Hot-hitting Ramon Laureano will be looking to extend his 11-game hitting streak as the Oakland Athletics (16-50) face off against the Milwaukee Brewers (34-31) at American Family Field on Sunday with the visitors in position to sweep the three-game Interleague series. The Athletics lead the series 2-0 after winning 2-1 in 10 innings on Saturday.
Shintaro Fujinami got the win with one scoreless inning out of the bullpen, and Sam Long earned his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth. Aledmys Diaz was 3 for 4 with a double and one RBI in the win. William Contreras went 1 for 1 with a solo home run for the Brewers.
ON THE MOUND
JP Sears (0-3, 4.20 ERA) is in line to start for Oakland. The lefty allowed one run over 4.2 innings in his last start, a 5-4 home defeat against the Pirates on Monday. He yielded two hits while striking out six and walking five in the no-decision.
For Milwaukee, RHP Freddy Peralta (5-5, 4.55 ERA) gets the ball. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Athletics.
In his last start on Tuesday, Peralta took a no-decision at home against the Orioles. He threw five innings and gave up two runs on six hits, striking out nine, in the 4-3 win.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Oakland has averaged 6.2 runs a game, up from their season average of 3.6, while slashing better across the board (.299/.395/.463). Against right-handed pitchers like Peralta this season, the A’s have a .651 OPS, second lowest in MLB.
Ryan Noda is the team’s most potent producer against right-handers with a .890 OPS in 150 at-bats. Milwaukee is averaging only 4.0 runs per game in the last five, consistent with their season average.
The Brew Crew have a .633 OPS against left-handers in 2023, the lowest in MLB. With a 1.099 OPS over 53 at-bats, Joey Wiemer has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Oakland is on a four-game winning streak in road games, bringing their record to 9-26 in 2023.
The A’s have scored 3.9 runs per game away from home while allowing 6.8 runs. Milwaukee has lost three in a row in front of their home fans.
The Brew Crew are 18-15 at home this season, averaging 4.2 runs per game while surrendering 4.2. Oakland is 4-3 in seven games between the teams at American Family Field with an average scoreline of 4.3-2.7.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Athletics are fifth in the AL West, 26 games behind the division-leading Rangers. The Brewers are second in the NL Central, zero games behind the Pirates.
