The 2021 Bay Bridge Series is here! Or the first half of it, at least. The Oakland A’s visit the San Francisco Giants for three games this weekend, and then there will be a rematch at the Coliseum in August.
The annual meetings between these two geographic rivals carry plenty of their own weight, with households divided over fan loyalty and a physical trophy on the line for the winning club. But this year the stakes are even higher, because both teams are having excellent seasons.
The A’s are contending for the fourth summer in a row, locked in an AL West dogfight with the Houston Astros. The pair have the two best records in the AL, with Oakland slightly behind at 46-31. Meanwhile the Giants have the top mark in all of MLB at 48-26, comfortably in first place in the NL West. These games matter for both sides, and they’re significant matchups on a national level too.
Unfortunately, the weekend will be missing one of its biggest stars, as Bay Area native Mark Canha went on the injured list today with a sprained left hip. That’s also a big blow to the A’s lineup, as he’s been one of their most productive players this season.
As for the Bridge Trophy, this is its fourth year of existence. The A’s won in 2018 (4-2 season series), then the Giants took it in 2019 (3-1), then Oakland got it back in 2020 (5-1). Of course, that distinction won’t be settled until August when the next set of games is played on the other side of the Bay.
A’s lineup (away)
- LF Tony Kemp (L)
- 3B Matt Chapman (R)
- 1B Matt Olson (L)
- CF Ramon Laureano (R)
- C Sean Murphy (R)
- 2B Jed Lowrie (S)
- SS Elvis Andrus (R)
- RF Skye Bolt (S)
- LHP Sean Manaea (R)
No DH in the NL, so Manaea will bat. And the southpaw bats righty.
Giants lineup (home)
- LF Austin Slater (R)
- 1B Darin Ruf (R)
- RF Mike Yastrzemski (L)
- 3B Wilmer Flores (R)
- SS Brandon Crawford (L)
- 2B Donovan Solano (R)
- C Curt Casali (R)
- CF Mauricio Dubon (R)
- RHP Johnny Cueto (R)
How To Watch
- Date: Friday, June 25
- Time: 6:45 p.m. PT
- TV (local): NBC Sports Bay Area
- Radio: 960 AM (more listings here)
- Streaming (watch): NBCS website (with cable sub)
- Streaming (listen): A’s Cast