Maybe score during the first 9 innings this time?
The Oakland A’s have walk-off victories in each of their last two games! However, the reason late dramatics were necessary is that in both games the A’s only collected two hits during the first eight innings. That’s not gonna cut it, and it has to improve immediately if this club wants to make the playoffs much less compete for a title.
After all, there are only 52 games left, and their lead for the Second Wild Card is only 1.5 games over the Yankees and 2.5 over the Blue Jays, both of whom stocked up at the trade deadline and are now on winning streaks. No more time to mess around, especially when playing at home against a last-place doormat that already stopped trying for the year and traded away their stars. Simply have to win these games against the Texas Rangers, because tougher tests are coming and Oakland spent the last two months squandering their margin for error.
Saturday brings Cole Irvin to the mound. He’s faced the Rangers twice this year but wasn’t his sharpest either time, working only five innings apiece and allowing three earned runs in each. The goal for the A’s lineup should be scoring during the first eight innings instead of waiting until the last minute.
A’s lineup (home)
- RF Mark Canha (R)
- CF Starling Marte (R)
- 1B Matt Olson (L)
- DH Jed Lowrie (S)
- C Yan Gomes (R)
- 2B Josh Harrison (R)
- 3B Matt Chapman (R)
- LF Tony Kemp (L)
- SS Elvis Andrus (R)
- LHP Cole Irvin
Kemp fills the third outfield spot today, after Harrison did it yesterday.
Rangers lineup (away)
- SS Isiah Kiner-Falefa (R)
- 3B Yonny Hernandez (S)
- DH Adolis Garcia (R)
- 2B Andy Ibañez (R)
- RF DJ Peters (R)
- LF Charlie Culberson (R)
- C Jose Trevino (R)
- CF Jason Martin (L)
- 1B Curtis Terry (R)
- RHP Drew Anderson
Let’s go Oakland!
How To Watch
- Date: Saturday, August 7
- Time: 1:07 p.m. PT
- TV (local): NBC Sports California
- Radio: 960 AM (more listings here)
- Streaming (watch): NBCS website (with cable sub)
- Streaming (listen): A’s Cast