After being flumoxed by Kenny Rogers last night, the A's get right back at it today with Jeremy Bonderman looming large. The A's send Barry Zito to the mound with a 1-2 record and a 7.53 ERA. Bonderman has a 1-2 record and a 6.23 ERA.
Which Zito will the A's get? Opening day Barry? Seattle Barry? Or a mixture of the two, otherwise known as the Texas Barry? Hopefully they get Seattle Barry to counteract a fully amped Bonderman.
The A's lineup returns to normal, or at least normal for this season.
Ellis
Kotsay
Crosby
Chavez
Thomas
Bradley
Swisher
Kendall
Johnson
Stop the presses everyone, there's been a DJ sighting! Granted, he's hitting ninth, but it is only a matter of time before the guy breaks out of it. Crosby is again hitting third, which continues to perplex. I just have to think that the A's honestly believe he will evolve into a number three hitter. Plus, they obviously like Bradley protecting the big boppers in the A's lineup.
Regardless, only a select few of the A's batters have been consistently good so far this year. Swisher, Chavez, Bradley and Kotsay have been relatively steady. Thomas is good for a dinger every now and then, but the A's aren't getting the minimum contributions from the other spots in the order. You can rearrange it any way you like, but until others wake up and approach league average this offense is going to remain dormant.
The Tigers throw out this group:
Granderson
Polanco
Rodriguez
Ordonez
Thames
Shelton
Guillen
Monroe
Inge
Hold em down, Z. Hold em down.
LET'S GO OAK-LAND!!!!!!!