Spring Game Thread #35: A’s vs Giants

It’s finally here.

Today is the final day of spring training, with the A’s playing a final noon game against their cross town rivals before taking a day of rest before the long, arduous season ahead. The roster has been finalized, players’ roles are now set (apart from who will be the closer for the team, Melvin stating the team will "play it by ear).

To round out the 25-man roster, the A’s made the somewhat surprising move of choosing an 8th reliever over a 5th outfielder, sending Jaff Decker down to Triple-A and choosing to keep Frankie Montas as the extra reliever. While Decker had himself a fine spring, and is likely to see time on the roster at some point during this long season, it is clear that Montas earned himself an opportunity at the big league level. And while the choice to go with eight relievers over a fourth backup position player leads to an unconventional-looking roster, once again it should be noted that the opening day roster is far from how it will appear for the vast majority of the season.

The A’s lineup is as follows: 1- M. Joyce, RF 2- J. Lowrie, 2B 3- R. Healy, 3B 4- K. Davis, LF 5- S. Vogt, C 6- T. Plouffe, DH 7- M. Semien, SS 8- Y. Alonso, 1B 9- R. Davis, CF SP- A. Triggs

The Giants lineup is as follows: 1- E. Nunez, SS 2- B. Belt, DH 3- H. Pence, RF 4- J. Parker, RF 5- C. Gillaspie, 3B 6- C. Marrero, 1B 7- A. Hill, 2B 8- N. Hundley, C 9- G. Hernandez, CF SP- T. Beede