SF Giants probable pitchers & starting lineups vs. Oakland A's, August 18

The bats went silent as the SF Giants dropped the first game of a two-game series against the Oakland A's by a score of 2-0. They will now lean on Blake Snell to try and split the series.

SF Giants probable pitchers & starting lineups vs. Oakland A's, August 18

With every loss, the Giants' playoff odds become steeper. According to Fangraphs, they have a 5.5 percent chance of reaching the playoffs. Perhaps, it is not on point to be talking about the playoffs, but they are still somewhat in the mix even if the odds are remote. They need to bank wins now to prepare them for a brutal schedule in September.

Snell has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since returning from the injured list at the start of July. In his last seven starts, he has recorded a 0.99 ERA with 60 strikeouts against 14 walks in 45.1 frames. Overall, he has a 3.91 ERA across 13 starts with San Francisco.

Who it hot?

The bats went silent on Saturday, but Grant McCray is making a nice first impression after recording his second, multi-hit effort in his first three games. It is a very tiny sample, but the left-handed bat has tallied four hits, including a home run and double, in 10 at-bats.

Who are the SF Giants facing?

The Giants will be facing off against lefty pitcher JP Sears. Sears has posted a 4.32 ERA in 24 starts for the A's this season. He will not strike out a lot of batters, but relies on contact to generate outs. The 28-year-old has faced the Giants at the end of July and recorded seven scoreless innings in a 5-2 win.

SF Giants starting lineup, August 18

• 1. SS Tyler Fitzgerald
• 2. 1B Mark Canha
• 3. LF Heliot Ramos
• 4. 3B Matt Chapman
• 5. DH Jerar Encarnación
• 6. DH Casey Schmitt
• 7. RF Mike Yastrzemski
• 8. C Patrick Bailey
• 9. CF Grant McCray

Oakland A's starting lineup, August 18

• 1. RF Daz Cameron
• 2. DH Brent Rooker
• 3. CF J.J. Bleday
• 4. LF Miguel Andujar
• 5. C Shea Langeliers
• 6. 1B Tyler Nevin
• 7. 2B Zack Gelof
• 8. 3B Darell Hernaiz
• 9. SS Max Schuemann

How to follow today's game?

The Giants are on the road at the Oakland Coliseum and the game is scheduled at 1:07 PM PST. It is being televised on NBC Bay Area and the radio broadcast is on KNBR 680.