lead.

The Rockies finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning. Randal Grichuk homered on a fly ball to left-center field to reduce the A’s lead to 5-1.

The A’s extended their lead in the top of the fifth inning. Zack Gelof homered on a fly ball to left-center field for a 7-1 lead.

The Rockies scored once in the bottom of the seventh inning. Colorado began the inning by challenging a play at first base, but their call was overturned after further review. Ryan McMahon grounded into a forceout, while Nick Allen went to Zack Gelof. Jurickson Profar, a former Oakland Athletic, scored to reduce the A’s lead to 7-2. Ezequiel Tovar was out at second base, while McMahon went to first base.

The Rockies made it a two-run game in the bottom of the eighth inning, but they didn’t inch closer to the A’s to take the lead or at least tie the ballgame. Michael Toglia singled on a ground ball to JJ Bleday. Elehuris Montero scored to reduce the A’s lead to 7-3. Nolan Jones went to third base. Jurickson Profar doubled on a sharp line drive to Bleday. Jones and Toglia scored to cut the A’s lead to 7-5.

The A’s expanded their lead in the top of the ninth inning. Ramón Laureano homered on a line drive to center field for a 8-5 lead.

Notes
The late A’s pitcher Vida Blue would’ve turned 74 today.

The A’s will honor the five members — Carney Lansford, Gene Tenace, Bob Johnson, Roy Steele, and Jason Giambi — of the 2023 Class of the Athletics Hall of Fame during the annual Bay Bridge series on August 6, 2023.

Up Next
The A’s and the Rockies will continue their series on Saturday at 5:10 pm Pacific. Paul Blackburn (1-2, 5.06 ERA) will start for the A’s, while Chris Flexen (0-4, 7.71 ERA) will start for the Rockies.

Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum: Look for owners to take relocation vote around Thanksgiving; Relocation protest pressure should let up by then

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Architects will be drawing up on 75% of the idea from the original renderings seen here that was submitted by the Oakland A’s for the Tropicana Ballpark. The new renderings which will come from two different architects is expected to be ready by November (artist rendering submitted by the Oakland A’s)

On Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 Daniel, the Las Vegas Review Journal reports that the Oakland A’s won’t have renderings of their new Las Vegas digs ready until November after the World Series.

#2 The A’s are considering two architects for handling their renderings  HTNB and Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) who are two companies who will combine their work on the Tropicana Hotel and Casino ballpark renderings and the other group Gensler who are a Las Vegas architect who will bid on doing the ball park drawings.

#3 After the A’s will select which architect to work with based on 75% of the design and will follow up on construction groups to see how the design will work with that construction group and the cost.

#4 Brad Schrock who is the Oakland/Las Vegas A’s director of design said that the public saw what the renderings looked like in the newspapers but he will be interested to see what comes back from the bidding architects when are finished with the new renderings.

#5 With the renderings expected to be finished by November and a relocation vote that can be taken by Thanksgiving as some say, is this time period just a coincidence that it will take place after the World Series after the fans relocation opposition pressure would have died down and they could get on with the relocation vote?

Join Daniel Dullum for the Oakland A’s podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: A’s depend on Laureano to come up with offense as he comes off IL

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Oakland A’s outfielder Ramon Laureano who returned from the IL on Wed Jul 26, 2023 is hoping to crush the ball more often. Laureano has been on the IL twice this season and is looking to make a contribution to the offense (photo from SF Gate.com)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 The Oakland A’s activated rightfielder Ramon Laureano from the 10 day IL and reinstated relief pitcher Angel Felipe before Wednesday night’s game against the San Francisco Giants tell us how you see Laureano and Felipe coming back helping out.

#2 Laureano is coming off a broken right hand bone and also missed action back in April due to a hamstring pull. Laureano is looking to improve on batting average hitting .213 with five homers and 219 at bats.

#3 The A’s are hoping to get some offensive production out of Laureano but Wednesday he sat and came up for a one time at bat as a pinch hitter in the top of the ninth.

#4 A’s manager Mark Kotsay said that Laureano has been hurt for most of the last two seasons and they hope that Laureano can get some at bats to bring up his average and help the club.

#5 The A’s open up a three game series tonight in Colorado, the A’s have not named a starter the Rockies will be starting Kyle Freeman (4-10 ERA 4.72) it’s thin air at Coors and the A’s could tee off on Freeman whose been struggling this season.

Join Jeremiah for the A’s podcasts heard Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: All the attention in the Unite the Bay Series has been about the A’s relocation

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Oakland Athletics shortstop Nick Allen throws to first for an out on San Francisco Giants’ Luis Matos during the fourth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Jul 26, 2023 (AP News photo)

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 Oakland A’s fans once again came out fighting for their team with the help of San Francisco Giants fans in the Unite the Bay game on Tuesday a game that was sold out at Oracle Park in San Francisco.

