The Athletics welcome the Chicago White Sox to Sacramento on Friday night to open a weekend three-game set, and they do it with the AL West race still in hand after a split with Texas. Aaron Civale is scheduled to take the mound for Oakland against Davis Martin, with the series set to continue Saturday afternoon and Sunday.
Civale has given the Athletics exactly what they needed through three starts: at least five innings every time out and only three baserunners allowed to score in 15 2/3 innings this season. Martin brings a 2.50 ERA into his fourth start, giving Chicago a starter who has been steady even as the White Sox sit last in the AL Central at 6-13. The matchup gives both clubs a chance to reset after different kinds of starts to the year, but the stakes are higher for Oakland, which remained tied atop the AL West after its four-game series with the Rangers.
The rest of the series keeps the pitching in focus. Luis Severino is scheduled to face Erick Fedde on Saturday afternoon, then Jeffrey Springs is lined up against Noah Shultz on Sunday. That final game will be only Shultz's second career major league game, a reminder of how thin the White Sox' options can look as they continue to lean on young arms while trying to climb out of an early hole.
The contrast is hard to miss. The White Sox have been described as one of the worst teams in baseball history over the past two seasons, while the Athletics are fighting to stay in first place in the division after holding their own against Texas. Friday night starts a series that offers Chicago a chance to slow a contender and gives Oakland a chance to keep its footing at the top.
For the Athletics, the math is simple: keep winning enough series, and the tie for first in the AL West stays alive. For the White Sox, any clean start from Martin and any stability from a staff stretched by a second major league appearance from Shultz would be a small step toward making a bad start look less permanent.