The Colorado Rockies play host to the Oakland Athletics on Sunday afternoon in the series finale from Coors Field. Both of these teams sit near the bottom of their respective division standings and while the playoffs seems out of reach for both, it'll be interesting to see how these two handle a game like Sunday's. The A's won the first two games in the series and with the weekend clinched, it;ll fall on the Rockies to look for some respect at home in this one. The A's have dominated this series over the last few years and securing a sweep on Sunday would only further show that.
The A's may have one of the best records in baseball but nobody could tell with how well they've played this weekend. Having won the first two games, they are on the cusp of what is sure to be one of their only sweeps this season, while doing so on the road will only make things sweeter. They have a 5-5 record over their last ten games and even though there's not a chance to sneak into the playoffs, continue to be building momentum towards next season. Whether home or away, the struggles have continued just the same, especially noting 15 wins both ways, though with how the weekend has gone so far, they'll be happy to not have to change venues.
According to MLB.com, Luis Medina will get the ball to close out the weekend for Oakland. The righty has struggled this season to find much success, which doesn't come as a total surprise, but has a matchup on Sunday that could see h im regain his form. He brings a 3-7 record and 5.50 ERA into this one, though has been trending in a positive direction over his last two starts. Against Houston and Boston, he combined to go 10.2 innings, allowing only a single run. Colorado's lineup isn't nearly as daunting as that of those two, meaning another stellar start could follow.
The lack of offense has hurt the A's quite a bit this season and only averaging 3.6 runs per game shows those struggles. They're only hitting .219 as a team and even though they're averaging 3.2 walks per game, haven't been able to make much count on the base path. Injuries haven;t helped either, as Esteury Ruiz (shoulder) remains out, who was once their top offensive threat. Too much continues to fall on the bat of Brent Rooker (17 homeruns, 47 RBI), as the outfielder provides the power. With few other spots to go, the offense remains a mystery on any given night.