Happy Sunday A’s fans! For the second straight day, the Athletics will play a split-squad double header. Yesterday, the A’s dropped both games as the squad that remained in Arizona lost to the Chicago Cubs 4-3. The other half of the team made a bad first impression at the organization’s future home Las Vegas, losing 3-0 to the Los Angeles Angels at the A’s Triple-A affiliate Las Vegas Aviators’ stadium.
This afternoon, the A’s will look to end the weekend on a positive note. The group in Las Vegas
will take on the Angels again, while the A’s that remained in Arizona will host the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
A’s vs Dodgers at Hohokam Stadium
Starting with the Dodgers, the A’s have left-hander Jacob Lopez scheduled to make his first start of spring training. Lopez, who came over alongside Jeffrey Springs in that trade between the A’s and the Tampa Bay Rays before last season, emerged as an unexpected bright spot last season. Lopez began his A’s tenure pitching from the bullpen, but quickly found himself in the team’s starting rotation. After some initial bumps and bruises, he broke out, pitching a 25.2 inning scoreless streak that spanned several starts from late July to mid-August. Lopez finished the season with a 4.08 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 92 2/3 innings, numbers that would have been higher if not for his season-ending left elbow flexor strain that caused him to miss the last month of the campaign.
If Lopez can stay healthy and more importantly repeat the success he had last summer, that would be a big boost as the A’s still desperately need more quality pitchers to complement the team’s young, star-studded group of position players. Look for Lopez to not pitch more than an inning or two as the A’s do not want him to get injured again.
Here’s how the A’s lineup behind Lopez:
Catcher Shea Langeliers is once again the only starter in the team’s lineup against the Dodgers. It is interesting that Brett Harris is starting at first base for the second straight day as he is arguably the best defender out of the multiple A’s players vying to get the Opening Day nod at third base. That likely means Andy Ibàñez is ahead of him on the team’s depth chart, which makes sense as Ibanez is out of minor-league options.
The rest of the lineup are prospects or depth pieces, with two exceptions. Outfielder Colby Thomas, who made his MLB debut last summer, is in the starting lineup for the first time this spring. Additionally, elite shortstop prospect Leo De Vries gets another start to impress as he hopes to speed up his already accelerated ascent through the minor leagues. The 19-year-old is 8-for-22 this spring, consistently holding his own against older pitchers.
Here’s how the Dodgers line up this afternoon behind starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski:
The Dodgers have a couple top prospects in their lineup today surrounding their latest seismic free-agent acquisition, outfielder Kyle Tucker. Infielder Santiago Espinal has gotten off to a hot start this spring, batting .588 with two home runs and nine RBIs. Not the easiest first assignment for Lopez, but it could be tougher given how many Dodgers regulars are not playing today.
A’s vs. Angels in Las Vegas
This afternoon, the A’s will look to have a better showing in front of their future fanbase. Following left-hander Gage Jump’s strong start yesterday, right-hander Aaron Civale will toe the rubber for the A’s today. It will be his first Cactus League appearance, but second spring start. He made his A’s debut in the exhibition against Team Brazil a few days ago, allowing a run on six hits and a walk across two and two-thirds innings with one strikeout. The A’s hope that Civale can limit the amount of base runners and pitch a bit further into the game this afternoon.
Here’s the lineup for this one:
The top four of that lineup will likely be unchanged when the regular season starts as A’s manager Mark Kotsay seems to love having Nick Kurtz’s elite blend of power and on-base ability at the leadoff position. Austin Wynns is locked in as the team’s backup catcher, while outfielders Henry Bolte and Junior Perez continue receiving everyday playing time. Last but not least, infield prospects Tommy White and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer get deserved starts today as both have made the most of their opportunities so far this spring.
The batters will be facing Angels right-hander Jack Kochanowicz, who will be making his second preseason start. He has gotten off to a good start, only allowing one run in four and two-third innings.
Here is the Angels’ batting order for their second game in Las Vegas:
The Angels lineup does not contain many regulars, aside from the players hitting in the second, third and fourth spots in the order. Last-place hitter Bryce Teodosio may make their roster due to his defense in center field as could some of these Angels infielders. Even with Mike Trout missing, it should be a decent enough lineup to challenge Civale today.
Two wins in one day? Who says it can’t be done? Let’s go A’s!
