Athletics and Twins Series Preview

Back in Sac looking to right the ship

The A’s have been going through it recently. They’ve gone just 3-21 over their past 24 games as the month of May was one of the worst that this club has seen in years. At one point the A’s were one inning away from tying the Seattle Mariners for the division lead. Now they sit comfortably alone in last place in the AL West and the panic button is being hit repeatedly.

Now the club has to start winning. What better time to start a winning streak than getting a nice long home stand to flush the bad vibes? The month of June will make or break this team one way or another and it all starts with a four-game series against the Minnesota Twins.

• Twins W/L record: 31-27 (3rd in AL Central)
• Run differential: +30
• Team OPS: .686 (23rd of 30)
• Team ERA: 3.71 (11th of 30)

Minnesota has lost their past two games but remain in the thick of the playoff hunt this season after coming in fourth place last year. After not spending big in free agency the Twins have instead relied on internal improvements from core guys to get the team back to contention. No one has played a bigger role on offense than their outfielders, let by Byron Buxton. The ultra-talented but always injured outfielder currently leads his squad with 10 long balls while missing a few games due to a recent concussion, but we should see him during this series. Right fielder and leadoff man Trevor Larnach is second on the team with 8 homers and has arguably been their second-best offensive player behind Buxton. And center fielder Harrison Bader has provided quality defense in the spacious center field of Target Field while also producing at a solid clip on offense. And DH Matt Wallner has rejoined the team after missing the first month-plus and should be in the middle of the lineup for most if not all of the series.

From there the drop off in production is steep. Shortstop Carlos Correa, who is in the third year of a six-year pact, has five homers but also a well below-average .289 OBP. Former Mariner Ty France has disappointed his new squad. The biggest problem for the Twins has been the injury bug. Infielders Royce Lewis and Edouard Julien have been essentially non-factors as both are hitting below the Mendoza line entering this series. That has had a huge ripple effect on the lineup and it’s been obvious for a while now that their lineup is missing more than one or two pieces.

Luckily for the Twins their pitching has been fantastic and have helped the team tread water while the bats figure it out. The Twins’ top four starters all have sub-4 ERA’s, with staff leaders Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez sporting even better sub-3 marks as we reach the ¹⁄₃ mark of the season. Their relief unit has been just as solid as the starters as they rank fifth in the entire sports with a collective 3.75 ERA. They’re led by flamethrowing closer Jhoan Duran, who has a pristine 0.99 ERA and nine saves on the season, but they’ve gotten solid production out of other arms in their bullpen that have helped nail down wins for them. Sound like something the A’s have been missing recently?

Tonight’s first contest will feature a starting pitching matchup between right-handed pitchers Joe Ryan for Minnesota and Luis Severino for the A’s. The 28-year-old Ryan is having a terrific season leading the Twins’ starting rotation, going 5-2 with a 2.57 ERA that ranks ninth in the American League. He’s been a quality pitcher for the past several seasons but he’s stepped his game up for the Twins in his fourth full year.

Severino meanwhile enters tonight’s contest with a 3.89 ERA through his first 12 games in an A’s uniform. He’s rediscovered his early-season groove as he’s allowed just three runs over his past three starts, all of which he pitched six full frames. The veteran didn’t get his elusive second win of the season due to some problems down in the bullpen but Severino has pitched way better than his 1-4 record or his ERA suggests. The club always seems more confident with him on the mound and that’s the type of pitcher you want going for you looking to end a losing streak.

The rest of the starters for the A’s in this series have yet to be announced. That’s likely due to the fact that left-hander Jacob Lopez was lit up to the tune of seven runs last time out and now there is uncertainty in the rotation, again. The team could ultimately stick with him through one more turn, in which case he’d line up for tomorrow’s scheduled start but the team hasn’t announced anyone besides Severino tonight so things aren’t looking good for Lopez’s chances right now. If the club stays on turn then left-hander Jeffrey Springs would get the ball Wednesday evening and Gunnar Hoglund would finish off the series on Thursday afternoon. If the team elected to go with another pitcher other than Lopez then the pickings are slim down on the farm. Perhaps we see a Sean Newcomb spot start for the club?

Whoever takes the ball for the Green & Gold tomorrow night will be facing righty Pablo Lopez, who like Ryan is in the midst of a career year himself. In his eighth season and third with the Twins Lopez has a 2.75 ERA that would easily be a career best mark if he can maintain it throughout the season.

Wednesday night’s contest will see a rookie pitcher take the ball for Minnesota when right-hander Zebby Matthews gets the ball for his fourth start of the season. After getting his feet wet in the majors last season the 25-year-old has experienced some rookie struggles through three turns this season. He is coming off a strong outing that saw him pitch seven full frames against the Mariners last time out, allowing four runs while racking up seven strikeouts. Matthews currently has a 6.43 ERA but ranked as the team’s 20th-ranked prospect last year and is known for his strong command so walks on Wednesday night might be rare against the righty.

The Twins will wrap up their first trip to Sacramento with their fourth straight right-hander in Bailey Ober. He’ll take a solid 3.48 ERA into Thursday afternoon’s game but he’s been doing even better in recent outings, allowing just 10 total runs over his past seven starts. He’s dominated the A’s in three career starts so Thursday would be an excellent chance to give him some nightmares involving A’s hitters.

Can the A’s begin to turn the ship around and salvage their season? Or do the Twins come to town and knock the Athletics even further out of playoff contention and force them to start thinking about the future? Tune in tonight at 7:05 for first pitch!