The Oakland Athletics will try for just their second series sweep of the season when they face the Colorado Rockies in the finale of their three-game set on Sunday in Denver.
The A’s won the series opener 8-5 on Friday night and came back with an 11-3 victory on Saturday.
The only other team Oakland has swept this season was the Milwaukee Brewers from June 9-11.
The Athletics plan to send rookie right-hander Luis Medina to the mound for the series finale. Medina (3-7, 5.50 ERA) has pitched well in his past two outings.
After throwing 5 2/3 shutout innings and getting the win in a 3-0 victory against the Boston Red Sox on July 18, he came back against the Houston Astros five days later and held the defending World Series champions to one run over five frames.
He did not factor in the decision in the 3-2 loss to Houston.
Medina’s last start also marked the first time he worked with rookie catcher Tyler Soderstrom in the majors.
Soderstrom was the first-round pick of the A’s in the 2020 MLB Draft and their No. 1 prospect when he made his major league debut on July 14.
“We’ve had a good relationship since the minor leagues,” Medina said. “Soderstrom is really intelligent. He’s a tremendous catcher and hitter. It was another experience for us here in the big leagues. It’s great to reunite with him up here and to see him playing in the big leagues now.”
Medina’s only mistake in his last start was a solo homer by Houston’s Yainer Diaz in the fifth.
“It’s part of that process for those two to get to know each other a little bit,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said of Medina and Soderstrom. “They’ll be fine and move forward.”
Soderstrom had struggled offensively in his first two weeks in the majors, but he collected two hits on Saturday night and is 4-for-10 in his past three games to raise his average to. 200.
Medina will need to pitch carefully to Randal Grichuk, the hottest hitter in the Colorado lineup. He had three hits on Saturday to raise his average to .312 and blasted his second homer in as many days.
Grichuk has adjusted his swing by changing the positioning of his hands.
“There’s been a little bit of an emphasis on getting the ball in the air,” Colorado manager Bud Black said. “There’s been a minor tweak in his swing, in his setup.”
The Rockies on Sunday plan to start left-hander Ty Blach, who has made one other start this season among his eight appearances.
Blach (0-0, 5.51 ERA) made that start in his most recent appearance, blanking the Miami Marlins on two hits over three innings in a no-decision last Sunday.
Blach has made three appearances against Oakland in his career, including one start, and is 1-1 with a 1.86 ERA.
–Field Level Media
