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Game Thread #56: A’s at Mariners

Back on the road!

By Alex Hall
MLB: MAY 21 Athletics at Angels Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Happy Memorial Day!

The Oakland A’s missed a prime opportunity on their recent homestand, going just 3-4 against a pair of weaker AL West division rivals. They dropped two of three to the rebuilding Seattle Mariners, and then split four games with an Angels team missing Mike Trout.

Now the A’s will head out on the road and put last week behind them, and helping that goal is an immediate rematch against the Mariners up north. It’s a second chance to prove themselves against the third-place opponent that just upset them.

Interestingly, the night/day split reversed itself over the last few series. Against the Angels in Anaheim, the A’s won both night games but dropped the day game finale. Then, against the Angels at the Coliseum, the A’s won the two night games but lost the two weekend day games. Sandwiched between those Halos series, Oakland hosted the Mariners and lost both night games but came back to salvage the afternoon finale.

So, when they play the Angels, the A’s are winning at night and losing during the day. When they play the Mariners it’s the opposite, they lose at night and win during the day. Please note that this observation is absolutely meaningless for analytic purposes and almost certainly just a neat fluke, but hey, for what it’s worth today is a day game against the Mariners due to the holiday.

Anyway, rookie James Kaprielian is on the mound. The right-hander has made three starts, he’s been good each time, and Oakland won each game, so that’s a better reason to be optimistic about this afternoon. He tossed seven shutout innings against Seattle in his last appearance.

A’s lineup (away)

  1. CF Mark Canha (R)
  2. 1B Matt Olson (L)
  3. 2B Jed Lowrie (S)
  4. RF Seth Brown (L)
  5. C Sean Murphy (R)
  6. DH Mitch Moreland (L)
  7. 3B Matt Chapman (R)
  8. SS Chad Pinder (R)
  9. LF Tony Kemp (L)
  • RHP James Kaprielian

Pinder at short, Kemp in left.

Mariners lineup (home)

  1. LF Jarred Kelenic (L)
  2. CF Kyle Lewis (R)
  3. 3B Kyle Seager (L)
  4. 1B Ty France (R)
  5. SS J.P. Crawford (L)
  6. RF Jake Fraley (L)
  7. C Jose Godoy (L)
  8. DH Jacob Nottingham (R)
  9. 2B Donovan Walton (L)
  • RHP Logan Gilbert

Let’s Go Oakland!

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