After a crushing loss on Sunday, the Oakland Athletics will look to regroup as they continue their road trip with a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals starting Monday. The A’s were swept in Washington, and their latest defeat was particularly painful, as they entered the ninth inning with a 7-2 lead before allowing six runs in a walk-off loss to the Nationals.https://www.stlouisfanshop.com/92-Cardinals_Wade_Leblanc_Jersey

JP Sears is set to take the mound for Oakland in the series opener, while the Cardinals will counter with right-hander Miles Mikolas. Sears will be making his 24th start of the season and aims to rebound from a tough outing against the Texas Rangers, where he surrendered nine hits and four runs over four innings. Despite that, Sears has maintained strong control, issuing just six walks over his last 19 2/3 innings.

The Cardinals have had a disappointing season, falling short of their NL Central aspirations. At 52-66, they currently sit in last place. Over their last 10 games, they have gone 5-5, with a 25-33 record at Busch Stadium this season. Mikolas, one of the few remaining healthy starters in the Cardinals' rotation, has been solid lately, allowing two runs on eight hits over seven innings in his last start against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Sunday’s loss overshadowed a breakout performance from A’s rookie Zack Gelof, who had his first career four-hit game, including two home runs. Gelof now boasts a .978 OPS and has been worth 1.3 fWAR in just 25 games. Seth Brown also had a strong showing, homering and driving in four runs. Additionally, Lawrence Butler made his second consecutive start in center field over Esteury Ruiz, doubling in four plate appearances.

The A’s will look to shake off their recent struggles and start fresh against St. Louis in hopes of turning their road trip around.