The A's and Barry Zito with a 10-7 record and a 3.52 ERA take on the Blue Jays and Dustin McGowan who is 1-0 with a 7.94 ERA.
McGowan makes his first start this season after starting seven games in 2005. He finished 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA. But if there was ever an offense to give a start to help a young pitcher gain confidence, it was against the A's who always seem to struggle against pitchers they haven't seen before. A few of the A's have ABs against the pitcher, but nothing of substance.
McGowan faces a pitcher who could be making his last start as an Oakland Athletic. Who knows what will happen this weekend, but I would really like to see Zito have a magnificent start in what could be his final turn in the green and gold. If nothing more than to make sure that Billy Beane receives the best possible offer. I don't want to see Zito traded, but I also don't want to see a horrific starting rotation for all of 2007 either.
The A's lineup looks like this:
Kendall
Kotsay
Bradley
Thomas
Payton
Swisher
Chavez
Scutaro
Ellis
Crosby sits down probably to rest his aching back.
The Blue Jays formidable lineup facing Zito looks like this:
Johnson
Hill
Wells
Glaus
Rios
Molina
Overbay
Phillips
McDonald
LET'S GO A'S!!!!!!! LET'S GO ZI-TO!!!
