Open Thread: Game 130 - A's at Texas

Tonight, from the ballpark in Arlington, the A's send Dan Haren to the mound with a record of 12-9 and an ERA of 3.79 to take on Vicente Padilla, who sports a similar 12-8 record, with an ERA of 4.38.

In his last start against Oakland, Padilla came away with the win, having guided the team to a tight 14-0 victory. In contrast, Haren tossed 8 innings of one-run ball his last time out against Texas, but left with a no-decision, as the A's lost 5-3.

As you likely remember, the last time we saw Mr. Haren on the mound, he was teasing the Blue Jays by spotting them an 8-0 lead, on his way to a 12-10 victory in which he gave up 9 earned runs. If he were to repeat that performance, it would make him look quite silly, given the A's pitching staff's dominance of the Rangers' bats thus far, in a series which has just short of eliminated Texas from the playoff picture.

Tonight's starting lineups:

Your 2006 Oakland Athletics

1. Kendall
   
2. Kotsay
   
3. Bradley
   
4. Thomas
   
5. Chavez
   
6. Kielty
   
7. Swisher
   
8. Scutaro
   
9. Ellis

Their 2006 Texas Rangers

1. Matthews Jr.
   
2. Young
   
3. Lee
   
4. Teixeira
   
5. Blalock
   
6. DeRosa
   
7. Stairs
   
8. Kinsler
   
9. Laird

Oh yeah... and the Angels already lost 11-8 to the Yankees. As Martha Stewart said, "It's a good thing!"