The A's and Barry Zito with a 12-7 record and a 3.50 ERA go for the second straight division opponent sweep again the Rangers and Vicente Padilla with an 11-7 record and a 4.34 ERA.
The A's could really position themselves nicely with a win today. Especially if Cleveland can figure out a way to beat the cursed Angels.
The A's send out this lineup:
Ellis
Swisher
Bradley
Thomas
Chavez
Payton
Kielty
Melhuse
Scutaro
Kendall gets the day off. Not surprising considering the day game after the night game, but it's unfortunate because he's hit Padilla well in the past (.904 OPS against him). Mark Ellis finds himself in the leadoff spot for the first time in quite a while while Swisher has also earned a promotion back to the top. It's too bad the A's are missing Kotsay today because he's had very good success against Padilla. Bradley has also killed the Rangers pitcher before too.
The Rangers counter with this lineup against Zito:
Matthews
Young
Lee
Teixeira
DeRosa
Kinsler
Barajas
Cruz
Hairston
What the hell is Hairston doing out there, you ask? Well, he's got a career 1.356 against Barry. Barajas has also hit Zito very well in his career too.
And one final note as Shane Komine gets sent back to Triple-A as Jay Witasick finally rejoins the team. The A's have had the Bullpen Trinity stretched out quite a bit lately so a little bit of help isn't a bad thing. Let's just hope Witasick is better than he has been. It's too bad for Komine, I just hope he pitches very well in Sacramento and eventually gets another shot.
LET'S GO A'S!!!!!!!
