Game Thread #154: Athletics vs Rangers

Sean Manaea was scratched just hours before his start tonight due to a tightness in his upper back that he has felt for a couple of days now. His injury shouldn’t be all too serious, as it is something he and the team have dealt with in the past, and there is still a good chance that Manaea will make his final start of the season the next time his turn comes up in the rotation. Starting in his place will be Raul Alcantara, who pitched nearly four scoreless innings in an emergency start against Detroit last week. Given Manaea’s fatigue issues that have plagued his second half, and given that Alcantara was hitting the upper nineties with his fastball in his spot start and looked stronger on the mound than ever before, tonight’s pitching change may actually tilt the odds moreso in the A’s favor.

In further injury news, both Bruce Maxwell and Chad Pinder are undergoing concussion protocol for this game and should be unavailable, though there is a slight chance Pinder may be used off of the bench in the late innings. Ryon Healy will be taking Pinder’s spot in the lineup, at DH, shuffling Khrush into left field and Mark Canha into center field. Just about every starter for the A’s is a home run threat, so expect baseball to be a-flyin.

First pitch is at 6:05. Lineups are below.