clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Game Thread #8: Oakland A’s at Seattle Mariners

First good road game of the year?

By Alex Hall
Los Angeles Angels v Oakland Athletics Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The Oakland A’s are officially off to a slow start in the 2020 season, going 3-4 in their first seven games. That includes last night’s series opener against the rebuilding Seattle Mariners, in a game in which the A’s only managed three hits. Oakland is 1-for-20 with runners in scoring position over their last three games combined.

Of course, there’s no doubt about the level of talent in the lineup. Given six months in a normal summer, they would surely be among the league leaders in scoring and many other offensive categories. But there are only two months in this pandemic-shortened campaign, and so the question is when that well-established talent will find a rhythm and go back to producing at their normal levels.

They’ll get their next chance Saturday, in the second of four road games against the Mariners. Oakland sends Mike Fiers to the mound, looking to improve on his 2020 debut last weekend in which he couldn’t make it out of the 5th inning. Seattle counters with Yusei Kikuchi, a lefty who struggled greatly in 2019 after signing a hefty contract as an international free agent. He faced the A’s four times last season, allowing 10 earned runs in 21 total innings, including five homers to Chapman, Olson, Canha, Davis, and Barreto.

First pitch is 6:10 p.m., with the following options to watch or listen:

  • TV: NBC Sports California
  • Radio: 960 AM
  • Online audio stream: iHeartRadio

A’s lineup (away)

  1. SS Marcus Semien (R)
  2. 3B Matt Chapman (R)
  3. CF Ramon Laureano (R)
  4. LF Mark Canha (R)
  5. 1B Matt Olson (L)
  6. 2B Chad Pinder (R)
  7. DH Khris Davis (R)
  8. RF Stephen Piscotty (R)
  9. C Sean Murphy (R)
  • Mike Fiers, RHP

Davis is back in the lineup after a couple days off. As mentioned, he homered off Kikuchi last year, along with three other members of this starting lineup.

Mariners lineup (home)

  1. SS J.P. Crawford (L)
  2. C Austin Nola (R)
  3. CF Kyle Lewis (R)
  4. 3B Kyle Seager (L)
  5. 1B Evan White (R)
  6. LF Jose Marmolejos (L)
  7. 2B Shed Long (L)
  8. DH Daniel Vogelbach (L)
  9. RF Dylan Moore (R)
  • Yusei Kikuchi, LHP

First looks at Marmolejos and Vogelbach this year. Crawford remains in the lineup after a brief scare last night when he appeared to hurt himself while batting.

More From Athletics Nation