Hammel Will Start Against Former Team

Jason Hammel came to Oakland from Chicago at the beginning of July as part of a blockbuster trade that included Jeff Samardizja. Before Hammel played for the Chicago Cubs he pitched for the Baltimore Orioles. He now founds himself in the opposite dugout of his 2012-13 teammates.

This will be Hammel’s second start with the Oakland Athletics and his first against his former teammates in Baltimore since 2008.

Hammel got his first start with the A’s before the All-Star break. He gave up three runs over five innings in a loss to the San Francisco Giants. Hammel has a 3.60 ERA and will be looking to start feeling more comfortable with hi new club in this game.

Wei-Yin Chen will be taking the mound for Hammel’s former team. Chen is the leader in win on the Orioles’ pitching staff.  He has a 9-3 record. In his last outing, which came before the break, against the Washington Nationals he allowed eight hits and three runs in a little over five innings. Those are not impressive numbers, but it got his team the victory.

Chen has a 4.15 ERA, which shouldn’t result in his current winning record. Chen attributes the victories to how well Baltimore has been playing offensively.

This is the second game in this series. In the last game, Baltimore won 5-4. The A’s are the favorites to win this one with a -150 moneyline compared to Baltimores +135 moneyline. The game starts at 9:05 p.m. ET.