The Oakland Athletics took Game 2 of the potential Wild Card one-game playoff preview with the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 Friday night. They look to edge even closer to the front-running Rays Saturday afternoon, when they send Brandon McCarthy to mound at Tropicana Field.
Tampa Bay (70-56) counters with Jeremy Hellickson in the rare Saturday series finale ahead of an equally rare Sunday off. The Rays took Game 1 of the 3-game set Thursday night and are 1 1/2 games ahead of second-place Oakland and the Baltimore Orioles for the top Wild Card spot. Two Wild Card teams will play a one-game playoff this season for the first time.
The Rays would like to skip that elimination game altogether and catch the New York Yankees in the East. They're currently 3 1/2 behind New York.
Here's the broadcast information for today's game:
Date/Time: Friday, Aug. 25, 1:10 p.m. ET
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.
TV: Sun Sports, MLB.tv
Probable Starters: Oakland - Brandon McCarthy (6-5, 3.16 ERA) vs. Tampa Bay - Jeremy Hellickson (8-8, 3.28 ERA)
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