It’s time for the first gamethread of the year. With the San Francisco Giants set to visit the Oakland A’s for the penultimate preseason game — and things finally televised — it seemed like we should have a place to talk about the action.
During the regular season, I usually use this space to talk a tiny bit about the pitching matchup, but today there are two other things to talk about instead. First, it’s of note that Marco Luciano is in the lineup, starting at shortstop. We’re at the point in the season where the games really are going to feature players who figure to be integral parts of the team — save for a likely goodbye to Pablo Sandoval on Tuesday — so Luciano’s inclusion is of note.