American League West Side Story resumes tonight with a couple of gangs who know a thing or three about rumbles, if nothing about street ballet dancing. It has become a recurring nightmare of sorts; that team from the south taking over the northern region of the standings these last few years, with nary a scare from the division's other three occupants.
And so the second half kicks off the same way the first half did, with the A's taking on the Angels, and only the venue has changed (well, that and we're 12 games further to the rear than when we first started).
I doubt that I have to remind anyone of my disdain for all things Angels, but I'll do it anyway. Thing is, I can't recall when I really started to loathe them, but I have a feeling it was in this decade. Or it could have been 1979. I don't know.
What I do know is that it Ervin Santana owns Oakland (9-1, 1.38 overall, 4-0, 1.54 at the Coliseum), even though the 2009 version of Santana is a shadow of his former, healthy self (7.81 ERA).
The A's counter with Dallas Braden, who suffered from poor run support (no, really) in his two starts this season against the Haloed Ones; Oakland managed just three runs, including a grand total of none on Opening Night.
Your lineups: