The A's and All Star snub Chad Gaudin (not that I mind, mind you!) with a 7-3 record and a 2.92 ERA takes on Miguel Batista and his 8-6 record and 4.63 ERA.
The Athletics face a Mariners team that has obviously gotten over the spanking the A's gave them in 2006. The Mariners are 4-1 against the A's in 2007 whereas they went 2-17 against the A's in 2006. Interestingly, the Mariners haven't made a personnel move with their position players all year. They have used only 13 position players all year. They and Detroit are the only two teams in the AL that can make that claim. No wonder they are perched in second place and are nipping at the heels of the Angels.
Just take a moment to imagine if the A's had that same luxury...what would the standings look like today? <sigh>
Any way, Gaudin comes off a one-hitter in New York. The A's also got some good news in that Kiko Calero appears healthy once again and will supposedly rejoin the team on Sunday, according to Rotoworld. As long as he's healthy, he's a great addition to the team. I'm convinced he hasn't been healthy most of the year. If he can finally get some snap on that slider, it's a small ray of hope.
The A's lineup looks like this tonight:
Stewart
Ellis
Swisher
Cust
Johnson
Crosby
Scutaro
Kendall
Suzuki
Well, this is a way to get Suzuki's bat in the lineup but still getting Kendall throwing down the pitches.
The Mariners lineup looks like this tonight:
Suzuki (you know, that OTHER one)
Vidro
Ibanez
Guillen
Sexson
Johjima
Beltre
Betancourt
Lopez
There's no question what is keeping the Mariners afloat. That is one scary offense. If Gaudin isn't awesome tonight, the A's won't have much of a chance to win.
LET'S GO A'S!!!!!!!
