Baseball Game Preview: Lowell Devils vs. Oakland Oakers

Lowell and Oakland are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2017, but likely not for long. The Devils will challenge the Oakers at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Lowell has seven straight victories, Oakland has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

While Lowell didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-12), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They put the hurt on Riddle with a sharp 12-1 win on Saturday. The result was nothing new for the Devils, who have now won six contests by six runs or more so far this season.

The team relied heavily on Barrett Straight, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March. Adam Davis also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.

Camas Valley hit Oakland with a five-run fifth inning on Monday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Oakers lost 11-1 to the Hornets.

Oakland also got a good showing from Jachai Myers, who tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Myers has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Gabe Williamson was cooking despite his team's loss, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases and one RBI.

Lowell pushed their record up to 9-3 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Oakland, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-13.

Lowell took their victory against Oakland in their previous matchup two weeks ago by a conclusive 13-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Devils since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.