A's Take on Philadelphia Just as Phillies Are Heating Up
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In a season where the A's are celebrating 125 years as a franchise, Tuesday night takes them back to where it all began, facing a city, and a rival, they've known since day one.
After three series wins in a row against Seattle, Texas, and Kansas City, the Athletics (18-16) dropped their latest series at home against the Cleveland Guardians. The A's are still up two games in the AL West on the Texas Rangers, who will head to New York to face the red-hot Yankees.
Even though the season is young, the Philadelphia Phillies early struggles led to them firing their manager, Rob Thomson after a 9-19 start. Since then, they have gone 6-1 under Don Mattingly, so the A's could be catching them at the wrong time.
The Phillies' record sits at 15-20 heading into the A's series. They have won 7 of their last 10 games, including their series finale in Miami, 1-0. The top of the Phillies lineup has also been relatively cold, so the A's hot bats will have to stay hot on the road.
The A's will likely be without their superstar catcher, Shea Langeliers, for the series as the team placed him on paternity leave on Monday night.
Taking his place on the roster will be Jonah Heim, who the A's acquired from the Atlanta Braves for cash on Monday. The catcher is coming off a home run on Sunday and is batting .292 in his last 7 games with 6 RBI. With Heim joining the roster, the offense may not see as big of a drop without Langeliers.
Game 1: Luis Severino vs. Cristopher Sánchez
For the series opener on Tuesday, the A's will be trotting out their ace, Luis Severino. The right-hander is coming off a couple of very impressive starts against the Royals and Rangers.
Against Texas, he tossed 6 2/3 innings, allowing just one earned run, and punched out five. In his most recent start against the Royals, he pitched seven innings, again with just one run allowed, and recorded eight strikeouts.
Like last season, Severino has pitched better away from Sutter Health Park. His ERA at home this season is a rough 4.91, but he holds a 4.05 ERA on the road. It's also worth noting that he's done a better job pitching in night games, where he holds a 3.03 ERA in five starts.
For the Phillies, they will go with southpaw Cristopher Sánchez. The lefty has a strong 2.90 ERA in just over 40 innings this season. He's coming off a solid start where he went 6 2/3 innings and two earned runs against the Giants. However, his start before that was a blow-up game as he gave up six earned in 5 1/3 innings against the Cubs. He finished second the the Cy Young voting last season.
The A's right-handed hitters will look to get to Sánchez, as right-handers have batted a strong .331 against him this season. Brent Rooker, Jacob Wilson, and Colby Thomas should all have good matchups against Sanchez.
Game 2: Jeffrey Springs vs. Zack Wheeler
On Wednesday, the A's will have a southpaw of their own take the mound in Jeffrey Springs. Springs holds a 3.96 ERA in 38 2/3 innings this season. For the most part, Springs has been a reliable starter for the green and gold, and will look to keep the Phillies off-balance with his nasty changeup.
The A's will have a tough matchup as they will face Zack Wheeler. Wheeler holds a 2.45 ERA since his return from the injured list. He's only made two starts, but he's looked sharp in both of them. The A's need to limit the strikeouts as Wheeler has punched out six and eight opposing hitters in his last two starts.
These first two games will be each team's best pitchers going head-to-head, and the outcome is going to be determined by big hits in crucial situations.
Game 3: J.T. Ginn vs. Andrew Painter
To wrap up the three-game series on the road, the A's will throw J.T. Ginn on Thursday. Ginn is coming off a rough go against the Guardians. Notably, left-handed hitters struggle against Ginn this season, batting just .206 against him.
That should prove to be important for the A's as the best Phillies bats are left-handers. Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh, and Bryson Stott are all lefties and could be limited against Ginn.
The A's will take on struggling young Philadelphia starter, Andrew Painter. He holds a 5.28 ERA this season, and the highly touted prospect has been getting rocked by right-handers. Righties have batted .349 against him this season, and as mentioned, the A's have a few strong righty bats that should have a field day on Thursday.
If the A's can stay hot and pick up a couple of wins in Philly, they should hopefully get some help from the Yankees against the Rangers, extending their lead in the West and providing some breathing room. The Mariners are also not too far behind in the division, but will be taking on the hot Atlanta Braves. The Yankees and Braves are the two best teams in baseball.
There is certainly no better time for the A's than now to extend their lead in the division.
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I grew up playing baseball, and also enjoyed watching and writing about my favorite team, the A’s. Being a diehard A’s fan from New Jersey is certainly not common, but I love the team and all of the current and former players so much. I currently attend school at Penn State Scranton where I get the opportunity to play college baseball.
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