Brewers at Athletics
The Milwaukee Brewers make their first visit to Oakland in 14 years when they limp into the Coliseum to meet the Athletics on Tuesday in the first contest of a two-game interleague series. Milwaukee (31-39) is 1-6 on its nine-game trip through California after dropping the last three contests of a four-game set at Dodger Stadium while Oakland (28-41) is 2-5 on a nine-game homestand and scored five runs in its last four games.
Both teams struggle to get batters out as the Athletics own the second-worst ERA in the American League at 4.69 while the Brewers are third-worst in the National League at 4.60 with the starters' numbers even higher at 5.18 and 4.84, respectively. The clubs appear to be in position to acquire young arms as sellers prior to next month's trade deadline with the New York Mets reportedly already inquiring about Oakland third baseman Danny Valencia (.326, 10 home runs, 27 RBIs). The Athletics are expected to have Khris Davis (16 home runs, 45 RBIs) in Tuesday's lineup as the ex-Brewer did not play Sunday after he was removed from Saturday's 7-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels with a calf injury. Oakland's Sonny Gray is winless in his last eight starts (0-5) and opposes Jimmy Nelson, who has lost three straight.
TV: 10:05 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), CSN California (Oakland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Jimmy Nelson (5-6, 3.92 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Sonny Gray (3-6, 5.54)
Nelson allowed eight runs (six earned), eight hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings of a 10-1 loss at San Francisco on Wednesday, raising his ERA 1.04 since his last victory May 29. "It’s very frustrating for me,” the 27-year-old Oregon native told reporters. “The last three (starts) have been completely unacceptable. ... We’ve looked over video from my good starts early and the last couple, and mechanically there’s really not that much difference. That tells you that it’s the mind-set of just keeping the ball down.” Nelson, who has never faced Oakland, is 1-3 with a 6.30 ERA in six road starts this season.
Gray pitched five shutout innings before yielding five runs in the sixth inning and earning a no-decision in the Athletics' 7-5 loss to Texas on Wednesday. "Up until that inning, as good of stuff as we've seen all year,'' Oakland manager Bob Melvin told reporters about the 26-year-old Tennessee native, who was third in the 2015 AL Cy Young award voting and 3-1 with a 2.73 ERA after four starts this season. "He was in command. He was throwing everything for strikes. You're counting pitches to see if he can get all the way through the game, so it was a bit startling." Gray, who has never faced Milwaukee, is 2-3 with a 5.30 ERA in six home starts this season.
WALK-OFFS
1. Valencia is batting .338 with 10 home runs and 25 RBIs in 35 games since being reinstated from the disabled list May 6.
2. The Brewers swept a two-game series earlier this month as 1B Chris Carter (18 home runs, 43 RBIs) went deep twice and drove in five runs.
3. Oakland RHP Ryan Dull has stranded all 29 of his inherited runners this season while opponents are 1-for-39 with runners in scoring position against him.