The Athletics are set to start a 10-game road trip, beginning with a three-game series in Cleveland starting tonight at 4:10 pm PDT. The A's come into the series with an 8-11 record despite a dismal -22 run differential. They'll try to improve on that in a rematch against the Guardians.
The A's were swept by the Guardians in the first series of the year, getting outscored 30-10 en route to an 0-4 start. Oakland has been better as of late but nearly all of their recent wins have been by one run. The bullpen has been stellar, picking up the slack left behind by the starting rotation and the lackluster offense.
Cleveland comes into the series at 13-6 and in first place in the AL Central. Their +20 run differential is tied for 6th best in the league, though that's largely driven by their demolition of the A's just a few weeks ago.
Probable starting pitchers
- Joe Boyle will toe the rubber in the series opener tonight. He's 1-2 on the year with a 5.68 ERA and a 15:8 strikeout to walk ratio. He'll need to sharpen up as we get later into the season because Luis Medina and Ken Walduchuk will be due back at some point. Boyle can't afford to put up mediocre numbers if he wants to keep his job in the A's rotation all year.
- Triston McKenzie gets the nod tonight for the Guardians. Like Boyle, he's had a disappointing start to the season. He comes into tonight's matchup with a 1-2 record and a 6.23 ERA with 12 walks and just 5 strikeouts in 13 innings. McKenzie likely isn't in trouble of losing his job in the near future as the Guardians will be without Shane Bieber all year thanks to Tommy John surgery and Gavin Williams is still on the shelf with a suspicious bout of elbow inflammation. That said, he'll still need to improve upon his performance as the Guardians will likely be chasing a division title all summer.
Oakland A's starting lineup, April 19
- Abraham Toro, 3B
- Zack Gelof, 2B
- JJ Bleday, CF
- Seth Brown, LF
- Tyler Nevin, DH
- Lawrence Butler, RF
- Shea Langeliers, C
- Ryan Noda, 1B
- Nick Allen, SS
Cleveland Guardians starting lineup, April 19
- Steven Kwan, LF
- Andres Gimenez, 2B
- Jose Ramirez, 3B
- Josh Naylor, 1B
- Will Brennan, LF
- Tyler Freeman, CF
- Bo Naylor, C
- Estevan Florial, DH
- Brayan Rocchio, SS
What channel is the Oakland A's game on today?
- Game time: 7:10 pm PDT
- Athletics fans can watch on NBCSCA
- Guardians fans can watch on Bally Sports Great Lakes
How can I stream the Oakland A's game today?
- NBC Sports Bay Area Live
- MLB.tv (subscription required)
- Fubo TV (subscription required, free trial available)
How can I listen to the Oakland A's game today?
- The Athletics broadcast will be available on A's Cast, KIQI 1010, and Bloomberg 960AM/103.7 HD2
- The Guardians broadcast will be on WTAM 1100