Well, there are any number of unresolved issues going into today's game.
Is Chavvy able to go? If he is, how effective will he be, at bat or in the field? If he's not, does Scutaro play, and does he recover his pride, or slide down a shame spiral? If Murphy starts, how does he handle the pressure?
How long can Harden go, how effectively can he convert his pitch count into innings, and how healthy can he stay?
Which King Felix will the A's see -- the young Hardenesque one, or the old Colonesque one?
Who comes on in relief of Harden, and in what order and what effectiveness? iNardo might do surprisingly well for 1-2 innings -- but if Harden struggles and the 'pen has to eat 6+ innings ...
Is Swisher actually emerging from his post-DFA slump, or not?
Are Kotsay, Kendall, and Crosby major-league hitters, or should we simply write off the bottom third of the lineup? And will Geren have the temerity to keep Kotsay in the bottom third where he belongs?
Day game after a night game, who catches -- oh, screw it. We all know the answer to that.
Then, there's the old "momentum" canard -- will the M's carry over their pounding from last night, and will the A's be wearing figurative bags over their heads today?
Finally, what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Only the monkey knows ...
Lineups:
Seattle
I. Suzuki cf
J. Vidro dh
R. Ibanez lf
J. Guillen rf
R. Sexson 1b
A. Beltre 3b
Y. Betancourt ss
J. Lopez 2b
J. Burke c
A's
S. Stewart lf
M. Kotsay cf
N. Swisher rf
J. Cust dh
E. Chavez 3b
D. Johnson 1b
M. Ellis 2b
B. Crosby ss
J. Kendall c
