The Houston Astros play host to the Oakland Athletics on Saturday night in a crucial matchup between AL West foes. For the Astros, they look like a serious contender to come away with the American League crown but want to keep the wins coming. For the Athletics, it has been a season filled with struggles, though the role of spoiler suits them well.
Oakland has been one of the worst teams in baseball for much of the season and it doesn’t appear that they have the ability to turns things around down the stretch. Beyond having one of the worst records in baseball, this group is lacking the talent to even make things interesting most nights. Playing Houston, a team that has dominated them for much of the season, only adds to the issues at hand heading into Saturday night. The road hasn’t been kind to this group and while the upset would be great, it seems unlikely at this point.
One piece of good news is that Oakland has been able to navigate the injury list pretty well this season. They’re only down one starter positionally, though the bullpen woes have only been magnified with a few key arms being traded.
Skye Bolt understood the assignment pic.twitter.com/HFD9Fk 1pSE
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) August 13, 2022
According to MLB.com, Zach Louge will get the ball for the Athletics as he aims to set the tone early on Saturday night. The righty comes in with a 3-5 record and with an ERA of 4.79, his struggles have been evident for much of the season. Now he has to face a Houston deep, which is certain to make things challenging. With a thin bullpen as well, struggles could be evident on the mound of Oakland in this one.
Not only does Oakland have the pitching to worry about, but their lineup has struggled as well. They’re one of the worst teams in baseball in most offensive categories and feeling the pressure of keeping pace with Houston in this one, isn’t likely to help them get things going. The lineup not only lacks consistent base runners but also power, making it difficult for them to put any pressure on the Astros in this one.