The A's will try to take three of four from the first-place Houston Astros, but it will be a major challenge. Oakland will have to face Cy Young Award frontrunner Justin Verlander.
Verlander, 36, has dominated the A's throughout his career, going 14-6 with a 2.53 ERA in 23 starts. This season, the right-hander is 18-5 with a 2.52 ERA in 30 outings. His 18 wins lead all of baseball and his 264 strikeouts rank second.
The one Oakland A who has actually had Verlander's number is Khris Davis. The 31-year-old has gone 6-for-19 with four home runs and a double against the future Hall of Famer. Davis will bat sixth in the order.
Ramón Laureano will get the night off after returning to the A's lineup on Wednesday. Robbie Grossman will handle right field and bat eighth.
Hot-hitting rookie catcher Sean Murphy will also get a game off after blasting three home runs in the last two games. Josh Phegley will be behind the plate and hit ninth.
Oakland will give the ball to veteran right-hander Homer Bailey. The 33-year-old is 5-2 with a 4.98 ERA since joining the A's in July. For the season, he is 12-8 with a 4.87 ERA in 28 starts.
Bailey hopes for a far better fate than his last outing against the Astros, in which he surrendered nine earned runs in just two innings. However, in nine career starts against Houston, Bailey is an impressive 4-1 with a 2.83 ERA.
Sports
Here are the full lineups for the A's-Angels game, which will be broadcast on NBC Sports California and the MyTeams app. Coverage begins at 4:30 p.m. PT, with first pitch at 5:10.
Oakland A's (86-60)
SS Marcus Semien
3B Matt Chapman
1B Matt Olson
CF Mark Canha
LF Seth Brown
DH Khris Davis
2B Jurickson Profar
RF Robbie Grossman
C Josh Phegley
RHP Homer Bailey (12-8, 4.87 ERA)
Houston Astros (95-52)
CF George Springer
2B José Altuve
LF Michael Brantley
SS Alex Bregman
DH Yordan Álvarez
1B Aledmys Díaz
3B Abraham Toro
C Robinson Chirinos
RF Josh Reddick
RHP Justin Verlander (18-5, 2.52 ERA)
