It's Dallas Braden's turn to make a Cactus League debut, and let me tell you this guy is a lovable whack-job. The latest addition to the Braden family is a handlebar mustache tattooed along the outside of his finger which, when lifted alongside his upper lip, creates what teammates are calling an "alter ego that needs a name." You should have heard Cindi just guffaw when she read that, going "Omigod, sell me a break!!!"
We'll see what arsenal Braden unleashes on hitters today, but don't expect to see the scroogie on February 28th if you even see it at all this season. Meanwhile, Eric Chavez is still DH-ing, Mark Ellis can't run the bases for fear he could jam his shoulder, and Duchscherer has emerged from a 20-pitch bullpen session none the worse for wear but with March 12th targeted for his Cactus League debut. So while we're all pining for Opening Day, it's actually good that 37 days still separate today's game and the season opener.
The A's expected lineup, courtesy of Susan Slusser:
Travis Buck - RF
Ryan Sweeney - CF
Matt Holliday - LF
Eric Chavez - DH
Landon Powell - C
Jack Hannahan - 3B
Cliff Pennington - SS
Sean Doolittle - 1B
Adrian Cardenas - 2B
