CHATHAM, Mass. — After two consecutive off-days, one of which was unscheduled, the A’s could’ve asked for a better return to play than what they received.

A new-look Anglers lineup, featuring three Cape Cod Baseball League debutants, struggled to score when it arrived at Doran Park to take on Bourne Wednesday. Chatham had seven hits in the 9-2 loss to the Braves. None of them went for extra bases. Oliver Pudvar (UConn) delivered five shutout innings in his start, but the Anglers couldn’t capitalize on his success.

But Chatham will have a chance to redeem itself Thursday. The A’s return to Veterans Field to take on Wareham in a contest that was previously postponed due to inclement weather. The Gatemen have just five wins this season, and feature one of the Cape’s worst offenses.

Here’s everything to know before Chatham (9-9-2, East) hosts Wareham (5-15, West).

Probable Starters

In Thursday’s home contest, Jack Gleason (Mississippi State) is making his second start of the year for Chatham. Coincidentally, both of his starts have come against Wareham. The first one was a road game where Gleason was deputized to replace the A’s original starter — Colin Fisher (Arkansas/Transfer) — less than 24 hours before the game. The move worked out, with Gleason throwing three shutout innings in just 37 pitches.

Fisher’s former teammate, Peyton Lee (Arkansas), has had more starting experience on the Cape than Gleason. Thus far, he’s started three of his four outings for the Gatemen, but they haven’t been the best showings for him. Lee currently sits at a 5.25 earned run average in his 12 innings of work, and he’s walked 13 batters to just six strikeouts for Wareham.

Wareham Players To Watch

On a Wareham offense that has just two qualified hitters with an OPS above .690, Jason Wachs (LSU) is an aberration. The center fielder is one of five Gatemen with a homer on the season, and he’s second among qualified Wareham batters with a .691 OPS. That mark is buoyed by his team-leading nine walks, which have given him a team-leading .375 on-base percentage.

RJ Hamilton (Duke) has similarly been a bright spot on an otherwise unremarkable Wareham offense. He is the only Gateman with double-digit run and hit totals this summer. The second baseman also leads the Gatemen with five stolen bases, a .271 batting average and a .706 OPS — the lone Gateman with an OPS greater than .700.

Chatham Players To Watch

Last summer, Chatham had a Georgia slugger who evolved into one of the nation’s best power hitters. His name was Daniel Jackson. That’s not to say Naulivou Lauaki Jr. (Georgia) will be the next Daniel Jackson — a Golden Spikes winner — but the recent Bulldog commit has some parallels to Jackson. Lauaki, like Jackson, can struggle with swing and misses at times. But when the A’s first baseman connects with the ball, like Jackson, it goes very far.

Jamie Palmese (Kansas) is one of the many new faces Chatham introduced to its lineup Wednesday, and he had a mighty fine Cape League debut against Bourne. He singled in his first at bat, and scored Chatham’s first run of the game after Ty Peeples (Florida State) was nearly caught in a rundown. That was all Palmese had on the day, but it was a strong debut showing.

Number To Know: 1

When Chatham took the field against Bourne Wednesday, it did so with an entirely different cast of characters. The last time the A’s took the trek to Doran Park, it was Opening Day.

The A’s contest against Bourne officially marked the halfway point of the 2026 season. Twenty games in, there was one player in Chatham’s lineup who was with the team to begin the summer: Rob Rispoli (UConn). But considering how the Anglers began the season — four straight losses — perhaps all the turnover might be a positive for them.

Last Time They Played

As previously mentioned, the last time these squads faced off on June 28, Gleason was thrust into action the day before the game. Fisher, who had been penciled in to start the game initially, was occupied at the MLB Draft Combine, and couldn’t return to Chatham in time to pitch.

But that uncertainty didn’t matter in the slightest. Gleason pitched a dominant three innings to begin his outing, and set the tone for the A’s in their first shutout win of the season. Chatham’s arms struck out 15 Gatemen in their final trip to Spillane Field, and overcame a three-hit day from their offense to escape with a 2-0 win.

“We really thought, coming in, it was gonna be a tough night, just because of the pitching situation,” A’s manager Dennis Cook said. “But the guys stepped up, and did a great job.”