Athletics at Cleveland Guardians

Bibee (6-15, 4.16 ERA) draws Lopez (6-4, 5.02 ERA) for Saturday's 6:10 PM ET first pitch at Progressive Field, a matchup that looks lopsided on the win-loss column and a lot closer once you look at how each arm has actually pitched lately.

FINAL

Spread

WIN

Total

Athletics

(61-93)

LLLLW

6

+1.5-141+155o8.5+122

Guardians

(79-75)

WWWLW

12

-1.5+118-182u8.5-144

Weather64°

Cleveland has ripped off a stretch good enough to seize first place in the AL Central, while Oakland shows up on a 4-game skid with a decimated pitching staff and little left to play for. Tanner Bibee gets the ball off a strong recent turn against Jacob Lopez, who's pitched much better than his season ERA suggests since the All-Star break. The injury and bullpen gap between these two clubs looks wider than the moneyline currently reflects.

Athletics

• +Lopez has pitched better than his ERA since the All-Star break
• +Beat Seattle before the current skid
• −Lost 4 straight, swept by Tampa Bay in that stretch
• −Bullpen gutted by season-ending injuries to Kriske, Sterner, Leiter

Guardians

• +Won 3 straight, just took sole possession of first place
• +Bibee's last start was his best of the second half
• −Missing outfielder Angel Martinez, day-to-day with a side issue
• −Holderman's wrist flared up again during his rehab assignment

Cleveland is already without reliever Colin Holderman, whose rehab assignment got interrupted again by the same right wrist issue, and outfielder Angel Martinez remains day-to-day with a side injury; Oakland, meanwhile, is missing the bulk of its rotation and bullpen depth to season-ending surgeries, from Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson to Mark Leiter Jr. Neither report changes who's favored, but it goes a long way toward explaining why the board treats this like a mismatch.

Jacob Lopez

(6-5)·5.68 ERA

Sep 13 vs Mariners

ND

3.2IP

5ER

3K

3BB

102P

09/19 Lineup

Tanner Bibee

(6-15)·4.35 ERA

Sep 13 @ Twins

W

6.2IP

2ER

7K

2BB

96P

09/19 Lineup

The stakes plainly aren't equal — Cleveland is playing meaningful September baseball for the first time in months, and Oakland is playing out a lost season on the road.

Athletics

(12)

• 15-Day-ILGage Jump (SP) — The Athletics placed Jump on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to Sept. 13, due to a left shoulder impingement.09/15
• 15-Day-ILJ.T. Ginn (SP) — Ginn (elbow) is behind schedule in his recovery program and could miss the rest of the 2026 season, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.09/11
• 60-Day-ILBrooks Kriske (RP) — The Athletics announced that Kriske underwent season-ending surgery Sept. 1 to address a right shoulder impingement, MLB.com reports.09/17
• 60-Day-ILBrent Rooker (DH) — Rooker (knee) was cleared to begin a hitting progression Wednesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.09/16
• 60-Day-ILNick Kurtz (1B) — Kurtz (thumb) began a hitting progression Wednesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.09/16
• 60-Day-ILJoshua Kuroda-Grauer (3B) — Kuroda-Grauer (testicle) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday, Jason Burke of Roundtable.io reports.09/15
• 60-Day-ILLuis Severino (SP) — Severino (shoulder) logged a bullpen session Saturday and is expected to have a normal offseason, per MLB.com.09/14
• 60-Day-ILJacob Wilson (SS) — Wilson underwent left shoulder labral surgery Wednesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.09/11
• 60-Day-ILTyler Soderstrom (LF) — The Athletics transferred Soderstrom (hip) to the 60-day injured list Thursday.08/20
• 60-Day-ILJustin Sterner (RP) — The Athletics transferred Sterner (knee) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.08/16
• 60-Day-ILMark Leiter Jr. (RP) — Leiter will undergo surgery Tuesday to address a right hip impingement and is expected to miss the remainder of the season, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.07/30
• 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.05/20

Cleveland Guardians

(4)

• Day-To-DayAngel Martinez (LF) — Martinez (side) remains out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Athletics, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.09/18
• 10-Day-ILRhys Hoskins (1B) — Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said Friday that Hoskins (back) has begun a swing progression program, MLB.com reports.09/12
• 15-Day-ILColin Holderman (RP) — Holderman was forced to exit Thursday's rehab outing with Triple-A Columbus after aggravating his right wrist injury, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.09/18
• 60-Day-ILShawn Armstrong (RP) — Armstrong (calf) didn't record a strikeout while allowing one run on two hits in one inning during a rehab appearance Friday with Triple-A Columbus.09/12

That surge hasn't come without bumps and bruises of its own, even as the Guardians roll into this series as the far healthier and hotter club. Oakland, dropping 4 straight and swept by Tampa Bay along the way, is exactly the kind of opponent a hot team wants to see this time of year.

Athletics

(61-93)

09/18L@Guardians3-5

09/17L@Rays1-10

09/16L@Rays3-4

09/15L@Rays1-2

09/13WvsMariners8-7

Cleveland Guardians

(79-75)

09/18WvsAthletics5-3

09/16WvsWhite Sox6-3

09/15WvsWhite Sox7-6

09/14LvsWhite Sox3-7

09/13W@Twins9-2

None of this makes Oakland hopeless — Lopez has quietly turned his season around on the mound even if the win column hasn't caught up — but a Guardians club fighting for position at home has every incentive to keep the good vibes rolling into the season's final stretch.