Athletics Look to Rebound vs Giants After 5-1 Loss in First of Three

• Oakland sits 8 games back from Houston in the AL West and 3 back from the last Wild Card spot in the AL
• The Giants are 4 games back from the Dodgers in the NL West and 3 back from the last Wild Card spot in the NL
• Game 2 of the three-game series starts at 9:00 PM EST (July 21st) from Oakland Coliseum

The San Francisco Giants travel across the bay to meet the Oakland Athletics in a pivotal three games series. First pitch for game two is tonight (July 21st) at 9:00 PM EST.

The Athletics and Giants played a series before the All-Star Break, with the Athletics taking the series two games to one.

However, last night the Giants opened up the series with a decisive 5-1 win. Andrew McCutchen had a whopping eight putouts, while Pablo Sandoval and Ryder Jones homered for the Giants.

For the Giants to win this series, their offense will need to put forth similar efforts to last night. The Giants have averaged just 3.64 runs since the start of July. For comparison, the Athletics have scored 4.59 runs per game this season. As they proved in the series against the Giants before the All-Star Break, the Athletics can hit.

The Athletics

The Athletics are in a two-team race with the Seattle Mariners for the second wild card spot. Oakland needs to string together a handful of series wins, and hope for a mini Mariner meltdown. Luckily, Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill are back healthy and in the rotation.

Right-hander Trevor Cahill takes the mound for Game 2 of this series. Cahill has missed time this season with an elbow injury and most recently an Achilles injury. Cahill has had two weeks of rest so expect him to throw a full workload. The effectiveness of his sinker could be reduced, though, as too much rest can often be bad for that movement.

Khris Davis will be the full-time DH this series. He went 1-for-6 before the break, but this series he can focus on just hitting. Davis has 21 HR, and 64 RBIs this season.

The Giants

The Giants have the highest payroll in the NL this year. San Francisco added Andrew McCutchen and Evan Longeria to a quality group consisting of Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, and Madison Bumgarner. However, underperforming too often has left the Giants on the outside of the playoff picture.

The Giants are not out of playoff contention, but it won’t be an easy road to October baseball. The Dodgers are leading the division and just landed Manny Machado. The Diamondbacks and Rockies continue to win games and are proving to be playoff contenders.

The Giants will need their big-money players to step up and help out Brandon Crawford, who is having a career year.

Madison Bumgarner will take the mound, and brings a 2.90 ERA to the table. Bumgarner has a 7.43/9 strike out rate since his return from injury. That’s about league average, and not what you expect of one of the best pitchers in the game. Bumgarner will need to become the staff ace again if the Giants are to right the ship.

Buster Posey is returning in this series to DH. Expect his batting prowess to be an added benefit to the Giants.

Evan Longeria is still on the 10-day DL, and started a rehab assignment yesterday. Brandon Belt was placed on paternity leave two days ago, so don’t expect him back until the team’s next series.

Team Stats

Opening Odds

Giants vs Athletics Score Prediction

Bumgarner pitches like an ace, and the Giants give him a bit of run support.

Giants 3 – Athletics 2.

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