The A's haven't seen the Devil Rays since May 7th, and you can really tell. Gone from Tampa Bay are Huff and Lugo, back from the dead is Rocco Baldelli, back in "the show" is B.J. Upton, and then there's something called a Zobrist. We'll get back to you on that.
Danny Haren tries to help the A's in what appears to be a quest to keep pace with the two teams directly underneath them, as currently the Angels are having their way with the Yankees, and in Texas, Gil Meche appears to need a compass to locate the strike zone.
Haren's opponent, also fresh off the Dead List, is fireballing lefty Scott Kazmir. The A's should focus on driving up the pitch count tonight, as Kazmir is not always hittable, but will sometimes get wild--and might be on a restricted pitch limit.
The starting lineups do not feature Mark Kotsay, evidently out for a fourth consecutive game, but they do feature today's "fun fact": The Devil Rays' starting lineup is pretty damn close to being in alphabetical order!
Baldelli
Crawford
Cantu
Norton
Lee
Navarro
Gomes
Upton
Zobrist
Kendall
Kielty
Bradley
Thomas
Chavy
Payton
Swisher
Scutaro
Ellis
