clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Game Thread #41: A's vs. Rangers

The A's look to capitalize on last night's incredible game and complete the sweep today with Rich Hill on the mound.

Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

Hey all! I'm back again today for my second consecutive recap, and boy am I glad I took the game last night. I worry that my recap didn't do it justice, but that truly was one of the best games of baseball I've seen in years, even before the incredible walk-off grand slam by Khris Davis. It had everything you could ask for: lead changes, blown saves, tons of dingers, and an amazing win propelled by a new guy that we'll get to watch for the next few years. The team picked up closer Ryan Madson when he stumbled and proved they won't go down without a fight. It was immensely satisfying baseball.

I was going to say something like, "The red-hot A's are riding an avalanche of momentum after 3 consecutive wins," but avalanches and red-hot don't really go together so let's say they're riding a wave of magma. That's pretty cool.

Looking to lock down the sweep for the Athletics is Rich Hill, AKA The Bishop. Hill has been Oakland's most consistent pitcher this year, sporting a 2.68 ERA and a top-10 in MLB K/9 rate.

The Rangers are sending their own lefty to the mound in the form of Martin Perez. Perez has thrown quality starts in 6 of his 8 outings this year but only has 1 win to show for it. He has been a tough luck pitcher, the 2016 Rangers version of 2015 Chris Bassitt, but he has been consistently good and will not make the sweep easy on the green and gold.

Today's Lineups

TEXAS RANGERS OAKLAND A'S
Rougned Odor - 2B Coco Crisp - LF
Ian Desmond - CF Billy Burns - CF
Adrian Beltre - 3B Josh Reddick - RF
Prince Fielder - DH Danny Valencia - 3B
Ryan Rua - LF Khris Davis - DH
Mitch Moreland - 1B Billy Butler - 1B
Elvis Andrus - SS Marcus Semien - SS
Drew Stubbs - RF Stephen Vogt - C
Bryan Holaday - C Tyler Ladendorf - 2B
Martin Perez - LHP Rich Hill - LHP

The game starts at 12:35 PST. Unfortunately it will not be shown on CSN, so this one will require either MLB Network or radio. I'm opting for the latter. Go A's! It's time to bust out Sweemper again!