A’s To Begin Crucial Series Against White Sox
Sep 7, 2021, 8:57 AM | Updated: 9:04 am
(Photo by Ron Vesely/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ron Vesely/Getty Images)
Oakland trails first-place Houston by six games and the second Wild Card spot by 3.5 games
As the late, great Yogi Berra used to say, “It gets late early out here.”
It’s beginning to get late for the 2021 Oakland Athletics as the team is set to begin a series with massive implications on Tuesday night against the powerful Chicago White Sox.
Oakland was swept over the weekend by a surging Toronto Blue Jays team that has won five games in-a-row and leapfrogged the A’s in the Wild Card standings, joining the Seattle Mariners in a tie for third-place in the hunt for the top-two spots.
Old friend Marcus Semien ripped Oakland’s hearts out in devastating fashion on Friday night, as the Bay Area native drilled a walk-off, three-run blast to give his old team a brutal blow. Toronto would go on to outscore Oakland 18-8 over the final two games of the series to complete a costly sweep as the A’s saw its postseason chances slip further into uncertainty.
Things won’t get any easier for the A’s as they will face a Chicago White Sox team that is currently in first place in the American League Central.
With Houston facing Seattle for two more games this week (Houston defeated Seattle on Monday night), the A’s are in a strong spot to pick games up in the American League West standings while also looking at gaining ground in the Wild Card race.
The American League-best Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Red Sox on Monday and will face Boston two more times this week, while the first-place Wild Card holding New York Yankees have three games against the streaking Blue Jays.
If Oakland can take two games out of three against Chicago, they will undoubtedly be in a better position than they are entering play on Tuesday morning. While a series win against the White Sox would do them plenty of good, it will not be easy.
Not only has Oakland lost four of its last five games, Chicago enters play on Tuesday having won six of its previous nine contests.
It all begins tonight right here on Sports 1140 KHTK after The Jason Ross Show with special guests Deuce Mason and Morgan Ragan.
CHW vs OAK probables
- Tuesday, September 7th – 6:40pm PST: Jimmy Lambert (0-1, 9.00 ERA) vs James Kaprielian (7-4, 3.87 ERA)
- Wednesday, September 8th – 6:40pm PST: Dallas Keuchel (8-8, 5.22 ERA) vs Frankie Montas (11-9, 3.68 ERA)
- Thursday, September 9th – 12:37pm PST: Reynaldo Lopez (3-1, 2.08 ERA) vs Sean Manaea (8-9, 3.91 ERA)
