The Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals were back at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Thursday for the rubber match of their three-game interleague series, with first pitch set for 12:05 PM. The teams split the first two games, and Game #43 carried the feel of a mid-May test for two clubs trying to keep pace in their divisions.
Jacob Lopez was scheduled to start for the Athletics, while Michael McGreevy got the ball for the Cardinals. Lopez, a 28-year-old left-hander, entered with a 3-2 record and a 6.11 ERA over 35.1 innings, having started seven of his eight appearances and struck out 28 batters. McGreevy, 25 and right-handed, came in at 3-2 with a 2.11 ERA in eight starts, a sharper run that gave St. Louis a clear edge on the mound.
The matchup also fit the moment for both teams. The Athletics were in first place in the American League West at 22-20, while the Cardinals were third in the National League Central at 24-18. That standing gave the series more weight than a routine interleague stop, especially with the clubs meeting as the A's continued a stretch that has also put attention on Nick Kurtz leading the roster as Henry Bolte makes his big league debut, and Shea Langeliers' bat carrying the Athletics again in 2026.
Wednesday night’s tie in the series left both sides with something to settle on Thursday, and the pitching matchup pointed to a sharper contrast than the records alone. Lopez has given the Athletics innings and strikeouts, but his ERA shows how often traffic has turned into damage. McGreevy has been the steadier arm, and that kind of difference matters in a one-game swing after two teams have already spent two nights trading ground.
For the Athletics, the rubber match offered a chance to leave the series with a split and protect the small cushion that comes with leading the division. For the Cardinals, it was another opportunity to win an interleague road game and keep building on a stronger start than their place in the standings might suggest. That is what made Thursday feel less like a placeholder between series and more like the kind of game that can sharpen an early-season race.
The clubs had already framed this set as an interleague rivalry game, and the final meeting at Sutter Health Park put the spotlight on two starters carrying very different numbers into the same afternoon. If the Athletics were going to turn the series their way, they needed Lopez to look more like the pitcher who can miss bats and less like the one whose ERA has climbed into uncomfortable territory.
