The Athletics have played spoiler all weekend, winning the first three games of the series against the Seattle Mariners to deal another blow to their division rivals’ playoff hopes.
The A’s need one more win to complete a four-game sweep in what has been one of their best-played series during an otherwise forgettable second half of the season. Despite sitting in last place, the A’s have a winning record against their American League West opponents. That is as much a reflection of the division’s mediocrity
as it is of the A’s success against their divisional rivals this season.
This afternoon, rookie left-hander Gage Jump will start for the A’s. The 23-year-old enters his 19th start of the season with a 6-9 record, a 5.15 ERA, a 1.49 WHIP and 99 strikeouts in 92 2/3 innings.
Fatigue seems to be setting in for Jump, who has pitched a career-high number of innings this season between Triple-A and the majors. Over his past seven starts, the southpaw went 3-3 with a 6.31 ERA. In his previous outing against the Texas Rangers, Jump took the loss after allowing seven runs on six hits over 4 1/3 innings.
Today, the left-hander will face Seattle for the second time in his career. He made his MLB debut against the Mariners in May, allowing four runs over five innings in a losing effort. Jump will look to earn his first win against Seattle and help the A’s win a fifth straight game.
The Athletics also have to be mindful of the rookie’s workload, as he is a big part of their future and the team has nothing left to play for this season .
Here’s how the Athletics will line up for the series finale in Seattle:
Designated hitter Max Muncy has been one of the series’ standout performers. He will look to hit a home run in his third consecutive game. Right fielder Lawrence Butler, another player swinging a hot bat, will look to extend his hitting streak to 15 games in the team’s final contest before returning to Sacramento.
Brian Serven is behind the plate, with starting catcher Jonah Heim getting the day off. Center fielder Denzel Clarke, who grounded out weekly in each of his at-bats yesterday, joins Heim on the bench.
Will the Athletics get more unexpected production from Serven and shortstop Alika Williams at the bottom of the order, or will the top of the lineup have to carry the offense?
Meanwhile the M’s will have righty Bryan Woo on the mound for them. The 26-year-old Bay Area native enters his 27th start of the season with a 10-9 record, a 4.25 ERA and 149 strikeouts in 148 1/3 innings.
While Woo has remained healthy, his performance has regressed from last season, when he was named an American League All-Star and finished with a 2.94 ERA. His decline is emblematic of a Mariners team, that as a whole, has failed to replicate the magic that carried it to within reach of last fall’s World Series.
In his last start against the Boston Red Sox, Woo earned the win after allowing one run over six innings. He will make his first start of the season against the A’s today. Woo has dominated the Athletics over his career, going 7–1 with a 2.22 ERA in his first 10 appearances against the Green and Gold. Since Woo does not issue many walks, A’s hitters will need to work deep counts and capitalize on mistake pitches, or it could be a long afternoon for the visitors.
And Seattle’s starting nine:
The reeling Mariners continue to tap into their deep farm system for reinforcements, with highly touted infielder Michael Arroyo the latest player called up from Triple-A. Arroyo will bat near the bottom of Seattle’s lineup, which loses much of its production after the first six hitters.
With no off day tomorrow, the Athletics would greatly appreciate a quality start from Jump. To deliver one, he must limit the free passes and avoid leaving pitches over the middle of the plate against the likes of Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez and Randy Arozarena.
Time to send the Mariners out to sea. Let’s go, A’s!
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