Oakland Athletics vs Cleveland Guardians Picks and Predictions May 3rd 2026

Guardians’ Travis Bazzana strives to heat up in finale vs. A’s

Cleveland Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana is breathing a sigh of relief after recording his first major league hit in Saturday’s game against the Athletics, snapping an 0-for-12 spell to start his career.

Bazzana will look for more production at the plate on Sunday afternoon when Cleveland vies for a sweep of its three-game series against the Athletics in West Sacramento, Calif.

The Guardians selected Bazzana with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft after his standout college career at Oregon State. While his first full season in the organization in 2025 was hampered by an oblique injury, it did not delay his fast track to the majors. The 23-year-old from Australia made his debut on Tuesday.

A .407 hitter in his final college season, Bazzana got his first major league hit when he singled off Hogan Harris in the seventh inning of Cleveland’s 14-6 win over the A’s on Saturday. Bazzana even accomplished two goals in one swing — the single also gave him his first two RBIs.

“It was a competitive at-bat, and I was confident he was going to go at me with the fastball right there — I got a good one,” Bazzana said.

With his first hit out of the way, Bazzana hopes to catch the slipstream of his teammate Chase DeLauter, who’s been on a tear at the plate. DeLauter extended his hitting streak to seven games and has reached base in 11 straight after recording a single in the second inning on Saturday.

With 8-5 and 14-6 victories secured on Friday and Saturday, the Guardians already have snapped a stretch of three straight lost series. Now they will turn to left-hander Parker Messick (3-0, 1.73 ERA) to try and complete the series sweep.

The 25-year-old out of Florida State has instantly made a name for himself since debuting in August 2025, allowing two or fewer runs in 10 of his first 13 career starts.

On April 16, Messick took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against Baltimore but was removed after giving up two runs and two hits over eight innings. Sunday will mark his first-ever appearance vs. the Athletics.

Messick will oppose A’s right-hander Aaron Civale (2-1, 3.23 ERA), who spent the first four full seasons of his career in Cleveland before being traded to Tampa Bay in 2023. He then split time between the Rays, Milwaukee and both Chicago teams before joining the Athletics on a one-year deal this past offseason.

Civale, 30, is 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA in four career starts against the Guardians. He was a late addition to the A’s roster in February but has emerged as one of their most consistent starters.

“Overall, he keeps us in games right now, and that’s a good sign,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said after Civale’s last start on Tuesday.

The A’s lost to Kansas City 4-1 in 10 innings, but Civale threw five shutout innings in a no-decision.

–Field Level Media