Spring Game Thread #31: A’s at Angels

In less than a week, the A’s will be playing non-fake baseball against the Angels. Real games are right around the corner, and it is vital to ensure that division rivals don’t get too many early looks against key players. As such, the A’s lineup and pitching staff looks quite a bit different today considering how late in the spring it is, as reinforcements from the minor league camp look to play major roles in the game.

On the position player side, Yonder Alonso is batting cleanup and Mark Canha is manning center field, despite the fact that Jaff Decker will be beside in left. Max Schrock is getting the start at second base, and Matt Chapman will DH while Ryon Healy plays third.

On the pitchers’ side, Logan Shore will be making the start for the A’s. Shore was drafted in the second round of last year’s draft, and figured to be a quick riser through the A’s minor league system, however, he is still at least a couple of years away from being big league ready. However, Shore stands to gain some valuable experience while facing professional hitters, ready for the season to start, in a game that ultimately doesn’t count for much. The other notable addition to the pitching staff in today’s game is Grant Holmes, the "catch" turned third piece in the Rich Hill/Josh Reddick trade with the Dodgers. While he has struggled in the A’s system since the trade, his potential for greatness is much further reaching than any of his counterparts in the system.

Lineups are below. First pitch is at 1:05

For the A’s: 1- J Decker, LF 2- A Rosales, SS 3- R Healy, 3B 4- Y Alonso, 1B 5- M Canha, CF 6- M Chapman, DH 7- C Parmelee, RF 8- J Phegley, C 9- M Schrock, 2B SP- L Shore.

For the slegnA: 1- Y Escobar, 3B 2- K Calhoun, RF 3- M Trout, CF 4- A Pujols, DH 5- J Marte, 1B 6- C Maybin, LF 7- D Espinosa, 2B 8- N Fontana, SS 9- M Maldonado, C SP- B Norris