Game three of this four-game set between the LA Angels and Oakland takes place on Wednesday night at Oakland Coliseum. The Athletics could have had two straight wins to start the season, but they coughed up a two-run lead late in the contest. Angels second baseman Danny Espinosa hit a three-run jack in the top of the ninth inning to take the lead for good. Pitcher Ryan Dull ended up taking the loss after one inning of work, giving up a total of three hits. First pitch is set for 10:05 PM Eastern time and the matchup can be seen on MLB.tv, FSN West, and NBC Sports California.
Angels (1-1, 2nd AL West)
Projected Starting Lineup:
- 1: Yunel Escobar (R) - third baseman
- 2: Kole Calhoun (L) - right fielder
- 3: Mike Trout (R) - center fielder
- 4: Albert Pujols (R) - designated hitter
- 5: C.J. Cron (R) - first baseman
- 6: Cameron Maybin (R) - left fielder
- 7: Andrelton Simmons (R) - shortstop
- 8: Danny Espinosa (S) - second baseman
- 9: Martin Maldonado (R) - catcher
Right-handed starter Garrett Richards will be on the mound for the Angels, making his first start since May 1. He needed Tommy John surgery, but instead had stem-cell surgery that made him ready earlier than the prior procedure requires. Before his injury, Richards collected a 1-3 record in 2016 but racked up just a 2.34 ERA.
Athletics (1-1, 3rd AL West)
Projected starting lineup:
- 1: Matt Joyce (L) - right fielder
- 2: Jed Lowrie (S) - second baseman
- 3: Ryon Healy (R) - third baseman
- 4: Khris Davis (R) - left fielder
- 5: Stephen Vogt (L) - catcher
- 6: Trevor Plouffe (R) - designated hitter
- 7: Yonder Alonso (L) - first baseman
- 8: Marcus Semien (R) - shortstop
- 9: Rajal Davis (R) - center fielder
Right-hander Jharel Cotton gets the start for the Athletics.
He joined Oakland's rotation late in 2016 and didn't lose one of his five starts (2-0 with three no decisions). He only gave up one run in each start until the final outing, where he gave up three runs.
Los Angeles is slightly favored at -114 on the moneyline with the run total set at 8. The Angels are 10-3 in their last 13 games overall.
