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Oakland still has the best record in the majors (73-51) but the Angels have caught up to tie them for the AL West lead.
The Athletics have lost their last five games in a row; they had a 1-6 road trip to Kansas City and Atlanta. The Mets split two games with them in late June in New York. Since we last saw them, Oakland made their second big trade of the year, sending Yoennis Cespedes to Boston for Jon Lester (who we'll miss this series).
Pitching Matchups:
Tuesday (10:05 EDT):
Scott Kazmir (L) v. Gee
The bad news is that Kazmir is having an excellent season, 13-5 with a 2.78 ERA and 1.054 WHIP in 24 starts. 125 strikeouts in 149 innings.
The good news is that the Mets had no problem with Kazmir in June, scoring 7 runs and knocking him out after 3 innings. Granderson, Young and D'Arnaud all homered. It was Kazmir's second-shortest start of the season; the only one shorter was when he was ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the second inning of a start in May.
Wednesday (3:35 EDT):
Jeff Samardzija (R) v. Wheeler
Oakland's first big trade acquisition this season; he'll be making his 9th start; he's got a 3.21 ERA and impressive 0.946 WHIP with Oakland in 56 innings. Similarly good numbers with the Cubs at the start of the year. One weakness is that has been known to give up home runs (allowed 25 last year; 13 so far this year) and the home/road splits are pretty even so it's not just the Wrigley Field factor there.
Samardzija hasn't pitched against the Mets since 2012, when he took two losses. You may (and Daniel Murphy certainly does) remember the first of those games, a 17-1 Mets win at Wrigley Field in which Murphy hit two homers of Samardzija, his first two homers of that year (on June 27).
Lineup:
Oakland has the top offense in the majors and a startling +161 run differential. By comparison, the next closet team, Seattle, has a +99 run differential.
C - Derek Norris (R) .281/.373/.449 is pretty damn good for a catcher.
1B - Brandon Moss (L) .820 OPS, with 23 homers. Susceptible to the strikeout.
2B - Eric Sogard (L) .567 OPS although he's hitting better in the second half. Excellent defensive player and probably a better shortstop (where he is getting some time) than the injured Jed Lowrie.
3B - Josh Donaldson (R) - 25 homers and great defense; leads the majors in WAR.
SS - Andy Parrino (S)
AAAA player, just called up with Lowrie hurt.
LF - Formerly Cespedes; now mix-and-match with Sam Fuld (L), acquired from Minnesota at the trade deadline, and Jonny Gomes (R) (acquired in the Cespedes trade). Neither has hit much with Oakland. Moss has played here as well.
CF - Coco Crisp (S)
He's becoming a liability in the field and age 34 probably shouldn't be playing center anymore; but he still hits, with a .738 OPS. 16 for 20 stealing bases.
RF - Josh Reddick (L) hasn't been able to replicate the 32 homer season he had in 2012, but he's also kept his strikeouts way down (151 in 2012 but only 49 this year). .729 OPS is respectable enough (2.0 WAR this year so far).
DH - John Jaso (L)
Jaso leads the team in games "played" at DH but also is the backup catcher; he's had a full season of at bats as a result. .768 OPS with 9 homers.
Alberto Callaspo (S) gets time at DH and has been playing some second base with Sogard moving to short as Jed Lowrie is out. .602 OPS and one of the few weak links in the lineup.
Injuries:
Regular shortstop Jed Lowrie is on the 15-day DL with with a broken right index finger.
Bullpen:
The Oakland bullpen is second best in the American League behind only Seattle.
Sean Doolittle (L) is closing games, and has only give up 30 hits and 4 walks in 53 innings, striking our 74. (Jim Johnson started the year at closer, lost the job and has since been released and picked up by Detroit).
Luke Gregerson (R) is familiar to us from his great years with the Padres and leads the bullpen in innings pitched. He's having a good year again, 2.25 ERA and 1.018 WHIP.
Fernando Abad (L) and Eric O'Flaherty (L) are tough on righties as well as lefties.
Ex-Mets:
None. Chip Hale is the third-base coach.
Ex-Athletics:
Colon
Recker
Eveland
Bob Geren managed the Athletics from 2007 to mid-2011.
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