Josh Outman, who so far this season has had neither a successful start nor an unsuccessful relief stint, gets another chance to prove his mettle as a starting pitcher. With Gio Gonzalez now in the major league bullpen and Sean Gallagher in the process of getting stretched out in AAA, Outman knows that any start he gets could be his last if he doesn't show a lot more than he has shown so far.
One quality lacking in all the A's starters has been the ability to go deep into games. Dallas Braden has gone 7.1 IP once, Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill 7.0 IP once each, and outside of that no A's starter has gone beyond 6.0 IP in any start. Outman's two starts have lasted 4.1 IP and 4.0+ IP, which at the moment is only good news if you happen to be Kevin Cameron or Gio Gonzalez.
Outman is opposed today by right-hander Chris Jakubauskas, whose name is very difficult to pronounce. My understanding is that the correct pronunciation is "Kriss," with the accent on the first syllable.