#2 The fight to keep the A’s in Oakland is not only happening at the Bay Series but also nationwide that was reflective of the fans turning out at the All Star game earlier this month and who vocally wanted the A’s to stay in Oakland has all of this put pressure on the owners not to relocate the A’s.

#3 Also another argument against the move is the A’s will be leaving their sixth largest market to go the smallest MLB market and into the smallest ballpark in MLB opposing teams don’t like the idea of losing gate revenue.

#4 The other issue that was brought up is the concern from the players union that playing in 110 degree weather for 4pm starts is concerning and that the players may want to go for a 7pm start playing in Vegas with a retractable roof.

#5 Also talking about the intersection where the park will be built at Las Vegas Blvd and Tropicana Ave which is the busiest intersection in the US and one the busiest intersections in the world. Will heavy gridlock at the busiest intersection in Vegas and trying to get in and out of the ballpark in 110 degree heat will that be a big concern?

Join Jerry Feitelberg does the Oakland A’s podcast Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s Preview: A’s open three game series in Colorado on Friday night

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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.

Oakland A’s Preview: A’s-Giants open two game set at Oracle Park in Reunite the Bay series

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Houston Astros’ Kyle Tucker, bottom, steals third base against Oakland Athletics third baseman Jace Peterson during the top of the fourth inning at the Oakland Coliseum Sun Jul 23, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Once again, it will be the Battle of the Bay or the Bay Bridge Series. The choice will be yours. The San Francisco Giants will host the first two games this year on Jul 25 and 26 at Oracle Park. Then visit Oakland on August 5th and 6th to finish the series.

On Tuesday night, many A’s fans will continue their reverse boycott to protest the team’s possible relocation to Las Vegas. The fans want A’s owner, John Fisher, to hear their voices and keep the team in Oakland.

The A’s currently own the worst record in all of baseball. The A’s are 28-74. The other team challenging Oakland for the worst record is the Kansas City Royals, who are slightly better, 28-73.

The Giants are in third place in the National League West Division with a record of 54-47. They trail the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers by 4 and 1/2 games. The Giants are returning home after an 11-game road trip.

The Giants, unfortunately, have lost their last six games. In the last three losses, the Giants scored just one run in those three games. They would love nothing better than winning both games from the A’s. The A’s starting pitching staff’s ERA over six runs per game is the worst in baseball. The Giants’ hitters want to exploit the A’s poor pitching.

The Giants have yet to announce their starters for the series. The A’s will send Ken Waldichuk to the mound Tuesday night. Waldichuk’s numbers are 2-6, ERA 6.75. On Wednesday, another left, Hogan Harris, will go for Oakland. Harris is 2-4, and his ERA is 6.11.

The Giants, who won 107 games in 2021, and 81 last year, are in contention to make the playoffs as a Wild Card team. The Giants don’t have a superstar player, but they do have good players. The Giants’ outfield will feature Austin Slater, Luis Matis, and Michael Conforto.

Joc Pederson and Mike Yazstremski are available, also. The infield, minus Brandon Crawford, out with a knee problem, will have JD Davis at third base, Casey Schmitt at shortstop, David Villar at second base, and LaMonte Wade Jr at first base.

Wilmer Flores, who is hitting. 296 with 12 homers and 31 RBIs can fill in at first or third. Rookie Patrick Bailey is the catcher. Blake Sabol is the backup and can fill in the outfield if needed.

The Giants’ bullpen has been solid all year. Taylor and Tyler Rogers have pitched well for the Orange and Black. Former A’s starter Sean Manaea, now a reliever, hopes to see action against his former team. The Giants’ closer, Camilo Doval, has been outstanding and has recorded 30 saves this season.

The A’s will be without the services of first baseman Ryan Noda. Noda is out with a facial fracture. Seth Brown or Tyler Soderstrom are available to play first base. The A’s have some new faces on the team. Soderstom and Zack Gelof were introduced to the fans on the last homestand. Outfielder Cody Thomas is also a new face. As a team, the A’s have the lowest team batting average in baseball. Many of the regulars are barely over the Mendoza Line.

However, as they say in baseball, “You never know what’s going to happen.” The A’s would love to upset the Giant’s apple cart. The Giants want to continue the A’s misery. It should be a fun two-game series.

Starters for Oakland Ken Waldichuk (2-6 ERA 6.75) for San Francisco the Giants most likely will be using an opener at pitcher a 6:45pm PT first pitch at Oracle.