Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Nationals and Oakland Athletics have both had strong pitching performances this week and they would both want to continue this form when they face each other in the upcoming series. The team that can improve their hitting may have an advantage as the Nationals and Athletics start a three-game series on Friday night in Oakland.
Athletics’ Homecoming and Future Plans
This will be the Athletics’ first home game since the recent announcement that they will be playing in Sacramento, California for the next few years before potentially moving to Las Vegas.
Athletics’ Recent Performance
After winning four out of their last five games, Oakland will return home following their 1-0 victory against the Texas Rangers on Thursday afternoon. Despite only recording four hits, the Athletics managed to secure the win with the help of four pitchers, who combined for a one-hitter.
JP Sears’ Performance
JP Sears held the Rangers hitless until the seventh inning.
“I’m out there just trying to get guys out,” Sears said.
Athletics’ Pitching Strength
In the last week, the A’s have won four out of six games with a 2.60 ERA and have had two shutout victories. According to Oakland manager Mark Kotsay, strong pitching could greatly benefit the Athletics.
“That’s the maturation we’re looking for from these types of young starters, and he showed that (on Thursday) for sure,” Kotsay said of the performance from Sears.
Nationals’ Recent Performance
The Nationals had won three consecutive games before losing 7-1 to the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday. The team had a day off on Thursday.
Nationals’ Pitching Performance
Over the past week, Washington’s pitchers have a record of 3-3 with a 3.57 ERA.
Nationals manager Dave Martinez stated that he is generally pleased with the pitching performance, but believes there is room for improvement.
“You’ve got to stay away from those big innings,” Martinez said. “The first two games we played (on the road trip) we didn’t allow that to happen. If we can continue to do that, we’ll win a lot more series. The first two games on the West Coast were good. There were some miscues (Wednesday), but we’re playing well.”
Upcoming Games
Oakland will be the second stop on a nine-game trip for Washington. The Athletics are 1-6 in home games.
Pitchers to Watch
Jake Irvin, a right-handed pitcher with a 0-1 record and 5.73 ERA, will be starting his third game of the season for Washington. Last year as a rookie, he faced the A’s and allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings in a game that ended in a 3-2 win on Aug. 12, where he did not factor in the decision.
On the other side, Oakland’s right-hander Paul Blackburn, who currently has a 1-0 record with a 0.00 ERA, will aim to continue his streak of scoreless innings. He shut out the Cleveland Guardians over seven innings on March 31, followed by blanking the Detroit Tigers for six innings last Saturday. In total, Blackburn has only given up six hits and one walk while striking out seven batters.
Previous Encounters
Blackburn has faced the Nationals once before, taking a loss after giving up four runs in 5 2/3 innings in an 8-2 defeat last Aug. 11 in Washington, D.C.
Roster Changes
The Nationals recently demoted right-hander Joan Adon to Triple-A Rochester, hinting that more roster changes may be on the horizon.
“I think we’re going to end up needing another pitcher,” Martinez said. “We got a day to figure things out.”
Martinez stated that he plans to keep the starting pitching rotation unchanged despite having an off day on Thursday.
Player Performances
Seth Brown of Oakland had a positive performance in Thursday’s game, recording two hits including a home run. Before the game, Brown had a batting average of .139.
Only one player from the Athletics who played in the game will enter the Washington series with a batting average above .250, which is outfielder JJ Bleday at .255.
