OAKLAND -- A series between the A's and Guardians is not exactly a traditional pairing to start the season. But given the circumstances, you couldn't write a better matchup.

Two years ago, Stephen Vogt re-signed with the A's for his final season as a player and went out magically with a home run in his final at-bat on the last day of the 2022 campaign. It was the perfect ending to the career of one of the most beloved players in Oakland history.

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Fittingly, two years later, Vogt returns to the Coliseum to begin the next chapter of his baseball career as manager of the Guardians. His managerial debut will see him face his former manager, Mark Kotsay, who has been a staunch supporter of Vogt's foray into coaching since his retirement.

Coming off back-to-back 100-loss seasons, the rebuilding A's are looking to take a sizable step forward in 2024. With improvements on the pitching side, a promising young core on offense headlined by Zack Gelof, Lawrence Butler and Ryan Noda, and other top prospects who are close to Major League-ready, the A's believe they can challenge for a .500 season, which would be a massive improvement over the previous two years.

The Guardians are one of a few young teams on the rise in what is shaping up into an interesting American League Central. They finished 76-86 in a 2023 season that saw the arrival of MLB Top 100 prospects Gavin Williams, Bo Naylor and Tanner Bibee. This year's improvements could come from within, with top prospects such as outfielder Chase DeLauter, first baseman Kyle Manzardo and shortstop Brayan Rocchio likely to impact the big league club this season.

When is the game and how can I watch it?

First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. PT/10:07 ET on Thursday. A's fans can watch on NBC Sports California locally and listen on A's Cast or Bloomberg 960. Guardians fans can watch the game on Bally Sports Great Lakes. It can also be heard on the Guardians Radio Network.

What are the lineups?

A's: The A's rely heavily on matchups, so expect many different lineup combinations throughout the season. This specific lineup is based on the Guardians having a right-hander on the mound for Opening Day. The A's will carry five outfielders on their Opening Day roster and deploy each player in semi-platoons, which means Esteury Ruiz and possibly Hoy Park will get plenty of at-bats.

1. Ryan Noda, 1B
2. Zack Gelof, 2B
3. JJ Bleday, CF
4. Brent Rooker, DH
5. Seth Brown, LF
6. J.D. Davis, 3B
7. Shea Langeliers, C
8. Lawrence Butler, RF
9. Nick Allen, SS

Guardians: There are so many moving pieces for the Guardians. The team could rotate any of the guys on the bench into that DH spot, but because the A's will have a lefty on the mound, David Fry will take on those duties. But this lineup has more things to figure out than just the DH.

1. Steven Kwan, LF
2. José Ramírez, 3B
3. Ramón Laureano, RF
4. Josh Naylor, 1B
5. David Fry, DH
6. Tyler Freeman, CF
7. Andrés Giménez, 2B
8. Austin Hedges, C
9. Brayan Rocchio, SS

Who are the starting pitchers?

A's: Alex Wood, who signed a one-year deal with Oakland this offseason, is rewarded with his first career Opening Day nod as he enters his 12th big league season. The veteran left-hander finds himself back in a starting rotation full-time after performing a swingman role with the Giants last season, posting a 4.33 ERA with 74 strikeouts and 42 walks in 97 2/3 innings.

The former All-Star has proven to be a durable arm over his career by going 76-65 with a 3.74 ERA in 269 games (202 starts). The A's will look for him to anchor a mostly inexperienced rotation whose 738 innings pitched in 2023 were the fewest by any staff in the American League, as well as provide leadership for younger pitchers on the staff such as JP Sears, Joe Boyle, Mitch Spence and Kyle Muller.

The A's were most excited about Wood's strike-throwing ability, and that showed through in Spring Training. He issued just two walks with 17 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings through four Cactus League starts.

Guardians: Shane Bieber will take the ball on Opening Day for the fifth consecutive year. This ties him for the longest such streak by a pitcher in Cleveland history with Corey Kluber (2015-19) and Stan Coveleski (1917-21). After Kluber was traded to the Rangers at the end of the '19 season, Bieber began his reign as Opening Day starter in '20 at age 25, becoming the youngest to do so for Cleveland since a 23-year-old CC Sabathia in 2004.

Throughout Spring Training, Bieber looked like vintage Bieber. The man who was a slam-dunk Cy Young winner in 2020 had to learn to stay effective after his curveball became more hittable and lost some velocity. After an offseason at Driveline, Bieber's velocity has returned to its original 93-94 mph range and his curveball devastated Cactus League opponents. Now, he'll need to carry this success into the regular season.

