The A’s are down to their last chance to get a win in San Diego after losing the first two games of this weekend series. They’ve dropped back down to .500 and though they start the day in first place in the AL West their lead could drop down to just a half-game s if they can’t bounce back and get a win on getaway day this afternoon.
This afternoon’s starting pitcher for the Athletics will be right-hander Luis Medina, who is getting his first starting assignment this year. The former starter began
this season in the Athletics’ bullpen as he continues to rediscover himself post Tommy John surgery. So far the Athletics’ slow-roll with him has yielded positive results as the 27-year-old has a solid 2.41 ERA in 14 relief appearances for the big league squad this year. The A’s have accumulated a lot of young, interesting pitching over the past couple of years but Medina was a highly-regarded arm as recently as 2024 and the team is ready to give him a shot to get back into the starting mix. Today will be a big outing for him going forward.
Here’s the Athletics’ starting nine for the series finale against the Padres:
The A’s will go with the same top three of the lineup as yesterday, though Shea Langeliers will get a half-day as he’ll DH while Jonah Heim is the backstop today catching Medina. He’ll be batting behind Tyler Soderstrom, who is batting cleanup. With Langeliers DH’ing that means Brent Rooker gets a day off but he’ll be available for a pinch-hitting appearance off the bench if needed.
The bottom half of the lineup is also mostly full of the current regulars. Gelof mans third again, McNeil is at his spot at the keystone, and Bolte will handle center field. The only major change in the starting nine is at shortstop where Alika Williams will draw his first start with the Athletics. The recently-acquired Williams has made it into five games for the Green & Gold so far but mostly as a late-game defensive replacement. He only has one at-bat for the A’s but he’ll be getting more this afternoon.
The lineup will be going against San Diego ace Michael King. The right-hander will be making his 11th start of the year for the Padre and he’s been his typical dominant self so far. He’s coming into today’s contest with a 2.31 ERA, which ranks 7th in the National League. He’s also in mid-season form as he’s allowed just two runs over his past three outings spanning 18 2/3 frames. The offense will need to take advantage of any and every opportunity they can scrounge together against the righty.
And the San Diego lineup:
Like the A’s, mostly the same top half of the lineup for San Diego this afternoon. Xander Bogaerts returns to the lineup after getting a day off yesterday while old friend Ramon Laureano is back in the lineup as well, replacing Nick Castellanos in right field.
Gotta get a win today to end the road trip on a high note. Would help to see a couple division rivals also lose today but we got to take care of our own business first and foremost. Who’s feeling the bounce back energy today? Let’s go A’s!
Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA
Listen:
Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, KVMX 92.1/105.5, A’s Cast
