Game Thread #147: A’s at Orioles

The A’s enter today’s game against the Baltimore Orioles looking for their seventh consecutive win and hoping to pick up a half a game from the New York Yankees, inching them ever closer to playing the one-game Wild Card Playoff at home in Oakland.

They would also move a half game closer to the Houston Astros in, what I assume is, their ultimate quest — to win the American League Western Division Title. That’s what I hope for them but unfortunately the Astros seem to be matching the A’s game for game. They will need to lose a few where the A’s win or the A’s will remain in this 2.5-3.0 games back stalemate in the quest to win the West — if that happens and things continue as is, the A’s will play either in New York or Oakland in a win or go home scenario.

As of today they are on the verge of taking the spot the Yankees had assumed was their’s, getting to play the AL Wild Card Game at New Yankee Stadium. In my personal opinion and for a multitude of reasons I don’t have the time nor the space to share right now, I hope they play in New York. While I do have many reasons I could use that this would be a better place for the A’s to have a chance to win the game, one rings especially true. It’s no secret that postseason games against New York in Oakland have been — at least this century — historically awful, with the A’s losing four of the five played in Oakland in the 2000 and 2001 ALDS (yes, I’m sorry I brought these series up but I won’t mention a certain play, if that helps?!). Personally have my own, many other, misgivings about why the A’s should want to play the Wild Card game at home, hopefully ones I will be able to write about at a later date.

However, we have a game to get to! Brett Anderson will make his first start back from his second DL stint for the A’s at Camden Yard today, facing off against Orioles starter Dylan Bundy. Bundy enters today’s game at 7-14 with a 5.58 ERA. Anderson is 3-4 with a 4.02 ERA, giving the A’s an edge in the starting pitching department (for once!) but then again, that is assuming Anderson will make it through the game unscathed and not end up back on the DL by the end of his outing (and you’re deceiving yourselves if you don’t believe that is a possible reality). Only time will tell. And on that note —

Here are today’s lineups:

Oakland Athletics:

1. R Laureano (R) CF
2. M Chapman (R) 3B
3. J Lowrie (S) 2B
4. K Davis (R) DH
5. M Olson (L) 1B
6. S Piscotty (R) RF
7. M Semien (R) SS
8. N Martini (L) LF
9. J Phegley (R) C

Baltimore Orioles:

1. C Mullins (S) CF
2. J Rickard (R) RF
3. J Villar (S) SS
4. T Mancini (R) 1B
5. T Beckham (R) DH
6. R Núñez (R) 3B
7. J Andreoli (R) LF
8. B Valera (S) 2B
9. C Joseph (R) C

Let’s Go Oakland!!