Coming off a scheduled workout and 13-pitch batting practice at Fenway Park, the Anglers will face Wareham at Veterans Field starting at 7 p.m. on Friday. These two last met across the bridge in a doubleheader at Wareham. The Gatemen swept the series on June 16 by a combined score of 13-5. 

Chatham came into Wednesday’s matchup with Bourne as the top team in the Cape League, but the A’s were dominated by Bourne and limited to just three hits in nine innings. 

“We didn’t do anything with the bat,” manager Tom Holliday said on Wednesday. “We didn’t deserve to win it and we lost it.”

Wareham is coming off a blowout, 11-0 win against Brewster. The Gatemen ripped double-digit runs off five extra base hits while limiting the Whitecaps to just four hits.

Probable Pitchers

Jack Owen (Auburn) will make his first start for the A’s on Friday. Owen, a left-hander, improved in his sophomore campaign after a 5.97 ERA as a freshman for the Tigers.

Cole Ayers (State College of Florida) will get the start on the mound for the Anglers on Friday, hoisting just one run in 5.1 innings of work. The right-handed pitcher has six strikeouts with a sub-.200 batting average on the season while issuing just two free passes. Ayers is coming off a shaky freshman season at Kentucky where he came out of the bullpen for the Wildcats in 26 games, but struggled to improve. Read about Ayers’ decision to transfer here.

Levi Prater (Oklahoma) will be Ayers’ opposing pitcher and will begin on the mound for the Gatemen. Prater, a lefty, went 6-4 for the Sooners this season with a 2.54 ERA in 63.2 innings. His 79 strikeouts were also an increase from his freshman season. 

Players to watch

Paxton Wallace (Wichita State) had his first hit on Wednesday since an injury at Wareham kept him out for a week. Wallace smacked a double down the first base foul line and scored the lone run in the A’s 4-1 loss. Prior to the injury, Wallace hit Chatham’s first home run and walked in four of his first six games on the Cape.

Cooper Swanson (Florida State) was activated on Thursday for the Anglers and Holliday expects to play him against the Gatemen. The infielder for the Seminoles blasted seven home runs in 2019, tied for third on the team. 

Stat to know — 6

Prater with be the sixth left-handed opposing pitcher the Anglers have faced in their last eight games. The results have varied against opposing pitchers in that time, but the A’s lineup will again play to its strengths with the matchup. 

Last time they played

Despite Jamal O’Guinn’s first home of the season, Wareham won the second leg of the June 16 doubleheader, 8-5.