The A’s have hit the road, heading south to Arizona to take on the Diamondbacks in the first of three games. The A’s are on life support as far as the playoffs go so the panic button has been pressed multiple times at this point. If there’s a late surge in this team, it’s going to have to start tonight.
Taking the ball tonight for the Athletics for the first game of the series will be left-hander Jeffrey Springs. He got off to a strong start to the season but after the first few weeks of the season he’s come crashing back down to earth hard. He’s been one of the worst pitchers in the league over the past couple of months and a lot of that comes from all the home runs he’s given up. Arizona won’t be much help for him in that department. At this point the best the A’s can hope for is that Springs looks strong over the next few starts before the trade deadline and the team can recoup some sort of prospect value for the veteran lefty.
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Here’s how manager Mark Kotsay decided to line up his squad for tonight’s series opener:
Jacob Wilson is leading things off for the good guys tonight followed by Tyler Soderstrom and Shea Langeliers in the 2 and 3 spots. Then it’s the young guys bringing up the rear as the back half of the lineup is full of rookies (outside of Jonah Heim, who is tonight’s DH). The future is here as Colby Thomas, Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, Tommy White and Henry Bolte are all in there.
That starting nine will be going up against Arizona lefty Mitch Bratt, who will be making just his third career major league appearance/start. He’s only gone in three-inning bursts his first two times so he may be on a short leash tonight. Considered a top-15 prospect in the Arizona farm system, the 23-year-old relies on command and control to make up for below-average velocity and movement. If the A’s are drawing walks against him they should be in a good position to put up a crooked number against the rookie.
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And Arizona’s starting lineup tonight shakes out like this:
Desperate doesn’t describe the situation right. Gotta get a win tonight. Let’s go A’s!
Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA
Listen:
Talk 650 KSTE, A’s Cast
