After an emotional split of the two final games of the Bay Bridge Series with the Giants at the Coliseum, the Oakland Athletics continued the current homestand with the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. Mark Kotsay will send 25-year-old righty Joe Boyle to the mound tonight against 23-year-old Taj Bradley for the Rays.
Boyle got his night going with walks to two of his first three batters, Yandy Díaz and José Caballero. But two ground outs got him out of the top of the first. But the A’s struck first as Lawrence Butler singled and JJ Bleday pounded one out into the right field bleachers.