OAKLAND Elvis Andrus Jersey , Calif. — Oakland Athletics fans will get to see Shohei Ohtani one last time in 2018 at the same venue at which everyone saw him for the first time this season when the Los Angeles Angels close out a three-game series on Thursday afternoon.While Ohtani and the Angels look to win the season series from Oakland, the A’s (91-61) will be trying to avoid losing ground to the red-hot Tampa Bay Rays (85-66) in a suddenly tight race for the second wild-card playoff spot in the American League.The A’s will take the field for the afternoon affair several hours before the Rays begin a four-game road series at Toronto. Tampa Bay has won four in a row, including Saturday and Sunday against the A’s to get the Rays back in the race.Article continues below ...While A’s fans surely will save most of their applause for the home club, no doubt they will shower some on Ohtani, the unique two-way talent whose first major league hit came on March 29 in Oakland, a single in his first at-bat against Kendall Graveman.Three days later, Ohtani recorded his first big-league pitching win, also in Oakland Ivan Rodriguez Jersey , when he limited the A’s to three runs in six innings in a 7-4 win.Almost six months later, Ohtani is finishing his rookie season only as a hitter, having torn the UCL in his right elbow while pitching on Sept. 2.He completed the pitching portion of his season with a 4-2 record and 3.31 ERA.The injury hasn’t slowed Ohtani’s bat. He has recorded hits in 11 of 14 games this month, including one in each of the first two games of the Oakland series.He will take a .292 average, and a chance to hit .300, into the Angels’ final 10 games of the season.With 327 plate appearances and 10 pitching starts, he is assured of being the first major-leaguer with that combination since Babe Ruth in 1919.Ohtani has hit 6-for-23 (.261) against the A’s this season but went 0-for-3 against Thursday’s starter, right-hander Edwin Jackson http://www.rangersfanproshop.com/authentic-shin-soo-choo-jersey , in an August game.Jackson (5-3, 3.17) will be attempting to pitch the A’s to their 14th consecutive non-losing home series. Oakland has won 11 and tied two since getting swept in a three-gamer against Houston in June.The A’s and Angels have split the first two games of their three-game set.Jackson shut out the Angels for 7 1/3 innings in a 7-0 win in Los Angeles in August. It improved his lifetime record against the Angels to 5-4 with a 3.39 ERA in 13 games, including 10 starts.Right-hander Matt Shoemaker (2-1, 3.98) is scheduled to pitch the series finale for the Angels.He pitched an 8-3 win over the A’s in the opening series of the season, during which the Angels took three of four. Los Angeles has retained an edge in the seasons series all year, but now clings to just an 8-7 advantage.In his career, Shoemaker has compiled a 6-2 record and 3.61 ERA in 13 games (12 starts) against Oakland. ST. LOUIS (AP) Mike Shildt got a glimpse of the St. Louis Cardinals‘ future Wednesday night.The interim manager was plenty encouraged by what he saw in a 6-3 win over the Colorado Rockies.”That’s the blueprint of how you play the game,” Shildt said. ”Every phase was executed (well) across the board.”Rookie outfielder Tyler O’Neill hit a tiebreaking pinch single in the sixth inning and five rookie relievers dominated over 6 1/3 innings to lift the Cardinals.”We’re playing the game the right way Prince Fielder Jersey ,” said Harrison Bader, who scored the go-ahead run on O’Neill’s single.Bader, also a rookie, had three hits and used his speed to leg out a double and set the stage for the winning tally.St. Louis starter Luke Weaver allowed two runs in 2 2/3 innings before handing off to the bullpen. Daniel Poncedeleon followed with 2 1/3 scoreless innings, and Austin Gomber, Dakota Hudson, Jordan Hicks and Mike Mayers closed it out. Gomber (1-0) got his first career victory with a scoreless inning. Mayers allowed a run in the ninth but struck out three.”I think we all showed we are ready,” Poncedeleon said.Bader doubled with one out off Kyle Freeland (9-7) to start the go-ahead rally. O’Neill followed with a run-scoring single up the middle http://www.rangersfanproshop.com/authentic-adrian-beltre-jersey , his first pinch hit in nine attempts, to break the 2-all tie. O’Neill was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday.”That was a big-time at-bat he took,” Shildt said. ”You saw him bear down and take a nice swing. It was good to see.”The relief corps allowed one run and two hits.”We just couldn’t solve their bullpen,” Rockies manager Bud Black said.Yadier Molina added a two-run double in the eighth to push the lead to 5-2. Marcell Ozuna followed with a run-scoring hit.The Rockies scored twice in the third, on hits by Trevor Story and Gerardo Parra.Paul DeJong cut the early 2-0 deficit in half with an RBI hit in the third. Poncedeleon brought in Yairo Munoz with a groundout to tie it in the fourth.Freeland gave up three runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out five and walked three.”We just need to keep doing what we were doing,” Freeland said. ”Getting good starts out of starters, offense doing their thing.”St. Louis has won 17 of its last 21 at home against the Rockies.The 3-hour, 59-minute game was the Cardinals’ longest nine-inning game of the season.”It was worth it Nolan Ryan Jersey ,” Bader said.TRAINER’S ROOMRockies: INF DJ LeMahieu will come off the disabled list Thursday and is expected to play in the series finale. LeMahieu has been out since July 21 with a left oblique strain.Cardinals: INF Kolten Wong will make a rehab start with Class A Peoria on Thursday. He has been out since July 22 with left knee inflammation.UP NEXTRHP Antonio Senzatela (4-3, 5.01) will face RHP Miles Mikolas (11-3, 2.83) in the finale of the four-game set Thursday. Senzatela is 0-2 with a 7.94 ERA in two road starts this season. Mikolas has recorded 14 quality starts in 21 starts this season.—