Game Thread #56: A’s vs. Red Sox

The homestand is finally over. The Oakland A’s have lost eight out of nine games over the past week-plus at the Coliseum, with one more chance Sunday in the 10th and final contest before heading back on the road. In the two most recent matchups against the Boston Red Sox, the A’s totaled two runs, including zero last night in a shutout loss.

Only three batters in Oakland’s lineup have above-average batting lines right now: Laureano (112 wRC+), Andrus (108), and Pinder (101). They’ll go against Sox starter Rich Hill, a former Athletic himself, who’s still pitching at age 42. The lefty got roughed up by the Orioles in his last appearance, but otherwise he’s provided decent results for four or five innings at a time, usually around two turns through the opposing lineup.

Hill was born and raised in the Boston area and grew up rooting for the Sox, and he returned there over the offseason on a one-year deal. This is his third MLB stint with the club, his fourth tour of duty with them overall, and the seventh free agent contract he’s signed with the Boston organization. He was last there in 2015, right before coming to the A’s the next season.

On the mound for Oakland is Frankie Montas. The right-hander was brilliant in his past two starts against the Rangers and Astros, going seven innings each time with a total of three runs and 16 strikeouts. Unfortunately, the A’s lost both games because their own lineup only mustered one run each day.

A’s lineup (home)

1. LF Chad Pinder (R)
2. SS Elvis Andrus (R)
3. DH Jed Lowrie (S)
4. RF Ramon Laureano (R)
5. C Christian Bethancourt (R)
6. 1B Seth Brown (L)
7. 2B Sheldon Neuse (R)
8. 3B Kevin Smith (R)
9. CF Cristian Pache (R)

• RHP Frankie Montas

Red Sox lineup (away)

1. DH Jarren Duran (L)
2. CF Enrique Hernandez (R)
3. 3B Rafael Devers (L)
4. SS Xander Bogaerts (R)
5. LF Alex Verdugo (L)
6. 2B Trevor Story (R)
7. RF Franchy Cordero (L)
8. C Christian Vazquez (R)
9. 1B Bobby Dalbec (R)

• LHP Rich Hill

How to watch/listen

• Date: Sunday, June 5
• Time: 1:07 p.m. PT
• TV: NBC Sports California
• Radio: 960 AM
• Streaming (listen): A’s Cast