Game Thread #108: A's at Angels

After finishing their final home stand before the August 1st trade deadline with a solid 7-3 record, and then taking 2 of 3 from the AL West leading Rangers in Arlington, the A's fell flat in Cleveland with a 3 game sweep heading into the trade deadline.

Top 2016 team pillars OF Josh Reddick and LHP Rich Hill were then packaged to the Dodgers for 3 RHP prospects as the A's front office determined the team was out of the hunt and the free-agents-to-be were better moved for future value.

The A's have since played two games in Anaheim and continued their losing streak to 5 games, with last night's contest ending in an 8-6 loss on an Albert Pujols 2 run walk off HR off the A's best reliever this year Ryan Dull.

The younger looking A's now hope to avert a sweep and tall righty Jesse Hahn will be tasked with the start. Hahn last pitched in the bigs on July 24th vs. the Tampa Bay Rays, spinning 7.2 innings of 1 run ball to lower his MLB ERA on the year to 5.53. Hahn has since pitched for AAA affiliate Nashville, but returns for this afternoon's contest as the 5th starter. Andrew Triggs was sent back to Nashville in the corresponding move.

Opposing the A's is veteran RHP Ricky Nolasco, who was acquired in a deadline deal between the Angels and Minnesota Twins. Nolasco had a 5.13 ERA in 21 starts for the Twins prior to the trade.

Notable starts for the A's include rookie Bruce Maxwell behind the plate (regular catcher Stephen Vogt has the day off) while Max Muncy earns the start at 2B for an injured Jed Lowrie. Lowrie has an injured toe and the potential exists for him to miss an extended period, which would result in an additional youth infusion in a lineup that has already seen multiple moves in that direction in a year that is no longer considered one with contending hopes. As fans, watching the young players perform (and hopefully develop) is one of the more exciting elements of the remainder of the year. The AAA Nashville Sounds have the best record in the Pacific Coast League and feature a number of players who may see time in the bigs this year.

Here are this afternoon's lineups for both teams (note: superstar CF Mike Trout is not starting for the Angels):