70 games already, huh? At least the A's have won 38 of them...and quite remarkably, they've won the last 10 times in a row.
The A's send out slugging Danny Haren with a 1.000 OPS last year in interleague play. Could the nice thin air of Coors help him get one up and over the fence? Probably not since the Coors stadium operations started treating baseballs like Cohibas. Any way, Haren's relevant pitching line is 6-5 with a 3.44 ERA in 2006. Byung-Hyun Kim was plucked off the scrap heap and he's currently 3-4 with a 5.40 ERA.
The A's lineup still lacks a certain right fielder, but here it is:
Kendall
Swisher
Chavez
Crosby
Johnson
Kielty
Payton
Rouse
Haren
How far has DJ come? Granted, the pitcher's slot is in the lineup, but DJ is hitting fifth tonight. I'm very happy that our first baseman has arisen from the dreadful nearly four-month slump going back to last season.
The A's roster has a total of 36 ABs against Kim, so it's tough to draw any conclusions about the stats. But in their very limited plate appearances, Bradley and Thomas have had the most success, with Chavez rounding it out. Wish we weren't missing those two.
Any way, the surprising Rockies who are only two games out in the NL West, send out this lineup:
Carroll
Spilborghs
Helton
Holliday
Atkins
Hawpe
Torrealba
Barmes
Kim
This group of Rockies has total of six ABs against Haren. Not surprisingly, Helton has had success against Danny Boy in the past, but there's no shame in that.
The A's also might have a new pitcher coming out of the pen tonight in Scott Sauerbeck. I imagine that the 17 inning affair led the A's to the move and that Sauerbeck is a temporary solution until Duke and Kennedy get back. My fear is that this means that Kennedy might be gone longer than anyone anticipates. We'll have to see if that's the case. Sauerbeck isn't bad as long as he's used in the proper role...which is against lefties. You hear that, Macha? I don't want to see Sauerbeck ever face a righty in a meaningful situation. EVER.
Let's try and make it 11. LET'S GO A'S!!!
