The Oakland A’s have won two games in a row, as they cling to hope in the postseason race. Now they get a stretch of nine straight against sub-.500 opponents, beginning with three against the last-place Texas Rangers at the Coliseum.
However, beware the trap. The A’s are 9-7 against the Rangers this year, which is good but closer than you might hope for against a 51-88 club (that’s a .367 win percentage). This could be a prime opportunity to bank some wins, but they’ve gotta go out and actually do it.
Oakland goes with Paul Blackburn on the mound, making his fifth start of the year.