We’re about one hour away from gametime here tonight in Sacramento as the Athletics gear up for the third game of this four-game set against their division-rival Texas Rangers. Both teams are tied atop the AL West so whoever wins tonight’s contest can lay claim to sole possession of first place. Big stakes even if it’s only April, especially these divisional games. And it’s a big day for another reason as baseball celebrates Jackie Robinson Day, the day the legend broke the color barrier and made
his MLB debut. So many greats in the game wouldn’t have had the chance to make their mark on the sport we love and we all love Jackie for the sacrifices he made in his time.
Taking the ball looking to make it two in a row for the good guys will be J.T. Ginn. The right-hander earned his first start of the season last week and did not disappoint, tossing four innings of one-hit ball against the team that drafted then traded him to us, the New York Mets. That must have felt good for the 26-year-old but now he’ll be tasked with taking on a division opponent in Texas. Last year Ginn made three starts against the Rangers, sandwiching a quality outing between a couple of duds. He’ll be looking for better results tonight and if he comes out looking like he did against New York we could see him in the game for a decent chunk tonight. There’s also a chance we see fellow right-hander Jack Perkins make an appearance tonight but that’ll largely depend on how Ginn is doing in the early frames.
The A’s lineup for Game 3 shakes out like this:
The big 1-2 punch atop the lineup is back as Nick Kurtz reclaims the leadoff spot with Shea Langeliers right behind him. We do have a bit of a surprise in the #3 hole as backup outfielder Carlos Cortes will bat behind Langeliers. A curious move considering he’s just 7-for-24 with one home run so far. Not terrible numbers and I guess someone has to hit in that spot, but still feels like a curious choice. We’ll see if Mark Kotsay’s smarter than the rest of us. He’ll be the DH tonight.
The rest of the lineup is filled with the starters at all their primary positions. Soderstrom and Wilson will hit back-to-back in the middle of the order and Denzel Clarke will bring up the rear in the batting order.
On the mound for Texas tonight is former top prospect Kumar Rocker. The right-hander is considered one of the better younger pitchers in the Rangers’ organization and he’s looking like he’s taking a step so far in what will be his second full season in the big leagues. In two starts so far he’s pitched 10 innings (5 in each game) and allowed five total runs against the Reds and Dodgers. Not a bad start to his season but the A’s can pounce on the young arm if they can work his pitch count early. Last season the Athletics roughed him up for five runs in less than two innings of work so history is on the home team’s side in that regard tonight.
The Texas starting nine:
Ginn will have to work around the big bats in the middle of the order, especially the left-handed ones in Brandon Nimmo and Corey Seager at the very top of the order. Texas’ offense hasn’t quite hit their stride yet but they have the ability to put up a crooked number any time.
Let’s get back to first place with a win tonight, fellas. Let’s go A’s!
