Athletics Visit Oracle Park With a Record Worth Defending
Two Bay Area neighbors meet at Oracle Park on Tuesday night, and the standings tell an interesting story before a single pitch is thrown. The Athletics (38-40) arrive as the more functional team on paper, facing a Giants club (31-46) that has been one of baseball's more disappointing outfits this season.
Aaron Civale is expected to take the mound for Oakland against a Giants lineup that hasn't exactly been terrorizing opposing pitchers this year. On the other side, Robbie Ray is set to start for San Francisco — a left-hander whose performance will go a long way toward determining whether the Giants can steal one at home. Neither projected starter comes into this with the kind of reputation that makes opposing lineups nervous, which means the offensive players on both sides could have real influence over the outcome.
For Oakland, the names to track are Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers. Kurtz is hitting .290 with 61 RBI — that RBI total is legitimately impressive and signals a hitter who does damage with runners on base, not just in empty-count situations. Langeliers, meanwhile, has 19 home runs, making him one of the more dangerous power threats in this lineup. If Robbie Ray leaves anything over the plate, Langeliers has the pop to make him pay. San Francisco's best offensive argument is Jung Hoo Lee, who is hitting .327 — a number that leads both rosters by a wide margin and demands respect from any pitcher working the zone. Casey Schmitt provides the Giants' thump, with 16 home runs and 42 RBI, though that RBI total reflects a lineup that hasn't always put runners in front of him.
Our model doesn't have a validated read on this one, so we're not going to manufacture conviction where there isn't any. What we can say is that the Athletics' record advantage is real, and Kurtz's production gives Oakland a legitimate middle-of-the-order threat that the Giants will need to neutralize. San Francisco's best path to a win runs through Lee getting on base and Schmitt doing damage behind him. First pitch is scheduled for 9:45 PM ET at Oracle Park, with coverage on MLB.TV, NBC Sports BA, and NBC Sports CA.