How might the bullpens line up after the starter?

A's: The A's have a good idea of what their back end might look like. It's highlighted by their top pitching prospect, Mason Miller, who is expected to open the year as the club's closer. Lucas Erceg and Dany Jiménez are the likely top two setup options, though their usage will be based on when high-leverage options arise in games. Zach Jackson and Austin Adams figure to slot somewhere in the middle innings, while Mitch Spence and Kyle Muller both have starting experience and can provide length or make spot starts.

Guardians: The Guardians are still figuring out the answer to this question. We know that Emmanuel Clase will be the closer. Scott Barlow is the most likely candidate to be the setup man. Tyler Beede is there to provide some length. From there, anything could happen. Vogt will need to see which relievers emerge as the best high-leverage options for the club as the situations arise.

Any injuries of note?

A's: The injury bug took a toll on the A's this spring. Luis Medina, Aledmys Díaz, Miguel Andújar, Scott Alexander, Trevor Gott and Sean Newcomb, all players expected to be part of their Opening Day roster, will begin the season on the injured list.

Guardians: Carlos Carrasco took the fifth spot in the rotation after Gavin Williams was put behind schedule due to elbow discomfort this spring. The bullpen is missing three key pieces as well. Trevor Stephan is scheduled to get right elbow surgery in the coming days. James Karinchak is still building up after reporting to camp with right shoulder fatigue. And Sam Hentges will be out for a little longer after dealing with swelling in the middle finger of his left hand.

Who's hot, and who's not?

A's: Hoy Park's spring performance was nothing short of remarkable. The non-roster invite likely earned himself an Opening Day roster spot after hitting an even .500 in Cactus League play, leading all players in Spring Training with 21 hits.

Shea Langeliers, Zack Gelof, Lawrence Butler and JJ Bleday swung the bat well this spring, each collecting at least 15 hits in the Cactus League. On the pitching side, JP Sears was arguably the club's top starter, posting a 2.08 ERA in four Cactus League starts with 15 strikeouts and one walk in 13 innings.

Newcomer Ross Stripling felt good about the adjustments he worked on this spring, including a new "Deathball" that he added to his arsenal of pitches. The results were a bit frustrating. The veteran righty posted an 8.38 ERA in five Cactus League outings, allowing 18 earned runs on 30 hits and four walks with 13 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings.

Guardians: Regarding hitters, Steven Kwan and Josh Naylor are already in midseason form. Kwan logged 15 hits in 16 Cactus League games with 10 RBIs, a grand slam and just three strikeouts. Naylor, too, had 15 hits in his 17 Cactus League games, drew five walks and knocked in seven runs. On the other side of the ball, it's hard to be much hotter than Bieber has been since he first toed the rubber on the backfields at Cleveland's training complex six weeks ago. In four Cactus League starts, he gave up just three runs (1.56 ERA) and struck out 19 batters in 17 1/3 innings.

Eli Morgan and Estevan Florial fall into the "not" category. Morgan gave up 10 runs in eight innings of Cactus League play, including four homers and five walks. With the injuries to Cleveland's bullpen, the team will need Morgan to right the ship as the regular season commences. Offensively, Florial has yet to find his stride. The Guardians are hoping he can bring some much-needed pop to a lineup in desperate need of power. In spring, he picked up just eight hits in 49 at-bats (.163) with no homers, three RBIs and 21 strikeouts.

Anything else fans might want to know?

A's: The A's will open the season at home for the 14th time in the last 15 years (including two games in Tokyo in 2019 where they were the home team) and will be facing Cleveland on Opening Day for just the seventh time in club history. Oakland has won five of its last nine openers. Wood will become Oakland's fourth different Opening Day starting pitcher in the last four years (Kyle Muller, Frankie Montas, Chris Bassitt) and the sixth in the last seven (Mike Fiers, Kendall Graveman).

Guardians: Having one ace to consistently turn to is commonplace in Northeast Ohio. Bieber is preparing for his fifth consecutive Opening Day start after Corey Kluber took the previous five openers and Justin Masterson handled the three before Kluber. Cleveland last had different starters in three consecutive season openers in 2009 (Cliff Lee), '10 (Jake Westbrook), and '11 (Roberto Hernandez).