The Angels visit the Coliseum starting Friday and their probable starting pitchers for the three-game series should sound familiar. Andrew Heaney, pitching Friday, faced the A’s on Opening Night in Oakland. Right-handers Griffin Canning and Dylan Bundy have each seen the A’s twice already this season.
In a quirk of the 60-game schedule, the A’s play the Angels 10 times in their first 29 games and then not again. With hitters seeing the same pitchers several times within a month, then, does one side have the advantage?
“I think it’s individual,” A’s third baseman Matt Chapman said Thursday. “There’s some guys that you see multiple times and the more you face them, the more comfortable you feel. Personally, I like the fact that I’ve seen those guys a few times now and it gives me the advantage, where I feel like they might have had the advantage early.”
“I’d say usually it’s the hitter when you see a pitcher multiple times,” manager Bob Melvin said.
Both added a caveat, however: Bundy.
In two starts against the A’s this season, Bundy has thrown 13 ⅔ innings and allowed one run on seven hits with 17 strikeouts. The Angels won both games; the A’s are 4-1 in their other five matchups.
“Based off how Bundy pitched against us the last two times I don’t think he’s too worried about us having any kind of advantage,” Chapman said. “We’ve still got to prove to him that we can hit or lay off his slider.”
Bundy threw just 35% fastballs in his first outing against the A’s, per Brooks Baseball, and fewer in his second, 22% compared to 34% sliders. Melvin noted that time Bundy was throwing “more sliders, a lot of changeups, curveballs, and then just showing his fastball at times.”
“I think that’s the interesting thing: Will the hitter make the adjustment or will the pitcher make an adjustment to beat you,” Chapman said. “That’s what this level’s all about is can guys make adjustments and keep you off-balance or can you make that adjustment to finally get that guy.”
The A’s, meanwhile, are scheduled to start Mike Fiers, Chris Bassitt and Frankie Montas this weekend. In five starts against the Angels this season, they have combined for a 5.91 ERA in 21 ⅓ innings with 27 hits allowed and 16 strikeouts.
On Smith: Melvin reiterated Thursday that it’s unlikely reliever Burch Smith will pitch again for the A’s this season after sustaining a forearm strain Saturday against the Giants.
Smith had Tommy John surgery in 2015 after tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. Melvin said an MRI showed Smith’s injury “hasn’t compromised” his elbow ligament but the A’s will be cautious with the right-hander, who had a 2.25 ERA in six outings.
“Burch in my opinion probably has a tough time coming back this year,” Melvin said. “We want to make sure that he doesn’t come back too early with that thing based on the injuries that he’s had in the past. Rest in the most important thing for him right now.”
Matt Kawahara covers the A’s for the San Francisco Chronicle.
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