A’s hoping for better results on South Side
A day off in Chicago did wonders for Ferris Bueller. Why not the A’s?
After another unusual scheduling quirk — consecutive nights off in Chicago during a week-long span that began with a rare Friday night off at home — the A’s return to action today in the South Side of town with an afternoon game to open a three-game series against the White Sox.
The A’s are coming off a 10-1 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Wednesday afternoon, their second loss in three games in the first half of their weeklong Chicago visit.
Overall, the A’s have won seven of their past 10. But losing the series in the North Side was not a good start to a pivotal stretch that could go a along way in determining the A’s position in the AL wild- card race heading into the final month of the season.
Oakland (65- 50) and Tampa Bay are in a virtual tie for the second AL wild
card spot behind Cleveland. Boston and Texas are another handful of games behind, but hardly out of the race. After the series against the suddenly hot White Sox (51- 62), the A’s play 14 of their next 18 games against division leaders (the Astros and the Yankees) or the NL wildcard hopeful Giants.
• A’s right-hander Mike Fiers (103, 3.46) is scheduled to pitch the series opener, looking to extend his personal unbeaten streak to 17 games. Since throwing a no-hitter against the Reds on May 7 the veteran is 8- 0 with a 2.26 ERA in his past 16 outings
One of those starts was last month at home against the White Sox, a game the A’s won 5-1 as part of a three-game sweep. Fiers shut out Chicago on eight hits over 7 2/3 innings.
He has never lost to the White Sox (3- 0 with a 1.83 ERA in seven starts) or at Guaranteed Rate Field (1-0 with a 1.45 ERA in three starts).
Right-hander Tanner Roark (1-0, 1.80 ERA) is scheduled to make his second start for the A’s on Saturday and Chris Bassitt (7- 5, 3.80 ERA) will start Sunday’s series finale.
• While Thursday’s day off gave the A’s a chance to lick their wounds — they have lost five of their past seven on the road — it was especially timely for outfielder Nick Martini, a native of northern Illinois who got his first hit of the season in Monday’s loss to the Cubs.
Martini has taken the roster spot left vacant when center fielder Ramon Laureano went on the injured list with a stress reaction in his right shin last week. Laureano is expected to miss the entire month of August.
“I’m glad he’s here right now,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said of Martini. “I’m glad he timed the Chicago trip, because he’s a local guy and he got his first big-league hit here on the other side (last season against the White Sox). It’s nice to have him back; he’s a big part of this team and he can do some things for you.”
• After three days playing in a NL park without a designated hitter, the A’s get Khris Davis back at DH against the White Sox. Davis sat out much of the Cubs series, pinch hitting twice. He is batting .230 with 17 home runs and 53 RBI this season and in a 26for-125 slump (.208) with just one home run over his past 36 games.
• Shortstop Marcus Semien has reached base in 12 of his past 24 plate appearances and is batting .429 (9-for-21) in that stretch.
• The A’s are facing a White Sox team that is coming off a 5-2 trip to Philadelphia and Detroit after a disastrous 1-8 homestand.
Chicago’s trip was bookended by wins in which the opponent finished the game with a position player on the mound.
• There will be some familiar former A’s on hand before Sunday’s game when the White Sox honor new Hall of Famer Harold Baines.
Baines spent 14 of his 22 seasons with the White Sox and was a designated hitter with the A’s in 1990-92.
Among the former White Sox stars expected to be on hand who also once wore Green and Gold are Tony LaRussa and Tim Raines. White Sox broadcast legend Ken “Hawk” Harrelson, who also is expected to attend, played for the A’s in Kansas City.