Last night, the Athletics evened this series against the Boston Red Sox, winning the second game 4-3 in a contest that came down to the final out. The Red Sox came within a few feet of hitting a second consecutive home run with two outs in the ninth inning, but A’s center fielder Henry Bolte tracked down the fly ball, preserving the victory for pitcher Hogan Harris and the A’s.
Athletics left-hander Jacob Lopez will start the third game of this four-game series between the two American League clubs. The 28-year-old enters his 17th appearance and 14th start of the season with a 5-4 record, a 6.12 ERA, a 1.67 WHIP and 53 strikeouts over 64 2/3 innings.
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Lopez earned the win in his last start after holding the Minnesota Twins scoreless over five innings while allowing just one hit. Control remains a concern, however, as he issued four walks to continue a season-long trend. Lopez, could benefit from tonight’s matchup against a Red Sox offense that has drawn the fourth-fewest walks in the major leagues. After Gage Jump recorded a quality start yesterday, the Athletics will look for Lopez to deliver another strong performance in his first career outing against Boston.
Here’s the Athletics’ lineup this evening:
If the A’s want to score more runs, they will need leadoff hitter Jacob Wilson to work deeper counts and avoid chasing pitches outside the strike zone. Third baseman Tommy White moves up into the third slot in the lineup after recording the second four-hit game of his career yesterday. White earned the nickname “Tommy Tanks” for his home run ability in college, but he has primarily been a singles hitter through his first 39 major league at-bats. He will look to record his first major league home run this evening.
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Further down the starting nine, Jonah Heim will catch, with backup catcher Brian Serven, who hit a two-run home run last night, on the bench. Colby Thomas will serve as the designated hitter, allowing Lawrence Butler to start in right field. Butler, who delivered a pinch-hit RBI double in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s game, enters today looking to raise his batting average above .200.
The A’s offense will face Red Sox left-hander Patrick Sandoval, who is seeking his first win in his fourth outing with the team. Sandoval returned to action with a new club after missing last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Through his first three starts back in the big leagues, he has posted a 3.21 ERA with 13 strikeouts over 14 innings. In his last start, Sandoval pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The “Green and Gold” are familiar with the 29-year-old, who pitched for the Los Angeles Angels from 2019 to 2024. During that span, he faced the A’s 11 times, going 4-4 with a 2.56 ERA and 47 strikeouts. The Athletics will aim to generate offense against Sandoval tonight and defeat him for the fifth time.
And Boston’s starting nine:
Over the past two nights, the A’s pitching staff has limited Boston’s offense, with all of the Red Sox’s runs coming against A’s relievers. Lopez will need to be careful against the middle of Boston’s lineup, especially Wilyer Abreu, who has hit left-handed pitching well.
Time to win a second straight and set up a chance to take the series tomorrow. Let’s go A’s!
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