Coming off a disappointing home stand in which the Athletics lost series against the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants, the “Green and Gold” are back on the road, set to begin a four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels this evening. Leaving Sacramento may be a good thing as the A’s have played much better on the road than at home so far this season.

The A’s are on a two-game skid heading into today’s series opener against the Angels, who have lost six straight, meaning something has to give. The Angels seem destined to waste another year of future Hall of Famer Mike Trout’s career as their record (16-31) is the worst in MLB. First-year manager Kurt Suzuki, who played catcher for the Athletics from 2007 to 2013, faces a massive challenge to turn the Angels’ season around and prove he deserves another year at the helm.

Right-handed pitcher J.T. Ginn will start for the A’s, looking to continue his stellar recent run of form and get his team off to a strong start on its Southern California road swing. He enters his eighth start of 2026 with a 2-1 record, a 3.12 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 43.1 innings pitched. Ginn has pitched well in his previous two starts, picking up wins in each outing. Tonight, the 26-year-old sinkersballer looks to make it three straight winning starts against an Angels’ offense that ranks near the bottom third of the league in most offensive categories.

The Athletics’ lineup shakes out like this:

A’s manager Mark Kotsay is slightly changing his team’s lineup tonight. Right fielder Carlos Cortes will bat first, hoping to get on base to set the table for the dynamic duo of catcher Shea Langeliers and first baseman Nick Kurtz. Speaking of Kurtz, the reigning American League Rookie of the Year has a chance to extend his league-best on-base streak to an incredible 41 consecutive games. Additionally, he is the only left-handed hitter in MLB history with at least 40 home runs, 40 RBIs and 100 walks in his first 162 career games.

Outfielder Henry Bolte is back in the lineup in place of slumping Lawrence Butler. Third baseman Zack Gelof has been contributing offensively, but his limited defensive experience at the position hurt the A’s badly yesterday. His second defensive error of the game jumpstarted the Giants’ eight run eighth inning that secured their series-clinching victory. Beyond Gelof, the entire A’s defense needs to tighten up in the wake of an error-filled home stand.

These A’s hitters will be facing Angels top-20 prospect Walbert Ureña. The 22-year-old right-hander has not been fazed in his first taste of the Major Leagues. Ureña brings a 1-4 record and a 3.29 ERA into his eighth appearance and sixth start of the season. He has accumulated three straight quality starts, limiting the Cleveland Guardians to two runs on three hits over five innings in his last outing. Ureña has a 70-grade fastball, but poor control, as he has walked 17 batters in his first 27 MLB innings pitched. As a result, A’s hitters must remain patient, work counts, and pounce on any mistakes from Los Angeles’ hard-throwing rookie pitcher.

The Angels’ lineup looks like this: