Game : Pirates at Athletics Game Thread

Last night, the Athletics returned to Sutter Health Park with a bang, bashing three home runs in an 11-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz hit two more long balls as he continued his torrid month at the plate. Meanwhile, J.T. Ginn delivered a dominant outing on the mound.

If the A’s secure their second straight win, they will move above .500 and clinch a third straight series victory over a National League opponent.

Right-hander Jack Perkins will make his third start since joining the A’s rotation, but his first in West Sacramento. Through 19 appearances, Perkins is 2-3 with a 6.25 ERA, a 1.36 WHIP and 43 strikeouts over 36 innings pitched. The 26-year-0ld has labored through four innings in each of his first two starts. In his last outing against the Milwaukee Brewers, he received a no-decision after allowing three runs on five hits and three walks.

Tonight, in his first career start against the Pirates, the A’s will be looking for more efficiency from Perkins, who is now stretched out and will hopefully work at least five innings if all goes well. The right-hander has the arsenal and ability to succeed as a starter, yet has bounced between the rotation and the bullpen through his first 31 MLB games. A quality outing would go a long way toward Perkins proving he belongs in the rotation. A third consecutive shaky outing, however, could move him back to the bullpen, where he has recorded three saves this season.

Now onto the starting lineup. Here’s how manager Mark Kotsay decided to order things up today:

The Athletics are sticking with the same starting nine for the middle game of this interleague series. Shortstop Jacob Wilson remains in the cleanup spot, even if it may not be the ideal fit for his skillset. If he collects a hit, third baseman Zack Gelof will extend his MLB-best hitting streak to 20 games. Second baseman Jeff McNeil broke out yesterday with three hits and four RBIs. The A’s will be counting on him to stay productive as they look to build on that 11-run outburst.

Will right fielder Lawrence Butler finally get his batting average over .200 this evening? Should Kotsay have switched things up or is it the right call to roll with the same group that had success last night?

Those bats will be facing Pirates’ right-hander Mitch Keller, who enters his 15th start with a 5-4 record, a 5.14 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP and 58 strikeouts over 77 innings.

The 30-year-old has struggled over his last few starts, allowing 31 runs in his last 36 innings of work, good for a 7.75 ERA. He received the loss in his last outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers after surrendering five runs on seven hits across four innings. Keller enters tonight 0–3 with a 7.04 ERA and 12 strikeouts in three previous career appearances against the A’s.

Despite his recent struggles, Keller remains a talented pitcher, and the A’s offense will need to take advantage of any mistakes he makes. Hitters like Kurtz, Butler and left fielder Tyler Soderstrom cannot afford to be passive, especially with the Pirates’ offense likely to generate runs against Perkins and the Athletics’ bullpen.

The Pirates’ lineup looks like this:

Like the A’s, the Pirates are rolling with nearly the same lineup that took the field yesterday. The lone change is Jared Triolo at shortstop, which prompts a couple of his teammates to move to different positions.

The A’s did a good job of quieting Pittsburgh’s bats in the series opener game of the series, but the Pirates will be looking to flip the script and score more runs in an effort to force a rubber game tomorrow.

Time to wrap the series up and earn another win in Sactown. Let’s go A’s!

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Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

Listen:
Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, A’s Cast