Struggling Athletics look to turn the ship around against Red Sox

The Oakland Athletics are set to take on the Boston Red Sox in game two of a three game set this evening. Opening Day starter Alex Wood gets the start for the A's and he'll face off against Red Sox ace Brayan Bello.

Wood got roughed up last time out. He failed to make it out of the fourth inning after allowing 6 runs on 7 hits to a below average Guardians offense.

He'll need to be better tonight as the A's come into the matchup with a 1-4 record on the year sporting a -27 run differential, easily the worst in the majors.

The A's 11 runs scored have them tied for third worst in the league and the two teams below them, the Mets and the White Sox, have each played one fewer game than the A's.

Suffice to say that things are not going well in Oakland. Manager Mark Kotsay has spoken to the media about the league-worst 13 errors, telling reporters that the team hasn't been good enough and that he doesn't have an answer as to why.

Kotsay is in a difficult position right now. The team in Oakland isn't good enough, period. And what's worse is that David Forst doesn't seem to have either the budget or the capability to fix the myriad problems we've seen. It's going to be a long season for A's fans.

Ryan Noda is back atop the lineup tonight. The lefty posted a .364 OBP last year and despite getting off to a slow start in 2024, has the requisite skill set and plate discipline to bat leadoff.

Kotsay has had him buried in the middle of the lineup multiple times to start the year. We'll see if Noda starts getting more starts up top now that the A's are apparently prioritizing OBP.

Lawrence Butler and Seth Brown are starting again tonight with the platoon advantage against Red Sox starter Brayan Bello. Neither has had a strong start to 2024 but we'll see if they can get things turned around tonight.

Bello comes into tonight's game off a good start against the Mariners on Opening Day. Bello allowed 2 runs on 5 hits in 5 innings in Seattle on Tuesday and will look to take advantage of a struggling Athletics' lineup in Oakland tonight.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm PST.