This afternoon, the Athletics seek to wrap up their week in Las Vegas by completing a sweep of the Colorado Rockies. The past two nights, the A’s emerged victorious in back-and-forth contests, overcoming blown leads to retake the advantage and fend off the Rockies over the final few innings.
A’s left-hander Jeffrey Springs, who was originally scheduled to start yesterday’s contest, will instead get the ball for the last game of the series. The 33-year-old will be the lone A’s starter making his second start of the week, and he will face the added challenge of pitching in what is expected to be triple-digit heat.
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Springs enters his 15th start of the season with a 3-6 record, a 4.68 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 75 innings pitched. He started the first game of the Las Vegas series, which the Milwaukee Brewers ultimately won 15-14 in 12 innings. In that game, Springs received a no-decision after allowing five runs on eight hits across five innings.
Today marks two months since the A’s southpaw last earned a win, a streak he hopes to snap in this series finale. A big reason why Springs has not pitched well lately is because he has struggled limiting home runs. The ball is likely to carry in the extreme heat, creating an additional challenge for A’s and Rockies pitchers. Springs will need to be efficient and precise to avoid another short, less-than-ideal outing. Even if he pitches well, the A’s may be reluctant to let him work deep into the game given the oppressive temperatures and the associated health concerns.
Keeping that in mind, the A’s made a roster-move this morning to add a fresh arm to their bullpen. Joey Estes was serviceable as the starter yesterday, but failed to complete five innings. He was optioned back to Triple-A, with left-handed reliever Brady Basso recalled as the corresponding roster move.
Now onto the starting lineup. Here’s how manager Mark Kotsay decided to order things up as his team seeks its fifth straight win:
This lineup is certainly an interesting one. Center fielder Lawrence Butler is batting leadoff, a notable departure from the inconsistent hitter’s usual spot in the lower half of the order. Meanwhile, Nick Kurtz will serve as the designated hitter, getting a break from defensive duties. Veteran infielder Jeff McNeil will man first base instead. Butler and McNeil are not the only Athletics making their first starts of this series. Carlos Cortes will also make his first start, playing right field and batting fourth.
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Today’s A’s lineup is without starting catcher Shea Langeliers and shortstop Jacob Wilson. Langeliers gets the day off following two straight days behind the plate, while Wilson is not starting because he needs a rest day after recently returning from a stint on the injured list with a shoulder injury.
Ninth-place hitter Alika Williams, starting at shortstop, has been an unexpected contributor. He accumulated three hits and a walk last night in his best offensive game as a major leaguer. The A’s will need the likes of McNeil, Williams and Butler to get on base and create RBI opportunities for Kurtz, left fielder Tyler Soderstrom and hot-hitting second baseman Zack Gelof.
Those bats will be facing Rockies’ right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano. The 36-year-old Japanese native is 6-4 with a 4.08 ERA and 39 strikeouts over his first 13 starts, spanning 68 1/3 innings with the Rockies.
He has won his past two starts, most recently limiting the Chicago Cubs to three runs on six hits over five innings pitched. Sugano has allowed 12 home runs, while Springs has given up 16, setting up a series finale that could feature plenty of power at the plate.
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And the Rockies’ lineup for game three looks like this:
Springs has only faced one of Colorado’s starting nine before, so that could give the A’s starter the initial advantage in this matchup. Rockies’ shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, who sat out the previous two games, returns to his team’s lineup this afternoon. The visitors’ lineup is not as intimidating as some others the Athletics have faced this season, yet the Rockies have shown an ability to score in bunches through the first two games of this interleague series.
Should the A’s finish off the league-worst Rockies, they would conclude their Las Vegas residency with a 5-1 record, and more importantly, return to West Sacramento one game over .500. Let’s go A’s!
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