Philadelphia @ Oakland preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 19, 2014 ) Philadelphia 1, Oakland 3

The Oakland Athletics cannot afford many more losses over the last nine days of the regular season. The Athletics will try to put back-to-back wins together and hang on to the top American League wild-card spot when they host the Philadelphia Phillies in the second of a three-game series on Saturday. Oakland is one game ahead of the third-place Seattle Mariners in the wild-card race, with the Kansas City Royals sitting in between in the No. 2 spot.

The Athletics ran into one of the few teams that can claim a more inconsistent offense of late on Friday in the Phillies, who managed six hits in the 3-1 setback. Oakland totaled just seven hits, but three of them came in a row with two out in the second inning to push across the three runs. Philadelphia is 1-4 on its final road trip of the season and is averaging 2.8 runs in the last 14 games to fall four games behind the New York Mets in it NL East basement.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, CSN Philadelphia, CSN California (Oakland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Jerome Williams (5-7, 5.03 ERA) vs. Athletics LH Drew Pomeranz (5-4, 2.53)

Williams was saddled with a loss thanks to Philadelphia’s lack of offense Monday, when he surrendered just an unearned run on three hits over 7 2/3 innings at San Diego. The veteran is winless in three straight outings after a string of three straight victories to close out August. Williams, who started the season in the AL West with Texas, allowed one run over six innings to earn a win against Oakland on June 25.

Pomeranz is making the spot start in place of Jason Hammel, who left the team to attend the birth of his child. Pomeranz has allowed a total of one unearned run on four hits across 8 1/3 innings in his last two appearances, striking out 10 in that span. The 25-year-old is 0-2 in two career starts against Philadelphia while yielding six runs in nine total innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins (hamstring) has been out since Sep. 8 but could return this weekend.

2. Oakland RF Josh Reddick (neck) missed the last two games and is day-to-day.

3. Philadelphia 1B Darin Ruf has doubled in three straight games.

PREDICTION: Athletics, Phillies 3