For the second year in a row, the A’s will host the Angels on Opening Day at Oakland Coliseum. The opening four-game series kicks off a 2020 campaign in which both clubs are looking to close the gap and overtake the Astros for American League West supremacy.

Oakland brings a promising starting rotation anchored by Frankie Montas and followed by Sean Manaea, Mike Fiers, Chris Bassitt and Daniel Mengden to begin the regular season. Jesús Luzardo, the A’s No. 1 prospect per MLB Pipeline, will begin the season in the bullpen, but he could soon move into the rotation once his arm gets built up.

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The Angels will counter that rotation with one of the deepest lineups in baseball. A strong offense that already featured 2019 AL MVP Mike Trout and two-way star Shohei Ohtani was bolstered with the high-profile free-agent signing of Anthony Rendon. But the A’s can also mash, leading off with Marcus Semien, who finished second-runner-up to Trout in AL MVP voting. Matt Chapman and Matt Olson also provide plenty of power in addition to their stellar work on defense at the corner-infield spots.

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If the A’s are going to advance further than last year’s 97-win campaign that earned them a spot in the AL Wild Card Game, they’ll need to fend off an improved Angels squad that also made a splash this offseason with the hiring of manager Joe Maddon, who is sure to engage in some managerial chess matches with A’s skipper and three-time AL Manager of the Year Bob Melvin over the 10 meetings between the clubs this season.

When is the game and how can I watch it?
First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. PT on Friday. The game will be televised on NBC Sports California and Fox Sports West, along with MLB.TV, and there will be radio broadcasts on A’s Cast and the Angels Radio Network.

The starting lineups
A’s: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Not much will change from the A’s 2019 lineup, with the exception of second base. With Jurickson Profar traded to the Padres in the offseason, the A’s could utilize Tony Kemp, Franklin Barreto, Chad Pinder or Vimael Machin at the spot based on the matchup on a particular day. With the A’s facing left-hander Andrew Heaney on Opening Day, it’s likely that Pinder, who swung a hot bat in Summer Camp, will get the start at second.

Projected lineup

1. Marcus Semien, SS
2. Ramón Laureano, CF
3. Matt Chapman, 3B
4. Matt Olson, 1B
5. Khris Davis, DH
6. Mark Canha, LF
7. Stephen Piscotty, RF
8. Chad Pinder, 2B
9. Sean Murphy, C

Angels: The Angels will be without Rendon on Opening Day, as he's been dealing with oblique soreness since injuring himself on a swing on July 15, and David Fletcher is expected to be his replacement. Ohtani returns to two-way status and will serve as DH roughly four to five times a week.

Projected lineup

1. David Fletcher, 3B
2. Mike Trout, CF
3. Shohei Ohtani, DH
4. Justin Upton, LF
5. Tommy La Stella, 2B
6. Albert Pujols, 1B
7. Brian Goodwin, RF
8. Jason Castro, C
9. Andrelton Simmons, SS

Who are the starting pitchers?
A’s: Montas draws his first Opening Day start coming off a breakout year during which he went 9-2 with a 2.63 ERA over 16 starts with 103 strikeouts in 96 innings. The 27-year-old righty will also have something to prove this season as his 2019 campaign was marred by an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.

Angels: Heaney will make his first career Opening Day start and will be joined in the rotation by Dylan Bundy, Griffin Canning, Matt Andriese and Ohtani. The sixth spot remains up for grabs between Felix Peña, Jaime Barria and Patrick Sandoval. Right-hander Julio Teheran was a late arrival to camp after contracting COVID-19 in late June, but he is expected to join the rotation early in the season. Ohtani will start once a week on Sundays.

How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
A’s: Liam Hendriks returns as the team’s closer after a superb 2019 that earned him his first All-Star selection. The A’s will carry 10 relievers to begin the regular season, including Luzardo, Yusmeiro Petit, Joakim Soria, Jake Diekman, Lou Trivino, J.B. Wendelken, Jordan Weems, T.J. McFarland and Burch Smith. The right-handed Petit and the left-handed Diekman will likely get opportunities in the setup role.

Angels: Hansel Robles remains the club's closer and the Angels also bring back setup relievers Ty Buttrey and Cam Bedrosian. Keynan Middleton is expected to have a bigger role in his return from Tommy John surgery, while Noé Ramirez gives the Angels some length. Ryan Buchter will be the club's primary lefty, while the Angels are also high on newcomers Mike Mayers and Jacob Barnes.

Any injuries of note?
A’s: A.J. Puk, Oakland’s No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline, is on the injured list with a shoulder strain and no timetable for a return. The left-hander was slated to begin the season in the starting rotation. His slot will be filled by right-hander Daniel Mengden.

Angels: Rendon is dealing with oblique soreness, but he's not expected to be out long. Infielder Luis Rengifo is also dealing with hamstring soreness and might be placed on the 10-day injured list to open the season. The Angels also have several players not in camp for undisclosed reasons, including left-handers José Suarez and José Quijada and reliever Parker Markel. Fellow lefty Dillon Peters is on the injured list with an oblique strain.

Who is hot and who is not?
A’s: Pinder and Barreto were often singled out during the last two weeks of Summer Camp for their performances during simulated games. Davis went hitless in six at-bats over the A’s two exhibition games against the Giants.

Angels: Trout looked locked in at the plate in exhibition games, while others who stood out in intrasquad games include Fletcher, Upton and Castro. Ohtani has also fared well at the plate but is still working on his control on the mound after coming back from Tommy John surgery. Canning also looked sharp against the Padres in an exhibition game on Monday.

Anything else fans might want to know?
• Friday marks the debut of Maddon, who spent the first 30 years of his career in the Angels' organization as a coach before becoming the manager of the Rays and Cubs. Maddon was the bench coach of the 2002 Halos, when they won the World Series.

• Pujols enters the season with 656 homers, sixth most in Major League history. He's four shy of matching Hall of Famer Willie Mays for fifth all-time.

• Weems, one of baseball’s feel-good stories, could make his Major League debut at some point in the series. The 27-year-old right-hander was drafted as a catcher by the Red Sox in 2011, converted to pitching in '16 and was considered a long shot to make the A’s after entering Spring Training as a non-roster invite.