Oakland @ Cleveland preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 7, 2018 ) Oakland 6, Cleveland 3

The Oakland Athletics are making a bid to join the top teams in the American League prior to the All-Star break and turn their team into buyers instead of sellers at the end of the month. The Athletics are winners of nine of their last 11 and will try to earn their second series win over the Cleveland Indians in the last week when they visit for the rubber match of a three-game series on Sunday.

Oakland, which took two of three from the Indians last weekend at home, scored three runs in the eighth inning to tie the game on Saturday before earning a 6-3 victory in 11 innings. "You can't sleep on our offense," outfielder Stephen Piscotty, who hit a two-run homer in the 11th inning, told reporters. "We can vaporize a lead really quick. We know that, and that's why we keep grinding and keep playing." Cleveland had a five-game winning streak come to an end with Saturday's loss but still owns a 10 1/2-game lead over the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central. The Indians will send rookie Shane Bieber to the mound in the finale while the Athletics counter with lefty Brett Anderson.

TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, NBCS California (Oakland), STO (Cleveland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics LH Brett Anderson (0-2, 7.63 ERA) vs. Indians RH Shane Bieber (4-0, 2.97)

Anderson is returning to the rotation for the first time since May 18 after dealing with a shoulder strain. The veteran has not thrown more than 55 1/3 innings since 2015 while dealing with injuries and was knocked around for 25 hits in 15 1/3 frames before going down in May. Anderson made three of his four starts on the road before he was hurt and went 0-1 with a 4.38 ERA in those outings.

Bieber has yet to lose since making his major-league debut on May 31 and earned a win at Kansas City on Tuesday despite allowing four runs and nine hits in six innings at Kansas City. The 23-year-old surrendered a total of two runs over 18 2/3 innings in his previous three outings, earning the win in all three turns. Bieber is seeing the Athletics for the first time in his career and is 2-0 with a 0.71 ERA in two starts at home.

WALK-OFFS

1. Athletics 3B Matt Chapman went 4-for-4 on Saturday and recorded his first career stolen base.

2. Cleveland 1B/DH Edwin Encarnacion is 5-for-34 over his last 10 games.

3. Oakland placed OF Matt Joyce (back) on the 10-day DL on Saturday.

PREDICTION: Indians 8, Athletics 5