Good afternoon, and HAPPY FRIDAY to all the AN'ers out there! Hope you have amazing weekend plans, or if you are anything like me this weekend, are just lounging around watching baseball. After the first twenty games of the season, the A's are still very much in the race for Miss .500's affections; they are hanging in there despite much more attractive and wealthier suitors. That is largely due to the A's pitching, and not their offense, but they are bound to break out offensively, right? Right? (And of course, by "breakout" I mean "score more than one run a game".)
There has been a lot of news out of the A's camp recently. Michael Taylor is in Baltimore, called over just in case Coco Crisp couldn't start the game. As of right now, Coco is in the lineup, and Taylor will be sent home tomorrow if Coco can play. Yes, I'm disappointed. I wanted Taylor in the lineup tonight. Another interesting story is that Manny Ramirez is still a factor in the season; he could be playing as soon as May 30th. If the A's can find a way to dance with Miss .500 for another four weeks, they would have two power hitters in the lineup for the rest of the season.
Just a thought. It's going to have to go one game at a time until then. Let's get over .500, and we'll talk. The A's will take on the Orioles tonight as Brandon McCarthy tries to open the series with a win. The Orioles have started the season with some power, and some wins out of the gate, so the A's will have to be a lot better than they have been to take this series. McCarthy will be facing off against Jake Arrieta.
The A's will send this lineup to the plate:
Coco really is in the lineup (and batting 2nd, after all his days off). Sogard will be playing third base, while Ka'aihue (really? I still have to spell?) will be at first. There is no sign of Michael Taylor, and I don't believe a roster move has been made.
LET'S GO OAK-LAND!
