Game Thread #48: A’s (sort of) at Tigers

Original Recap of Game #48

UPDATE: A’s win 7-3 to complete the four-game sweep! Next game at 7:07; we’ll see you with a brand-new thread very soon!

Happy Friday and welcome to a most unusual set of circumstances tonight, as part of a Friday night extravaganza that Nico dubbed the “quarter header”, the A’s need to make up three innings of game #48, nearly a hundred games ago, before they play game #141, which will finally stop our eyes from twitching when we think of the unresolved retroactive eleven game win streak should the A’s win, and finally after so many months, the game count will match the number of games played. Of course, with any luck, the A’s can drop a much needed September win into the playoff race bank.

It’s been a while, but we’re still not over the injustice of this game; needing only three outs to count officially, in a game that was suspended for rain when there was no rain, breaking up one of the A’s hottest streaks of the season and costing them a four-game sweep and a win. But all of that can be forgotten with a win tonight as the A’s have, really, a bonus chance to tack one, and perhaps two, wins to the red-hot Wild Card race to the finish.

We have no bullpen available, as has been well-documented, and it was announced today that Petit will likely miss the whole weekend series. Of course, Liam Hendriks will effectively start the game in the seventh inning and the A’s will have to be creative for the eighth and ninth. Let’s hope the offense takes yesterday’s massive success into the game for the eighth and ninth; the A’s are ‘on the road’ in this one. It sounds like the Oakland Coliseum is really going all out with some adorable touches to make sure the Tigers feel at home.

Look for a few substitutions in the lineup; Nick Hundley is no longer with the A’s, Stephen Piscotty is hurt, but maybe the most fun of all is Ramon Laureano is activated right before a game that was played nearly 100 days ago (like the literal turning back of time), but after more than a month of missing him, he could be slotted right back in just as if no time has passed. He’s not in the first lineup, but we shall see about the second!

If the A’s could have picked any time to replay this game, it would be now; after the crushing bitter disappointment of last weekend’s blown games, the late rally Tuesday, the shutout Wednesday and the biggest and best comeback win of the year on Thursday afternoon to sweep the Angels’ series has all but erased the ‘what ifs’ as the A’s head into a weekend series where the only goal is to add wins to their total to keep competing in the Wild Card. They don’t care how. We don’t care how.

We’re playing a three-inning baseball game tonight? Sure, why not? Bring it on.

Brought to you live from a Sportsbook in Vegas where I’m supposed to be celebrating my anniversary, but I’m recapping a playoff-run, all-important two-game extravaganza because it’s the green and gold and it’s September, here’s hoping for the powerful magic of yesterday to carry over to today.

TLDR: It’s the bottom of the seventh inning in “Detroit”. Liam Hendriks is on the mound with the count of 2-2 to Josh Harrison, who is not on the Tigers and will not be in the game. The A’s have just taken the 5-3 lead; it feels like just yesterday.

Here are the players that hopefully just have to play two and a half innings:

LET’S GO OAK-LAND!