The Athletics are 23-23 and somehow that feels like an accomplishment given the IL situation. Jacob Wilson's shoulder, Max Muncy's hand, Denzel Clarke's foot — that's a lot of lineup to be missing for a team currently sitting at break-even. They're getting it done anyway, and now they walk into Anaheim against a team in absolute freefall.
Five losses in a row for the Angels. 16-31 overall. New manager Kurt Suzuki took this job over from Ron Washington in the offseason knowing it'd be a project, but the bottom keeps falling out. The good news: Walbert Ureña has actually been one of the few things going right. He's 1-4 with a 3.29 ERA, but the record is misleading — his last few outings (5 innings, 0 earned vs. the White Sox; quality work in Cleveland) show a starter the Angels can build around if everything around him weren't on fire.
J.T. Ginn gets the ball for the A's at 2-1, 3.12. He's been the most consistent starter in that rotation, and against an Angels lineup missing Travis d'Arnaud and Anthony Rendon and trying to mash its way out of a 5-game skid, his sinker profile plays. The pitching matchup is closer than the team records suggest, but everything around it isn't.
- 10-Day-ILDenzel Clarke CF — Clarke (foot) started at designated hitter and went 3-for-3 with a solo homer and an additional run scored with Single-A Stockton on Sunday.
- 10-Day-ILMax Muncy 3B — Muncy (hand) is still being held out of all baseball activities and has no timetable for a return, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJacob Wilson SS — Wilson was diagnosed with a left shoulder sprain after exiting Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Orioles, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILBrooks Kriske RP — Kriske was removed from Tuesday's game against the Cardinals with right shoulder soreness, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILGunnar Hoglund SP — Hoglund (knee/back) was given a cortisone injection in his left hip May 1, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILTravis d'Arnaud C — D'Arnaud (foot) told reporters Saturday that he does not have a timetable for his return from the 10-day injured list, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILDrew Pomeranz RP — Pomeranz (elbow) said Friday that he doesn't expect to need more than a minimum-length stay on the injured list, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILYusei Kikuchi SP — Kikuchi (shoulder) will be shut down from throwing for 3-to-4 weeks, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILBen Joyce RP — Imaging on Joyce's right shoulder came back negative Friday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILRobert Stephenson RP — The Angels announced that Stephenson underwent ligament and flexor repair surgery on his right elbow Wednesday and is likely to miss the remainder of the season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILAnthony Rendon 3B — The Angels placed Rendon (hip) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.
Pinnacle has the A's at -121 on the moneyline with a 53.5% fair probability, and the total sits at 9. The market's basically saying: the better team is on the road, the worse team is at home, and there's nothing here to talk you off that. Hard to argue.
If you're an Angels fan, you're hoping Ureña keeps it close into the 6th and lets Mike Trout do something memorable. If you're an A's fan, you're banking on Ginn doing Ginn things and a banged-up lineup pushing across just enough. Either way, the Halos need to win a baseball game before this thing gets truly ugly.