The Oakland Athletics send out Graham Godfrey to face the New York Mets in the rubber match of their series on Thursday morning. After a 13-inning marathon ended in disappointment Wednesday night, the A’s will look to start up a new winning streak on Thursday. Godfrey will be facing Chris Capuano, and it’s safe to say both teams are looking for some serious innings from their starters after emptying much of their bullpens Wednesday night.
The big change in Thursday’s lineup for the A’s is the insertion of Mark Ellis at first base. Ellis has made three starts appearances (no starts) in his career at first base so it will be interesting to see how the transition goes for him. He’s expressed acceptance of moving into a utility role, which will mean more time at first and third, at least until a trade is worked out. The A’s may hold on to Ellis the rest of the season, but with Adam Rosales on the bench as well, one of the two likely has to go.
Oakland Athletics
1. Jemile Weeks 2B
2. Cliff Pennington SS
3. Coco Crisp CF
4. Conor Jackson LF
5. Scott Sizemore 3B
6. Mark Ellis 1B
7. David DeJesus RF
8. Landon Powell C
9. Graham Godfrey P
New York Mets
1. Jose Reyes SS
2. Justin Turner 2B
3. Carlos Beltran RF
4. Daniel Murphy 3B
5. Angel Pagan CF
6. Jason Bay LF
7. Lucas Duda 1B
8. Josh Thole C
9. Chris Capuano P