OAKLAND
Antti Niemi Jersey , Calif. — Trevor Bauer will pursue a piece of Cleveland Indians history Friday night when he opens a three-game series against
the Oakland Athletics.
Having recorded at least eight strikeouts in all five of his starts this month, Bauer needs 16 to match Hall of Famer Bob Feller’s franchise record of 70
for the month of June, set in 1946.
Bauer’s career high for strikeouts in a game is 14, set last May against the A’s in just seven innings.
More realistically, the California native needs 10 strikeouts to equal the second-best June total in Indians history, set by Sam McDowell in 1965.
Bauer (7-5
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5-2 in the process.
The 27-year-old right-hander has never won in Oakland, going 0-2 with a 5.14 ERA in three starts. He’s 1-2 with a 4.44 ERA in five career starts against the
A’s overall.
One A’s hitter Bauer has dominated in the past is hot-hitting Jed Lowrie, who has gone 1-for-9 in his career against him with five strikeouts in their
all-time head-to-heads.
Lowrie had 15 hits in nine starts on Oakland’s just-completed road trip
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Bauer will be facing an A’s team that’s playing its best ball of the season. Oakland is coming off a four-game sweep at Detroit that capped a 7-2 trip.
The A’s have won nine of 11 overall.
The A’s have been even better against the Indians in recent years, winning seven of the last eight meetings in Oakland, including all three on Cleveland’s
visit last July.
Right-hander Paul Blackburn (1-2, 8.83) will oppose Bauer.
The 24-year-old has alternated good and bad outings in his four appearances since returning from a strained right forearm that delayed the start of his
season almost two full months.
He’s coming off one of the ugly ones, having allowed six runs and eight hits in five innings in a 10-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, but A’s
pitching coach Scott Emerson noted he was impressed with the first four
innings
Jonathan Ericsson Jersey , during Blackburn pitched scoreless, one-hit ball.
“It was tough for him, one rehab stint and then thrown into the fire,” Emerson said of the abrupt start to Blackburn’s season. “We’re past that now,
and I told him now is when we start putting our stuff together and getting the
outs we’re supposed to get. We can’t use (the injury) as a crutch anymore. It’s
go time; he understands that.”
Blackburn has made one career start against the Indians, compiling a 0-0 record and 4.50 ERA.
The Indians head west after having lost two of three in St. Louis. They had won their previous seven games.
The Indians actually beat the A’s into Oakland
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They are coming off a 5-1 win over the Cardinals in which rookie Shane Bieber not only recorded his third straight win but also his first major league hit, a
double off fellow rookie Jack Flaherty.
The A’s won’t see Bieber in the series … except as a possible pinch hitter.
Jaguars defensive end Dante Fowler will miss the start of the regular season due to a suspension and he’ll miss the start of training camp with an
injury.
Mike Kaye of First Coast News reports that Fowler will open training camp on the physically unable to perform list.
Fowler was dealing with an upper body injury during the offseason that reportedly led to him losing “sizable muscle mass.” Head coach Doug Marrone said
that the team was unsure whether he’d be ready for camp and the move to the PUP
list answers that question.
Kaye reports that tight end David Grinnage has also been placed on the PUP list. Both players can be activated at any time during camp, but won’t be able
to practice with their teammates until they do get that green
light.
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