Athletics-Rangers Matchup Begins with Highly Anticipated Pairing of Lynn, Luzardo

Rangers' writer Chris Halicke and I explore the possibilities of the Oakland-Texas matchup in a podcast that touches on the Lance Lynn-Jesús Luzardo battle Monday and the possibility of Lynn being traded at the deadline, with the A's possiblity a suitor.

With the Oakland A’s in Arlington Texas for the next four nights, InsideTheAthletics joined forces with Rangers’ beat writer Chris Halicke of the North Texas Nine Podcast and InsideTheRangers for a series preview.

One thing we both agreed on is that Monday’s series opener, pitting A’s rookie lefty Jesús Luzardo against the Rangers ace, Lance Lynn, could be one of the better pitching matchups of this 60-game season.

Here’s the link for the full podcast.

They squared off back on Aug. 4 in Oakland. Lynn threw a shutout for six innings and seemed en route to a win until a seventh-inning solo homer tied it; the A’s would w-n on a walkoff Stephen Piscotty grand slam.

For Luzardo, the start was one of his best professional pitching performances, giving up two hits and two walks in five scoreless innings.

A’s right fielder Stephen Piscotty, talking in a separate video conference call, said the Lynn-Luzardo matchup is the kind of one all players seem to gravitate toward.

One other thing to be looking for is the fact that this may be the last appearance in a Rangers’ uniform for Lynn, who is likely to be traded by the Aug. 31 trade deadline.

Might the A’s be in the competition for Lynn? They well might. He’s under contract through next season, and his 2021 salary of $8 million, while not nothing, would be within the realm of the A’s ability to pay.

The A’s have a 20-9 record that includes a three-game sweep of Texas in Oakland the first week of August. The Rangers have lost seven straight coming into the series.

Chris and I look at the probable pitching matchups for the series, the trade positions of both teams and Oakland’s first visit to the brand-new Globe Like Field.

Follow Athletics insider John Hickey on Twitter: @JHickey3

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