August 7, 2024; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Joey Estes (68) in the second against the Chicago White Sox at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum A pitch was thrown during the inning. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports The Oakland Athletics won’t make the playoffs, but they have proven over the last month that they can compete with playoff teams.
Meanwhile, the New York Mets may be running out of time to prove they can be a playoff-caliber club.
The Athletics will hand the faltering Mets another series loss on Wednesday in the middle of a three-game International League game in New York.
Right-hander Joey Estes (5-4, 4.70 ERA) is expected to start for the A’s against left-hander David Peterson (6-1, 3.34).
Oakland stayed hot on Tuesday night as Shea Langelers had his second straight four-hit game and drove in four runs in a 9-4 victory.
The Athletics improved to 51-69, eclipsing last season’s win total, when their 112 losses were the team’s most since the Philadelphia Athletics went 36-117 in 1916.
The Athletics have posted an American League-best 16-9 record since July 12, during which time they have gone 7-5 against five top teams. In addition to facing the Mets and San Francisco Giants, the fourth and fifth-place teams in the race for the National League wild-card spot, Oakland also faces three division leaders: Philadelphia Phillies , Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I think it just proves what we’re capable of – the next step is to be consistent,” Langliers said. “We’re proving over the last month since the All-Star break that we can do this. We can play against these playoff contending teams and compete and win games.”
Winning hasn’t been an issue for the Mets in more than two months, as they went 39-21 from May 30 through last Thursday, climbing from 13th to third in the National League. Wild card slot.
But the Mets ended a four-city, 10-game road trip last weekend in Seattle, where they were swept 22-1 in the three-game series.
Manager Carlos Mendoza hopes the Mets will be fresh after a day off on Monday. But on Tuesday, New York went 4-for-17 against the Athletics with runners in scoring position, scoring no more than four runs for the 16th time in 24 games since the All-Star break.
The Mets trail the Braves by two games in the race for the third NL wild-card spot after Atlanta’s 4-3, 10-inning victory over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night.
“It’s time for us to go home and start playing some winning baseball,” Mendoza said. “Good teams will find a way. We’re going to find a way to get in the win column and get on a winning streak.”
Estes didn’t factor in that decision in his most recent start on Aug. 7, when he allowed two runs in five innings as the Athletics defeated the Chicago White Sox 3-2. He never went against the Mets.
Peterson earned a win after allowing five innings in the Mets’ 9-1 win over the Colorado Rockies in Denver on Thursday. He has never faced the A-Team.
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