The Oakland A’s look to take the second game of their four game series with the Tampa Bay Rays tonight at the Oakland Coliseum. The A’s send out Vin Mazzaro who was a tough luck loser last weekend against the Twins, lasting six innings while allowing 1 earned run. He faces yet another top Rays prospect in Jeremy Hellickson. Hellickson is expected to go back to the bullpen in the coming days but is looking to finish off an impressive string of starts. Since being called up August 2, Hellickson is 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA. In this year of the pitcher, it is one more impressive young arm.
While the Rays are in a close battle for first place in the AL East, the A’s are looking to hang around the divisional race in the AL West. Last night’s Cahill win moved the A’s right back to .500 at 60-60 and with the Rangers finding themselves in a 4-game losing streak, the A’s and Angels have each climbed to within 7 games of Texas. While the Rangers get a weekend series with the Orioles, the A’s and Angels have to handle the Rays and Twins, respectively.