The cool thing about baseball is that even after stink bombs like yesterday’s game, you never have to wait too long to for an opportunity to redeem yourself.
Win today and tomorrow- no easy task, but hardly daunting- and the A’s will have gained only their third series win of the season. More importantly, it will place them within one game of the front-running Rangers. Of course it would be nice if the Angels decided to cooperate, too.
The A’s wrapped up April at 13-14, and they were the model of consistent inconsistency. Their longest winning string (three) was matched by their longest losing skid. This lack of streakiness prevented them from breaking away from the pack, but also kept them within striking distance for most of the month.
While the A’s pitching would like to apply the same formula that worked for them in April, the bats and gloves are anxious to turn the page. Gio Gonzalez looks to get the A’s back on track, while Matt Harrison attempts to give the Rangers the upper hand in this four-game set. Your lineups:
Them
Ian Kinsler 2B
Elvis Andrus SS
Michael Young DH
Adrian Beltre 3B
Nelson Cruz LF
Mike Napoli 1B
David Murphy CF
Yorvit Torrealba C
Mitch Moreland RF
Us
Coco Crisp CF
Daric Barton 1B
Conor Jackson RF
Josh Willingham LF
Kurt Suzuki C
Hideki Matsui DH
Mark Ellis 2B
Andy LaRoche 3B
Cliff Pennington SS