The A’s Have A Shot on Reverse Boycott Night
Ken Waldichuk Daps Up Shea Langeliers after a nine out save on Monday, June 12, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
OAKLAND, CA. — It’s official: the Oakland Athletics have not lost a baseball game since last week. Are these Oakland Athletics competitive? I touched on the recent success of Stolen Base leader Esteury Ruiz last week, and since then some other pieces have begun to fall into place. The spontaneous success in Oakland actually started on June 6th in Pittsburgh behind a 5 for 5, two-bomb day from 33-year-old journeyman Jace Peterson. That night, James Kaprielian took the ball for the A’s as one of the worst pitchers in baseball to that point– but something finally clicked for the former top prospect as he was able to pitch into the 7th inning for just the second time in 2023. The A’s have rattled off six straight wins since then, just in time for tonight’s Reverse Boycott Night, and they currently sit at +170 underdogs for tonight’s game with a red-hot Hogan Harris taking the ball tonight at the Coliseum. Is tonight a rare night where you can be confident in the Oakland Athletics' chances to win a game?
What to Like About the A’s Tonight
Look, they’re hot. The A’s are riding six-game win streak wave into a home crowed that is sure to rival the Opening Day energy. Hogan Harris will get the ball tonight against a Rays team that has a .900 OPS. against Left-Handed pitching, but he’s been a quality arm since getting called back to the Big Leagues in late May. His opponent is likely Tampa’s sixth starter: their entire bullpen. Jalen Beeks gets the ball in the first inning and has been abysmal on the road so far in 2023. Tampa is on game 12 of a 17 games in 17 days stretch and has gotten good innings distribution among their relievers so far, but everybody expected to throw tonight has thrown 3+ innings in the last 7 days. If there’s one thing you can rely on tonight, it’s the A’s bullpen being slightly better rested than the Rays given the circumstances. If Hogan Harris is able to stretch out 5-plus innings with a lead, the A’s are going to have as good of a shot as anybody to hold a lead. Reliever Trevor May is my guy to watch tonight as he’s been nearly brilliant since coming back after working through Anxiety-related issues early this season. The 9-year veteran would likely be a fan favorite if the Athletics had consistent attendance, and tonight is the perfect stage for him to re-introduce himself to the world of Baseball. In tonight’s supporting cast, A’s 1B Ryan Noda has been a force in the A’s lineup over the past 2 weeks, hitting .270 with two bombs and a 20% BB rate. Numbers aside, this team is grinding out wins under some of the worst circumstances possible. The old adage “How can you not be romantic about Baseball” certainly applies to tonight’s game in Oakland. It might take a miracle, but the Athletics have as good of a shot as anybody to win a baseball game tonight.
Tonight’s starter Hogan Harris — Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
Here’s the deal, we don’t know what’s going to happen at Reverse Boycott Night. I’m sensing shades of the “Disco Demolition Night” that occurred at Comiskey Park in 1979 under the supervision of legendary owner and baseball promoter Bill Veeck. The Athletics are averaging just 8,500 attendees per home game so far this season, and that number may be serverely inflated. The O.Co has been virtually empty all season long as fans have essentially given up on a team so blatantly trying to get out of dodge and set up a Casino/Stadium on the Las Vegas Strip. Tonight should be different according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, as ticket demand has increased over 50% with the MLB’s most dollar-efficient team coming to town in the Tampa Bay Rays. The bright lights of the Coliseum await tonight’s semi-marquee matchup, as Oakland fans have created a platform for themselves to voice their displeasure with the direction of the Athletics organization. Fans have been increasingly frustrated with owner John Fisher, who has shipped off the likes of Matt Olson and Sean Murphy to Atlanta (3.6 combined WAR) and Matt Chapman to Toronto (2.9 WAR) rather than extending their contracts and attempting to keep their competitive window open. Things have quickly plummeted to rock bottom and in turn has created a lame-duck professional baseball team in a city that will soon lose its third franchise in 10 years. There will certainly be calls for Fisher to sell the team tonight, and it could get malicious at times. But these angry A’s fans actually have something to cheer for tonight and there is serious potential for Reverse Boycott Night to be a positive atmosphere. However don’t be surprised if it gets ugly because after all, this is Oakland were talking about.
