Brewers want to get back on track at A’s

The inconsistent Milwaukee Brewers hope to end their downward trend when they continue their six-game road trip with a three-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics beginning Friday night.

Both teams played on Thursday afternoon, continuing a current pattern.

The Brewers lost 3-0 on the road to the St. Louis Cardinals, their second consecutive defeat after a six-game winning streak.

Milwaukee had won five games in a row, then lost three in a row before beginning its six-game winning streak.

After the scoreless loss, the Brewers expect Blake Perkins to return to the starting lineup for the opener at Oakland. The outfielder/DH has not played since August 11 due to a calf injury.

Perkins is one of Milwaukee’s best hitters against left-handed pitchers, having a .290 average against them. Oakland is scheduled to start left-hander JP Sears on Friday.

“This time of year, you have to try to play things through when you can,” Perkins noted. “Luckily, I only had a little break and I hope I’m just good the rest of the time.”

Oakland has now won or tied five series in a row thanks to a 3-1 win on Thursday over the Tampa Bay Rays that evened a four-game tie at 2-2.

The A’s have allowed just 10 runs in their last six games.

Manager Mark Kotsay praised his starting lineup for giving his team a chance to win every day and taking some of the burden off the previously strong bullpen.

“The confidence is high,” he said of his starters. “All of those guys have been able to go five innings, six, more. And the bullpen was pretty tired early in the week. It was great (on Thursday) to have all the guys lined up and use them in their roles, and it worked.”

Five relievers contributed to the six hits on Thursday and combined for four hitless innings.

Sears (10-8, 4.15) hopes to continue his streak. He is undefeated in his last four starts, going 3-0 with a 1.57 ERA. The 28-year-old picked up the win in his only career start against the Brewers, allowing two runs in five innings and posting an 8-6 road victory in June 2023.

The A’s won those three games in Milwaukee. The Brewers haven’t won a series in Oakland since three of four games in 1995.

The Brewers are expected to counter in Friday’s opener with right-hander Aaron Civale (4-8, 4.78), who is making a nice little run of his own. After going winless in his first five starts for the Brewers following a midseason trade from the Rays, Civale has won each of his last two games, allowing a total of two runs in 12 1/3 innings against the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians.

The 29-year-old, a former American League player, is undecided in his previous duels with the A’s. He is 0-0 with an ERA of 6.75 in two starts.

–Field level media