Chicago @ Oakland preview
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Last Meeting ( Sep 21, 2010 ) Chi. White Sox 2, Oakland 7
The Oakland Athletics have a long way to go, but the Texas Rangers have allowed them to hang around.
Brett Anderson takes the mound for a Wednesday matinee at the Oakland Coliseum as the A’s seek a three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox, who were officially eliminated from postseason play on Tuesday.
With Texas losing three straight and Oakland taking its third straight contest Tuesday night behind Trevor Cahill’s 17th victory, the Rangers still have a magic number of six to clinch the American League West with 12 games remaining.
Chicago, which was tied with the Minnesota Twins on Aug. 11 for the AL Central lead, has gone 15-22 since, including being swept three games at home by the Twins last week, and has lost eight straight for the first time since 2007.
Oakland took the series opener 3-0 behind six scoreless innings from Gio Gonzalez and two RBIs by Kurt Suzuki. Cahill backed that effort by yielding just a pair of runs and six hits over eight frames to improve to 12-2 at home for Oakland, which clinched the season series and improved to 18-5-2 in home series this season.
The A’s will look to Anderson (6-6, 2.83 ERA) to keep their slim hopes alive. The left-hander has won his last three starts with a 1.69 ERA and is 7-1 with a 1.94 ERA in eight career September starts.
Anderson beat Minnesota 3-1 on Friday, allowing just a run and four hits in 6 2/3 innings. However, Anderson has struggled against Chicago, going 1-1 with a 6.23 ERA in three career starts. The White Sox whipped him 6-1 on July 30, tagging Anderson for five runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 frames.
Chicago, which has been getting terrible starting pitching down the stretch, will start Edwin Jackson (3-2, 3.25 ERA) the day after being eliminated. Rotation mates are 0-9 with a 7.12 ERA in their last 16 starts.
Jackson, one of the players Chicago acquired at the trade deadline for the stretch drive, went 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA with eight walks and 45 strikeouts in his first five outings with the White Sox. He became just the third pitcher in franchise history to post three consecutive double-digit strikeout games
However, the power right-hander is 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in his last three outings. Jackson, who was 6-10 with a 5.16 ERA in 21 starts for the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this season, took a no-hitter into the sixth inning in his last start against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. But the wheels fell off and Jackson was beaten 9-2, allowing four runs, four hits and four walks in 6 1/3 frames.
Jackson is 2-1 with a 3.26 ERA in three starts against Oakland.