Game Thread #24: Athletics vs Blue Jays

Things have not gone the A’s way this series. There is a chance the team can salvage something with a win today, otherwise the A’s will get swept at home by a team that is still in the early stages of a rebuild. Three-fifths of Oakland’s starting rotation, apart from a stellar first week, has been laughably ineffective on the season so far, dragging the team down to a sub-.500 record. In the first two games of this three game set against the Blue Jays, A’s starters have given up nine total runs, while the A’s powerful offense has scored just two runs total.

But while three fifths of the rotation has been bad on the year, Brett Anderson, taking the mound today for the A’s, has been a part of the slice of rotation that has been effective. The crafty lefty has displayed sharp movement on his offspeed pitches this year and has done a great job of keeping the ball on the ground. Since this is a day game at the coliseum, balls in the air are going to fly far, so generating ground balls will be a key to Anderson’s success today.

This series ideally serving as a bit of a wake-up call, hopefully the pitching and offense can come together to avoid the sweep. First pitch is at 1:07. Lineups are below.