The San Francisco Giants continue a key road series today against the first-place Oakland Athletics. Following a midweek two-game sweep of the Mariners, the Giants jumped to the top wildcard spot in the National League. The challenge for the Giants will be keeping the playoff spot with a tough ten-game stretch starting Friday against Oakland. After the weekend series, the Giants will face a Rockies team chasing them for the final playoff spot, and a Padres team that has flat out dominated the Giants this season. That stretch makes every winnable game a must-win, which is the case today for San Francisco.
Meanwhile, Oakland is reeling from a rash of injuries that have hit a just the wrong time. The A’s have lost slugger Matt Chapman for the season, and Chad Pinder was placed on the IL this past week. Pitcher AJ Puk has also been shut down. Despite the injuries, the A’s have won of six of their last ten games, and enter Friday’s matchup with a 3-0 head-to-head advantage against San Francisco.
Gausman Key to Giants Playoff Push
Kevin Gausman has found a home in San Francisco after struggling in Baltimore and Atlanta to begin his career. This season, Gausman has posted a 3.53 FIP and a 1.136 WHIP to go along with a career-high 12.0 K/9 rate. Gausman’s last start was a win against the Diamondbacks in which he pitched six innings, giving up just two hits and one run while striking out nine. On August 15, Gausman struck out 11 A’s hitters over 5.2 innings, giving up three runs on five hits in a no-decision.
Offensively, the Giants have slashed .244/.331/.420 with a .275 BABIP over the past seven games. Outfielder Alex Dickerson came off his false positive COVID test to lead the team with a .417/.462/.500 slashline during that stretch. Donovan Solano carries a .352 average against righties, and a .366 average on the road to lead the team in those respective splits.
0Oakland Will Be Hunting for Hits Against Gausman
The Oakland A’s offensive approach in 2020 could be characterized as all-or-nothing. The team’s power numbers are among the best in the league, but their average is low, and the team has one of the highest strikeout rates in the Major Leagues this season. Facing a strikeout pitcher has been a problem this season for the A’s lineup, and San Francisco starter Kevin Gausman fits that criteria.
Despite the season numbers and the injury to Matt Chapman, the A’s offense has seen a bit of an upswing recently. Over the past seven games, the A’s have slashed .241/.329/.402, which is a vast improvement over where they were a week ago. Tommy La Stella has led the offensive charge, slashing .345/.429/.448 over that period. Matt Olson also leads the team with 8 home runs at home.
Facing the Giants for the first time this season will most likely be Frankie Montas (the A’s have yet to announce a starter, but Montas’s turn in the rotation is today). Montas was one of the top pitchers in the league until Arizona put nine runs on the board against him in less than two innings. Since that disastrous start, Montas has struggled to regain the rhythm that he had at the beginning of the season. In his last start, Montas lasted 5.1 innings in a loss to the Rangers, giving up four runs on seven hits while striking out seven. Montas has posted a 4.72 FIP and a 1.535 WHIP thus far, and has a walk rate of 4.2 BB/9.
Notable Trends
- Oakland: 2-4 in last six games as favorite
- San Francisco: 7-3 in last 10 games
