Despite sitting near the bottom of the American League standings, the Oakland Athletics appear intent on finishing the season on a high note.
The A’s will look to build on their momentum when they continue a four-game series against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.
Oakland won the series opener 3-0 on Monday behind another strong pitching performance. Joe Boyle and three relievers combined on a two-hitter, and JJ Bleday hit a two-run homer in the first inning to give the A’s an early lead.
The A’s have won six of their past eight games and are 17-10 since the All-Star break.
Right-handed reliever Grant Holman handled the seventh inning on Monday to keep Oakland’s shutout intact. He was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday after recording a 0.55 ERA and nine saves in 40 games for Double-A Midland and Las Vegas this season.
“(Holman’s) had a pretty exceptional year to this point,” Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said. “Definitely earned this promotion from a performance standpoint. We’re excited to have him and get a look at him.”
Tampa Bay had its three-game winning streak snapped on Monday and will look to regroup without closer Pete Fairbanks, who landed on the injured list after leaving the Sunday game against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a right lat strain.
“We’ll have a better understanding probably right about the time we get back from the road trip, seeing how he’s feeling,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said of the length of Fairbanks’ absence. “But we’ll be cautious with everything and then see if we can build him back up. But we’ve got to let it heal for a little bit. Not much you can do other than rest it and probably some treatment.”
Outfielder Jose Siri is mired in a 0-for-19 slump for the Rays, who will continue their 10-game trip against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle Mariners after facing the A’s.
The Tuesday matchup features a pair of right-handers as Tampa Bay’s Shane Baz (0-2, 4.21 ERA) faces Oakland’s Joey Estes (5-5, 4.72).
On Aug. 13, Baz made his seventh start since returning from Tommy John surgery and allowed three runs over a career-high seven innings in a 3-2 loss to the Houston Astros.
“I thought Shane threw the ball really, really well,” Cash said. “Shane did everything to limit them and give our offense an opportunity. It just wasn’t happening.”
Baz, 25, is seeking his first victory since July 3, 2022. He will be making his first career appearance against Oakland.
Estes is seeking another strong outing at home, where he has a 2.40 ERA in seven starts this season compared to a 7.17 mark in 10 road games (nine starts).
Estes, 22, gave up three runs over 5 1/3 innings in a 9-1 loss to the host New York Mets on Wednesday.
“I thought he did a good job,” Kotsay said. “He gave us an opportunity to stay in that game through his outing. I don’t know if he felt great overall, but I did think he did a nice job in just keeping us in the game and trying to let the offense come back.”
Estes has faced Tampa Bay just once previously. He allowed one run over five innings during a no-decision on May 29 in St. Petersburg, Fla.
–Field Level Media