Walbert Ureña (5-5, 2.41 ERA) squares off against J.T. Ginn (5-4, 3.16 ERA) at Angel Stadium for a 6:38 PM PT first pitch Friday — the exact same pitching matchup from June 20, when Ureña tossed 5 shutout innings on 90 pitches without issuing a single walk, and Ginn gave up 4 earned runs in 5.1 frames to take the loss. These two are walking back into the same fight. Ureña holds the early edge on points.
The context around Ginn matters more than his ERA right now. The Athletics lost Zack Gelof to the 10-day IL after he got spiked by Matt Chapman at Oracle Park — a right hand laceration that ended a 24-game hitting streak, the best active streak in the majors at the time. Shortstop Jacob Wilson is also day-to-day with a shoulder issue. Ginn is pitching behind a lineup that just lost its hottest bat going into a rematch against the guy who already beat it cleanly.
The A's snapped a 4-game losing streak with a 9-6 win over the Giants on Thursday — fine — but 2 of those 4 losses came against this same Angels club in a doubleheader on June 21. They're 39-42, third in the AL West, and their middle-of-the-order situation just got worse. The Angels, meanwhile, won 5-1 and then a walk-off 7-6 in 10 innings to close out a Baltimore series, and have taken 4 of their last 5. At 34-48, they have no business playing with this kind of momentum, but Ureña has been carrying the rotation and the offense has been finding ways to win close games.
- Day-To-DayJacob Wilson SS — Wilson (shoulder) is not in the lineup for Thursday's game in San Francisco.
- 10-Day-ILZack Gelof 3B — The Athletics placed Gelof (hand) on the 10-day injured list Thursday.
- 10-Day-ILBrent Rooker DH — Rooker (knee) is still not participating in any baseball activities as of Tuesday, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILMark Leiter Jr. RP — Leiter (hip) began a throwing progression Monday, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILDenzel Clarke CF — Clarke (hamstring) has started to play catch and has also begun a swinging progression, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILLuis Severino SP — The Athletics transferred Severino (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.
- 60-Day-ILBrooks Kriske RP — Kriske (shoulder) began a throwing progression Thursday, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILGunnar Hoglund SP — Hoglund (knee/back) will be sidelined for the rest of the 2026 season after undergoing surgery on his left hip Monday.
- Day-To-DayNiko Kavadas 1B — The Angels reassigned Kavadas to minor-league camp Wednesday.
- 10-Day-ILMike Trout CF — Trout (hamstring) resumed on-field exercises Tuesday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILAdam Frazier 2B — Frazier (elbow) took part in light baseball activities Friday, per MLB.com.
- 10-Day-ILSebastian Rivero C — Rivero was removed from Tuesday's game against the Astros with an apparent left hand injury, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILGustavo Campero C — The Angels selected Campero's contract from Double-A Rocket City and placed him on the 10-day injured list Saturday due to a fractured hand.
- paternityJose Siri LF — Siri went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and two runs scored in Sunday's 9-7 win over the Athletics.
- 15-Day-ILGrayson Rodriguez SP — Rodriguez (back) threw off flat ground in the bullpen Saturday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILTravis d'Arnaud C — D'Arnaud (foot) is no longer wearing a walking boot, and he played catch on the field Wednesday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
The injury reports are brutal on both sides. The Angels are still without Mike Trout (hamstring), who resumed on-field work this week but isn't back yet, plus they're down both Travis d'Arnaud and Yoan Moncada for the year. The A's are missing Gelof, Wilson is questionable, Brent Rooker hasn't done baseball activities yet with his knee, and Denzel Clarke is out all season. Two depleted rosters, which cuts both ways — but the A's lineup loses more impact when Gelof sits than the Angels do with Trout already priced in.
Ureña is the story here. A 2.41 ERA as a rookie in the American League, and almost nobody outside of Anaheim is talking about it. He's hit his spots, pitched to contact, and the last time he faced this exact A's lineup he made it look routine. Ginn is a capable arm and 5-4 is a fine record, but he's 0-1 against Ureña in this specific matchup and his team just lost its best player. If Ureña comes anywhere close to replicating what he did on June 20, the Angels win this without much drama.