Game Thread: Game 2 vs. White Sox

Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images

White Sox lead 1-0 in best-of-three

This is it, folks. The Oakland A’s must win or go home. We’re home either way, but think of our poor cardboard cutouts in the Coliseum stands. Let’s do it for them.

The A’s lost Game 1 in frustrating fashion, 4-1, and it felt just like the last couple Wild Card Game losses in every way. Read all about it here, or read about just the good parts. They’ll look to change that script in Game 2 of the best-of-three series.

Oakland puts out Chris Bassitt, the hottest pitcher in the league, and winner of the American League Pitcher of the Month award for September. He allowed just one run total in his last four starts, so hopefully he saved some more zeroes for the playoffs. The Chicago White Sox showed that their perfect record against lefty starters is no joke, so perhaps it will also help that Bassitt is a righty.

On the other side, the White Sox have Dallas Keuchel starting. The lefty is a former Cy Young winner with tons of postseason experience, but the A’s have enjoyed their share of success against him over the years. That includes a 5.06 ERA in four starts in 2018, the last time they faced off before he headed to the National League in ‘19 (and then regional schedules prevented them from meeting this summer). He posted a 1.99 ERA this season, but Bassitt was at 2.29, so that’s just about a wash.

The green and gold will need to put some runners on base before the 7th inning this time. That’s my bold take. More runs later in the game would help too.

Click here to see the full rosters for both teams.

First pitch is 12:00 p.m., with the following options to watch or listen:

• TV: ESPN
• Online video stream: fuboTV
• Online audio stream: iHeartRadio

A’s lineup (home)

1. SS Marcus Semien (R)
2. 2B Tommy La Stella (L)
3. CF Ramon Laureano (R)
4. LF Mark Canha (R)
5. 3B Chad Pinder (R)
6. 1B Matt Olson (L)
7. DH Khris Davis (R)
8. RF Stephen Piscotty (R)
9. C Sean Murphy (R)

• Chris Bassitt, RHP

Davis starts against the lefty, and Lamb sits. Bold move, let’s do this.

White Sox lineup (away)

1. SS Tim Anderson (R)
2. 3B Yoan Moncada (S)
3. C Yasmani Grandal (S)
4. 1B Jose Abreu (R)
5. DH Edwin Encarnacion (R)
6. CF Luis Robert (R)
7. RF Adam Engel (R)
8. LF Leury Garcia (S)
9. 2B Nick Madrigal (R)

• Dallas Keuchel, LHP

Still no Eloy Jimenez (foot injury), but Encarnacion is back.

Let’s Go Oakland!