Good morning! We are set for an early game today, a conclusion to the brief, two-game, slightly damp series in Kansas City. Normally, a weekend series has a Saturday game, but this one was just Friday and Sunday. Those crazy schedule makers!
I hope all of our players enjoyed yesterday's day off. If I had to guess, I would say that there was an all A's/Royals tournament of Texas Hold `Em in the hotel ballroom. They probably were drinking large mugs of hot chocolate. I bet Barry loves marshmallows.
No, I have no idea why Reggie Sanders got mad during the card game and threw his cards across the room. No, I also don't know why a random Royals fan ran into the room screaming that God hates the Royals.
In a division that will likely come down to the wire, every game counts. The A's are incredibly lucky to not have been buried early in the West, but they can't keep depending on rainouts and competitors' losses to stay in the race.
Let's be honest; if the offense doesn't start performing, it won't matter who is pitching our rotation; likewise, if our offense racks up the runs, the same holds true.
Smokin' Joe Blanton takes the mound for the A's today and he has been extremely effective against the Royals. We need a good, long pitching performance today from Blanton, and we need enough offense to win this game.
Starting Lineups:
Oakland
Kotsay
Swisher
Chavez
Thomas
Crosby
Payton
Johnson
Kendall
Ellis
Kansas City:
Robinson
Graffanino
Sweeney
Mientkiewicz
Brown
Teahen
Berroa
Bako
German
