Last night, the Athletics opened their first series after the trade deadline with their sixth straight loss, falling 5-4 to the Cincinnati Reds after another bullpen collapse. This time, left-hander Hogan Harris—one of the team’s most reliable relievers this season—took the loss after throwing two wild pitches in the same at-bat, allowing the game-tying and go-ahead runs to score in the eighth inning.
This evening, the A’s will look to avoid a seventh-straight loss as they continue their series against the Reds. Left-hander Jacob Lopez will get the start for the Green & Gold, making his first career appearance against Cincinnati. The 28-year-old enters his 18th appearance and 15th start of the season with a 5-4 record, a 5.79 ERA, a 1.67 WHIP and 61 strikeouts across 70 innings pitched.
Lopez’s performance has improved since returning to the team’s rotation a few weeks ago. He received a no-decision in his last outing against the Boston Red Sox, allowing one run on seven hits while striking out eight over 5 1/3 innings.
Multiple A’s pitchers have struggled with their command this season, and Lopez has been one of the biggest culprits. The 42 walks he has issued are a major reason for his elevated WHIP. However, he has shown improvement lately, walking just two batters in two out of his last three starts.
Against a Reds’ offense that has drawn the seventh-most walks in the league, Lopez will need to pound the strike zone, hit his spots and find ways to retire hitters efficiently. If he cannot, the Athletics could once again find themselves trailing early and forced to rely on the bullpen sooner than expected.
Here’s how the Athletics’ lineup looks today courtesy of manager Mark Kotsay:
Right fielder Lawrence Butler remains in the leadoff spot after making the final out of yesterday’s game, stranding the tying run at second base. The A’s will need more production from Butler moving forward with first baseman Nick Kurtz and catcher Shea Langeliers on the injured list.
Further down the lineup, Henry Bolte looks to follow his three hit performance in the series opener, while shortstop Alika Williams gets his first start of the series with Jacob Wilson moving to designated hitter due to lingering soreness.
Entering professional baseball, Tommy White was viewed as more of a power-over-hit player, but since his call-up, only two of his first 17 major league hits have gone for extra bases. Additionally, his defensive limitations at third base have been exposed. Will “Tommy Tanks” finally hit his first home run, or will the wait continue?
That lineup will face Reds’ right-hander Rhett Lowder, who enters his 20th appearance and 17th start of the season with a 3-7 record, a 5.42 ERA, a 1.52 WHIP and 70 strikeouts across 83 innings pitched.
The 24-year-old, who will be making his first start against the A’s, has been pitching well recently. In his last outing, he turned in a quality start, allowing two runs on five hits over six innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The talented young pitcher has the arsenal to give an injury-depleted A’s offense trouble, but he has also been prone to inconsistency and the occasional blow-up outing. If the Athletics are to have success tonight, they will need to capitalize on any mistake pitches the former first-round pick leaves over the plate.
And here’s Cincy’s starting lineup for the middle game of the series:
Lopez will need to be careful when facing the Reds dynamic duo atop the lineup: shortstop Elly De La Cruz and National League Rookie of the Year candidate: first baseman Sal Stewart. Will old friend JJ Bleday make an impact for the Reds, or will the A’s limit the lefty slugger for a second consecutive game?
Let’s get back in the win column. Let’s go A’s!
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