A's Lineup: Crisp still out

OAKLAND -- The A's return home after a 4-2 road trip through the American League East. They now begin a 10-game homestand against the Rays. Derek Norris has been optioned to Triple-A to make room for new catcher George Kottaras who as acquired via trade on Sunday.
Oakland Athletics (55-46) lineupJemile Weeks, 2B
Jonny Gomes, DH
Josh Reddick, RF
Yoenis Cespedes, CF
Chris Carter, 1B
Brandon Inge, 3B
Kurt Suzuki, C
Seth Smith, LF
Brandon Hicks, SS
Instant AnalysisCoco Crisp is getting another day off to rest his sore hamstring. He will get some work in on the field prior to the game. Jemile Weeks will be leading off in place of Crisp as usual. The A's are facing their sixth left-handed pitcher in seven games. Top of the OrderJonny Gomes is batting second and is the designated hitter. Gomes has had success against Rays starting pitcher David Price -- going 3 for 6 with a double in his career against him. Heart of the OrderJosh Reddick is in the lineup and in right field for a second consecutive day after being forced to miss Saturday's game for precautionary measures after colliding with the outfield wall in Baltimore. Reddick has been the A's most consistent performer and the team has been fortunate to have him healthy all season. Since the All-Star Break Yoenis Cespedes is leading MLB with a 1.272 OPS. He is tied for the MLB lead with 18 RBIs, and his .443 batting average since the break is second best in all of baseball.Bottom of the OrderKurt Suzuki gets a major confidence boost having outlasted what looked like the end of his time with the A's. When Oakland called up rookie catcher Derek Norris on June 21 and gave him more playing time than the veteran catcher, it looked like he was slowly being pushed out the door. Now Norris is in Triple-A and Suzuki appears to be here to stay -- at least for now. Suzuki has been pretty consistent in the power department every year but he has just one home run this season. Maybe his stats will level out soon. Starting PitchersThe A's head back home to open up a 10-game homestand against the Rays, Blue Jays, and Angels. A.J. Griffin (3-0, 2.25 ERA) gets the ball in the first game. He has gone six innings in all six of his Major League starts. The rookie starting pitcher has yet to allow more than three earned runs.The A's will face yet another left-handed pitcher on Monday, and one of the best in the game, Rays starting pitcher David Price (14-4, 2.57 ERA).He has won his last three starts and last six decisions, and hasn't lost a game since June 13. Price beat the A's on May 4, tossing eight innings of one-run ball and striking out 12.