MLB Game Preview - LA Angels at Oakland
Tue Sep 3, 2019 10:07 PM EDT

BAL
4
TB
2
F
TEX
1
NYY
10
F
BAL
0
TB
2
F
PHI
6
CIN
2
F
MIA
5
PIT
4
F(10)
NYM
10
WSH
11
F
MIN
6
BOS
5
F
CHW
6
CLE
5
F
TOR
2
ATL
7
F
HOU
2
MIL
4
F
SF
0
STL
1
F
SEA
1
CHC
6
F
DET
5
KC
6
F
SD
1
ARI
2
F
LAA
5
OAK
7
F
COL
3
LAD
5
F
After heartbreakers in N.Y., A's back home to face Angels
Tue Sep 3, 2019 11:09 AM

A victim of consecutive walk-offs in their last two games, the Oakland Athletics will get an opportunity to have the last at-bat Tuesday night when they open a six-game homestand with a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels.

A's right-hander Mike Fiers (13-3, 3.40 ERA) and Angels righty Jaime Barria (4-7, 6.10 ERA) form the scheduled pitching matchup in the meeting of American League West rivals who have gone head-to-head 14 times previously this season, with Oakland winning nine.

The A's had Labor Day off to shake off the sting of 4-3 and 5-4 road losses to the New York Yankees in games in which Oakland led entering the bottom of the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.

They went on to lose Saturday in 11 innings and Sunday in nine, both time on game-ending home runs, to see their record in walk-off games this season drop to 9-9.

The A's thrilled their home fans with a walk-off win against Houston on their last homestand. None of their nine wins over the Angels has required such dramatics.

Fiers has pitched three of the nine wins to improve his career record against the Angels to 6-4 with a 4.84 ERA in 13 games (12 starts).

He will take a 20-game unbeaten streak into the start, and could find himself working with a new catcher, with the A's having promoted one of their top prospects, Sean Murphy, when rosters expanded Sunday.

"This is a guy we have been keeping our eye on for a while," A's manager Bob Melvin noted to reporters Sunday. "We've watched him enough to know he is one of our top three prospects for a reason. There is a high ceiling for him. He is one of those guys, down the road, you expect to potentially be an everyday guy."

The Angels will open the series on a five-game road losing streak. They have lost eight of their last 10 overall.

Barria will be pitching for the first time in his career in Oakland, having faced the A's twice before in Anaheim.

The 23-year-old has pitched well in those games -- a start in 2018 and a relief appearance in June this season -- allowing just one run and three hits in 9 2/3 innings, with 10 strikeouts (though he has eight walks in the two appearances).

The Angels are hoping to get more home runs from Shohei Ohtani in the final month of the season after he's connect just 16 times in 392 plate appearances this season.

He totaled 22 in 367 plate appearances as a rookie last year.

"He's not hitting the ball in the air the way he did last year," Angels manager Brad Ausmus observed to reporters Sunday. "Sometimes he lets the ball get too deep, I've noticed. So we're working on him getting the ball out front. He still has the ability to get hits and extra-base hits, but we haven't seen the lift on the ball like he did last year."

Ohtani, who has been a full-time designated hitter this season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, has seen his home run total shrink from nine in June to three in July and then to just one in August.

Seeing the A's again -- the clubs haven't met since June -- might help. Five of his 16 homers this season have come against the A's, with Frankie Montas, Yusmeiro Petit, Tanner Anderson, Chris Bassitt and Aaron Brooks serving them up.

--Field Level Media

Team Record Comparison

Team Standings GB W-L Aw/Hm Stk L10
LA Angels            
Oakland            

Scheduled Starting Pitchers

Jaime Barria - CLE
Matchup
Season
vs. Opp Has not pitched vs. Oakland
Mike Fiers - (N/A)
Matchup
Season
vs. Opp Has not pitched vs. LA Angels

Hot Batters (Last 10 team games)

Injury Report

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