All-Star closer Mason Miller will be in the spotlight when the Oakland Athletics open a three-game home series against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night.
In a matchup of teams playing some of their best baseball of the season entering the All-Star break, the A’s will be seeking to continue home-team dominance in the season series.
After the Angels took three straight in Anaheim in June by a total score of 17-8, the A’s used consecutive shutouts as the foundation of a revenge sweep earlier this month in Oakland, running up a 17-5 margin in the final scores.
Miller pitched just one inning in the Oakland series and was not effective. Brought into a non-save situation in the series opener, the hard-throwing right-hander allowed an RBI double by Nolan Schanuel and a run-scoring single by Luis Rengifo before needing to strike out Taylor Ward as the potential tying run in a 7-5 win.
The 25-year-old has pitched three times since then. He saved a 5-2 win at Boston and finished off a 6-2 victory at Philadelphia with a pair of two-strikeout ninth innings before saving his best for Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
Brought into a 3-3 game in the fifth inning to face the top of the National League batting order, Miller retired Ketel Marte on a flyball before striking out Shohei Ohtani and Trea Turner.
The latter showdown featured a 103.6-mph pitch, the fastest ever thrown in an All-Star Game. In all, eight of Miller’s 12 pitches topped 100 mph.
“The hitters that we face every day throughout the year, there are a lot of talented guys. But to do it on the stage in front of this crowd against these talented players is something I’ll have forever,” Miller said afterward. “I ended up getting the top of the order and I was excited to get that matchup.”
While A’s fans will get an opportunity to greet Miller for the first time since his historic performance, Angels All-Star pitcher Tyler Anderson wondered aloud over the break just how many people that would be.
At one of his All-Star Game press briefings, the Las Vegas native became the first major leaguer to openly applaud the club’s approved move to Las Vegas in 2028.
“It’s hard as a fan to have a good connection with players and teams there,” Anderson said. “You hope they come (to Las Vegas) and it changes a little bit.”
Like Miller, Anderson is expected to be introduced to the Oakland fans at some point in the series. He was not among the nine pitchers employed by American League manager Bruce Bochy on Tuesday.
The Angels, who have won three in a row, didn’t announce their starting rotation for the series Thursday. Anderson, whose most recent outing was at the start of the team’s three-game winning streak last Friday, is a candidate.
Whoever gets the call might see a new A’s shortstop as Jacob Wilson, the organization’s top prospect, reportedly will be joining the team Friday. Wilson is batting .438 in 46 games at three levels this season.
Seeking to ride the momentum of two wins in the last three days of the first half at Philadelphia, the A’s are expected to send left-hander JP Sears (6-7, 4.56) out to pitch the series opener.
The 28-year-old has made five previous starts against the Angels, going 2-2 with a 4.01 ERA. One of those wins came on July 4, when he threw five innings of two-hit ball in a 5-0 home triumph.
–Field Level Media