The Oakland Athletics are finding their way after a slow start that has left them 23-33 at this point in the season. They officially swept the Detroit Tigers as they head to Boston to face the Red Sox on Saturday afternoon. The team's offense is starting to gain momentum as they sit fifth in the division and they face a Boston Red Sox team that cannot seem to find their rhythm just yet.The reality is Oakland still has the worst record in the American League, but they had a nice modest win streak to hang their hat on that they hope has pushed some momentum in their favor. The team has been rely on their starting pitching to get the job done. The Athletics have some strong arms on the rotation as they are 9-8 over the past 22 games with a 2.23 ERA. Jesse Chavez will look to keep that streak alive.
Chavez was solid for another start as he got the win against the New York Yankees, pitching eight innings while giving up seven hits and no runs while striking out six players. He is just 2-5 on the season which is odd since he has a 2.11 ERA at the moment. The Athletics are struggling to give the pitcher any run support during this year, but facing the struggling Red Sox should help get him another win to work with.
The Red Sox are stoping and starting as of late. They also rank fifth in their respective division as they cannot find consistency to work with. They split the series with the Minnesota Twins after losing 3 of 4 against the Texas Rangers. Boston has had too many games where they have been held for just two runs or less along with five or fewer hits. Their last two series exposed that issue.
Joe Kelly will take the mound in an effort to get Boston back on track. He has been inconsistent at best. Against Minnesota, he made it just 1.2 innings after giving up eight hits and seven runs in his worst outing of the year. He managed to rebound nicely last five innings and giving up just one run against the Rangers. He cannot afford to have another dip in production.