Angels hope to have Trout back for series finale vs. A's (May 10, 2017)
OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Oakland Athletics will go for the second consecutive series win on their current homestand, but it appears they will have to deal with Mike Trout for the first time Wednesday in the series finale.
With Angels center fielder Trout nursing a tight left hamstring, Oakland and Los Angeles split the first two meetings of the three-game series.
Los Angeles rebounded from a walk-off, 3-2 loss to Oakland in 11 innings on Monday night with a three-home run barrage early in a 7-3 win Tuesday.
Trout took batting practice before the Tuesday game and gave the hamstring a thumbs-up.
He said he would put the injury through a pregame test in the outfield Wednesday in hopes another pain-free experience would lead to a spot in the starting lineup.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia believes Trout could be joining an offense that is heating up.
"We've played a lot of close games. Our bullpen has had to throw a lot of innings," Scioscia said after four relievers protected a lead over the final 3 2/3 innings Tuesday night. "We need the offense to pick up. We're starting to swing the bats better."
If Trout gets the green light, he would face A's right-hander Andrew Triggs, against whom he belted a home run last June in their second head-to-head meeting.
Trout almost duplicated the feat in his first shot at Triggs earlier this season, but he had his liner to deep right caught. The A's went on to win the game 5-1 on April 6, with Triggs holding the Angels without an earned run over 5 2/3 innings.
The young right-hander didn't allow an earned run in any of his first three starts, running his streak to 17 2/3 innings while accumulating a 3-0 record.
His last three starts haven't been nearly as impressive, as he has been roughed up for nine earned runs in 17 innings. He lost two of those three games -- 11-1 to Seattle and 7-2 to Detroit, both at home.
Triggs (4-2, 2.34 ERA) has faced the Angels three times in his career, twice as a starter, and he is 1-0 with a 0.82 ERA in those games.
The Angels will counter with Jesse Chavez, who has a whole lot more experience at the Oakland Coliseum than Triggs.
The right-hander went 17-27 in 101 appearances, including 47 starts, for the A's from 2012-15. He has made 21 starts in Oakland, compiling a 14-11 record with a 3.39 ERA in 49 career games there.
Chavez has faced the A's seven times in his career, all in relief, and he went 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA in those games.
Chavez (2-4, 4.46 ERA) has gone at least six innings in each of his last four starts, recording a 3.20 ERA over that stretch.
If he is to make if five straight, chances are Chavez will have to solve A's slugger Yonder Alonso, who had his second two-homer game in a four-day stretch on Tuesday.
"It's been impressive," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "He's always been strong. You watch his batting practices, even in years past, he has the ability to do it. Now he's doing it in games."
