Where were we?
The Oakland A’s are playing for the first time in nearly a week. When we last saw them, they were getting swept in a Saturday doubleheader by the Houston Astros, but Oakland is still atop the AL West division by two games. At 22-12, they’re the second-best club in the American League, behind just the Tampa Bay Rays.
Now they’ll get their toughest test of the season so far, as the San Diego Padres are stacked and hot. They’ve won 12 of their last 16 games, and they’re the No. 4 seed in the NL as the second-place squad with the best record.