The A's and Joe Blanton with a 7-7 record and a 4.85 ERA take on the mighty Detroit Tigers and Nate Robertson with a 8-3 record and a 3.13 ERA.
The A's face a daunting task with the Tigers. Detroit's pitching might not be as good as its been in the first half, but statistically, it ranks among the best in baseball right now in many, many categories. That's a scary proposition for a team whose offense has seen better days.
The A's throw out this lineup:
Kotsay
Swisher
Crosby
Chavez
Thomas
Payton
Kielty
Kendall
Ellis
Chavez returns after three days of rest. Hopefully it did him some good because he's the cog that makes the A's offensive engine go. He returns to have his buddy Frank Thomas backing him up. If you're wondering why Crosby is hitting third, his small sample size stats against Robertson are very good (1.167 OPS). Payton and Frank Thomas have also had success against Robertson in the past.
The Tigers counter with this group:
Granderson
Polanco
Rodriguez
Ordonez
Guillen
Thames
Monroe
Shelton
Inge
The Tigers faced Blanton on April 19th this season and he gave up eight runs, seven earned and only lasted 4 1/3.
We can only hope for a different result tonight.
LET'S GO A'S!!!!!!!
