It's Game 4 of the Bay Bridge Series, and the A's need a win to walk away series victors. After taking the first two contests in Oakland, the A's came out flat last night, losing 5-2 in a lackluster game that saw Jason Hammel struggle in his first start with the green and gold.
Today's getaway day matinee features an incredible pitching matchup: San Francisco's Tim Hudson against Oakland's Scott Kazmir. Both pitchers are experiencing a remarkable resurgence from careers that seemed to be over, and both sport ERAs of 2.53. Given the Giants' offensive woes lately, that bodes well for the A's, but as last night saw, pitching matchups can mean anything.
Coco Crisp is out of the A's lineup with an iffy ankle (it would likely have been a scheduled off-day, anyway), which leaves John Jaso in the leadoff spot. Bob Melvin has four other left-handed hitters in his lineup (five, is you count Kazmir), with Stephen Vogt playing first base, Craig Gentry in center field, and Brandon Moss in right.
First pitch is at 12:45. Full lineups: