Athletics @ Tampa Bay preview
George M. Steinbrenner Field
Last Meeting ( Jul 1, 2025 ) Athletics 4, Tampa Bay 3
Shea Langeliers has come off the injured list bashing for the Athletics.
The catcher, activated from the IL on Monday, homered in each of his first two games back. He will try to help the A's complete a three-game sweep of the host Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.
Langeliers, who recovered from an oblique injury, hit a three-run homer on Monday in his first at-bat since June 5 as the A's beat the Rays 6-4.
On Tuesday, the 27-year-old doubled and homered in the Athletics' 4-3, 10-inning win. Langeliers now has 12 home runs and 31 RBIs, and he is hitting .242 with a .303 on-base percentage and a .460 slugging percentage.
Langeliers also made two crucial throws on Tuesday. He picked off major league stolen-base leader Jose Caballero at third in the second inning, and he threw out Caballero on an attempted steal of second in the ninth with the game tied 3-3.
"I'm excited to be back out there with the boys," Langeliers said. "It is good to be out playing again and luckily I have gotten a couple of hits to start."
The A's will send Mitch Spence (2-3, 3.82 ERA) to the mound in the series finale. The right-hander began the season in the bullpen, going 1-1 with a 4.38 ERA, one save and four holds in 22 relief appearances. Since joining the rotation, Spence is 1-2 despite a 2.92 ERA in five starts.
Spence made both of his career starts against the Rays last season, and he went 1-1 with a 2.92 ERA.
The Rays will counter with Randy Pepiot (5-6, 3.36), who is coming off the shortest outing of his career.
The 27-year-old right-hander lasted just 1 2/3 innings against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday while permitting four runs on five hits.
In his career against the A's, he is 1-0 in two starts with a 3.09 ERA, striking out 12 in 11 1/3 innings. Both of those outings occurred in 2024.
The Rays have lacked clutch hitting the first two games of the series, especially on Tuesday, when they left 10 runners on base and were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Manager Kevin Cash gives a lot of credit to the A's pitchers, especially elite closer Mason Miller.
"He makes big pitches," Cash said of Miller, who has saved both games in the series, raising his season total to 17. "Mason Miller is not a guy you want to see out there with the game on the line. He is easily throwing 100-mile-an-hour pitches and then throws a slider to get the last guy out."
The Rays had runners at second and third in the 10th when Miller struck out Josh Lowe to end the game. Lowe finished 1-for-5, and his last three at-bats came with runners in scoring position.
"They have put a lot of pressure on us," Cash said. "Our offense has come up short, but I give the credit to their starters and especially their relievers. They have come up big. Mason Miller strikes people out at an elite rate and has as good a fastball as we are going to see."
--Field Level Media