Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics Pick & Prediction SEPTEMBER 8th 2024
Preview and Prediction
The Detroit Tigers will seek a series victory on Sunday afternoon against the Oakland Athletics as another team bids adieu to the vast old Coliseum that the A's plan to leave behind at the end of the season.
The A's claimed the first game of the three-game series in a 7-6 victory in 13 innings on Friday, with both teams displaying strong offensive performances after being tied 2-2 at the end of nine innings.
The Tigers bounced back with a 2-1 triumph on Saturday.
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In the first two games, both teams had no trouble getting runners on base, but bringing them home proved to be a challenge.
Riley Greene (four), Colt Keith (two), Zach McKinstry (two), Parker Meadows (two), and Jace Jung (two) have a combined total of 12 hits in the series for the Tigers (72-71). However, the visitors have only managed to convert four out of 29 opportunities with runners in scoring position, leaving a staggering 22 runners on base.
The A's (62-81) have faced a similar struggle in terms of scoring runs. They have accumulated 21 hits in the series, with Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker leading the way with four hits each. However, Oakland has only been successful in eight out of 25 chances with runners in scoring position, resulting in 17 runners left on base.
One player who likely relished Saturday's victory was not even on the field - Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, who received a no-decision on Friday. Born in the Oakland suburb of Hayward, the lifelong A's fan was unable to cap off his many memories at the Coliseum with a personal win on Friday. Nevertheless, he will always cherish the countless memories he has made there.
"That place is truly special to me," Skubal remarked about the A's long-standing home. "Some people may think it's a subpar venue or a dump, but I actually look forward to playing there every year."
The A's will be relocating their home games to Sacramento next season, with plans to make Las Vegas their permanent home by 2028.
Meanwhile, the Tigers have yet to announce a starting pitcher for Sunday's game, but left-hander Tyler Holton (5-1, 2.31 ERA) is a top contender after starting in a bullpen game on Monday in San Diego. He retired all four batters he faced in the ninth and 10th innings in the series opener against Oakland on Friday.
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The A's have confirmed that right-hander J.T. Ginn (0-0, 4.30 ERA) will take the mound for the final game of their second-to-last homestand.
Ginn left a tied game after six innings in his last start on Tuesday at home against Seattle, limiting the Mariners to five hits while striking out a season-high seven batters. This was only his second start out of four appearances at the major league level.
As the team prepares for what they hope will be a brighter future, the A's are giving top prospect Jacob Wilson a chance to prove himself, with three hits in his last two starts at shortstop.
"He doesn't seem overwhelmed by the game," A's manager Mark Kotsay commented. "Sometimes when you bring young players up, the game can speed up on them. But I think he's handling the pace of the game quite well right now. His at-bats have been impressive."
Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics Recap SEP 8TH 2024
Brant Hurter pitched effectively in the role of a bulk-innings reliever and the Detroit Tigers took advantage of a door-opening error to score twice in the seventh inning en route to a 2-1 road victory over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday afternoon.
With a second win in the last three days on the road, the Tigers (72-71) kept their hopes alive in a tight battle for American League wild-card playoff positions. Detroit began the weekend 5 1/2 games out of the final spot.
Desperate for a win, the Tigers were unable to crack Oakland minor league call-up Brady Basso for six innings, getting just three hits and falling behind 1-0.
But Colt Keith greeted reliever T.J. McFarland (2-2) with a single to open the seventh. When A's second baseman Zack Gelof dropped a throw at second base after Spencer Torkelson's grounder to third, suddenly the Tigers had the potential go-ahead run aboard.
Both baserunners eventually came around to score in quiet fashion as pinch hitter Jake Rogers drew a walk, Dillon Dingler grounded into a fielder's choice to tie the game and Parker Meadows brought home the eventual difference maker with a sacrifice fly.
Both runs were unearned.
Making his first big-league start, Basso struck out six and walked one in his six shutout innings.
Oakland's only tally off Hurter (4-1) in 5 1/3 innings came in the fifth when Gelof singled, stole second and scored on Kyle McCann's RBI single.
Taking over after Brenan Hanifee faced the first three Athletics batters of the game and allowed one hit with one strikeout, Hurter limited the hosts to just the one run on four hits through the sixth inning. He walked one and struck out three.
Protecting a 2-1 lead, Ricky Vanasco threw a 1-2-3 seventh and Sean Guenther got four outs, including the first of the ninth, before closer Jason Foley survived a one-out hit by Tyler Nevin to notch his 21st save.
The homer-less game featured just 11 total hits, with the A's holding a 6-5 advantage. The only extra-base hits were doubles by the Tigers' Dingler and Justyn-Henry Malloy, and one by the A's Lawrence Butler.
The loss was the third in six games on a homestand for the A's (62-81) against the playoff-contending Seattle Mariners and Tigers.