Game Thread #115: A's Go For Sweep Of O's

Somewhat miraculously, the A's have taken three straight wins against the powerful Orioles lineup behind stellar starting pitching from Kendall Graveman, Zach Neal and Ross Detwiler. Only Graveman started the season in Oakland's rotation, and both Neal and Dewiler were wellllll down the list of projected starters during the season. As a 27 year old rookie, Neal's start was the 2nd of his career and he earned his first MLB win as a starter (he had one prior win in relief), while Detwiler is a 30 year old journeyman who was making his first start for the Athletics after bouncing around the last few years.

Like Neal, Triggs is a 27 year old rookie making his 2nd career start and his turn on the hill represents a continuation of the trend of "Say what!?" starters for the A's, as he steps out of his usual bullpen role. The question for the day is will the A's secure another surprise win over a team with major playoff aspirations?

The prior 3 games featured SPs pitching to contact (0 walks between the 3 starters), solid defense and very good relief pitching, including 2 saves from usual closer Ryan Madson and the save last night for John Axford. All 3 games have been 1 run wins for the A's, and those things are more likely to happen when you issue few walks, get good defense, and have a lights out pen. So the recipe has made sense even if the actors have not.

The Orioles counter with Chris Tillman, who is their ace and carries a 14-4 record and 3.50 ERA into the game. Needless to say, the A's are under dogs despite the 3 prior wins in the series. But as the prior 3 wins highlight, there is a reason they play the games!

Here are the lineups, Go A's!