The Oakland A’s enter the week with a MLB best 72-45 record after taking three of four from the Twins over the weekend at O.co. The A’s lead the AL West by four games over the Angels after the divisional rival stumbled a bit over the past week against the Dodgers and Red Sox.
First up for the A’s this week will be the red-hot Kansas City Royals who have won 10 of their last 11 games, including sweeping the Diamondbacks and Giants since losing in Oakland on 8/2. The Royals won two of three in that series against Oakland less than two weeks ago. This week’s series in Kansas City will be a four game series as the Royals look to continue to gain ground on the AL Central leading Detroit Tigers.
Unfortunately for the Royals, they will face the top of the A’s rotation, with Jason Hammel getting the start on Sunday against the Twins to close out this past week. Here are the expected pitching match-ups for the series in Kansas City:
- Monday, 8/11, 8:10pm, Sonny Gray (12-5) vs. Yordano Ventura (9-8)
- Tuesday, 8/12, 8:10pm, Jon Lester (12-7) vs. Jeremy Guthrie (8-9)
- Wednesday, 8/13, 8:10pm, Scott Kazmir (13-4) vs. Jason Vargas (8-5)
- Thursday, 8/14, 2:10pm, Jeff Samardzija (3-1) vs. James Shields (11-6)
Predictions: The Royals are hot but are hosting the best team in baseball. Expect an even split in the four game series.
The A’s will continue east on the road trip with a stop in Atlanta to take on the Braves in a three game, interleague series next weekend. The Braves are 60-57 on the season, 3.5 games behind the Washington Nationals in the NL East. Before winning two of three from the Nationals this past weekend, the Braves went through the worst stretch of their season, losing all eight of their games on a west coast road trip that took them through LA (Dodgers), San Diego, and Seattle.
The Braves continue to find the ways and means of being a rock solid organization and find themselves in the midst of the playoff hunt yet again this season. They are led offensively by Justin Upton and Freddie Freeman. Their revamped pitching staff is led by Julio Teheran and Ervin Santana. The A’s are more than familiar with Santana due to his time with the Angels, but will not face the right-hander in the weekend series.
Here are the expected pitching match-ups for the weekend series, highlighted by being put under the lights on Sunday for ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball:
- Friday, 8/15, 7:35pm, Jason Hammel (1-4) vs. Alex Wood (7-9)
- Saturday, 8/16, 7:10pm, Sonny Gray (12-5) vs. Julio Teheran (10-8)
- Sunday, 8/17, 8:00pm, Jon Lester (12-7) vs. Mike Minor (4-7)
Predictions: Look for the A’s to wrap up their road trip by taking two of three in Atlanta.
Who’s Hot?
The A’s lineup hit a bit of a wall over the past week plus. Josh Donaldson had a decent series against the Twins going 6 for 14 and collecting at least one hit in each game. Eric Sogard’s bat has come to life a bit as well, as the middle infielder has gone 7-17 at the plate this week, raising his batting average on the season to .216.
Since being acquired, all Jon Lester has done is enter the A’s rotation, throw over 100 pitches per start and earn two victories. Lester is 2-0 with the A’s, including a complete game, shutout against the Twins this past Thursday.
Who’s Not?
After battling several injuries this season, Coco Crisp has returned to the regular lineup and the top of the batting order. Unfortunately for the A’s, the results have yet to meet Coco’s high standards. Despite the game-winning hit on Friday night against the Twins, Coco has struggled mightily at the plate, with a .174 batting average going 4 for his last 23.
While he earned the W on Saturday, Scott Kazmir has been roughed up in his past two starts. In 12.2IP, Kazmir has given up 15 hits and 9 earned runs. His ERA on the season has gone from 2.37 to 2.73 after the last two efforts. He has struggled to get through the 7th inning in both starts and the A’s must be keeping a close eye on his control and movement as he is approaching 150 innings pitched on the season.
A’s Roster Movement
It was a quiet week from the A’s front office for a change. Injuries were also limited this week, with Coco Crisp and Jed Lowrie returning from minor injuries that had them listed as “DTD” for a few days.