Good morning, Athletics Nation! Oakland won a thriller last night, and now it's time for the rubber match to decide the series. Hey Susan Slusser, how does Brandon Inge's shoulder feel today after dislocating it last night and then popping it back into place?
Inge says shoulder is "damn sore." Because it's throwing shoulder best to miss a game, then there's a day off tomorrow.
Well, that's not encouraging. It sounds like the best-case scenario might be that he misses 2-3 days, which would be convenient because tomorrow is an off-day. Don't be surprised if he misses more time, though, since this is his throwing shoulder. In the meantime, Adam Rosales is starting at 3rd today. Remember that Inge was brought here to plug the hole when the A's had absolutely no one to put at 3rd base, so if he misses significant time then that will be a huge problem for the A's.
Chris Sale starts for the White Sox. He is having a brilliant season (2.59 ERA, 3.90 K:BB, only 9 homers in 132 IP), and in his one start against the A's this year, he threw 8 sparkling innings in a game which Oakland won in the 14th inning. (full line: 8ip, 2er, 5k, 0bb, 6h). He's a tall, lanky left-hander, and he's good.
The A's counter with Bartolo Colon, who is the exact opposite of a tall, lanky left-hander. He is good, though, and hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 3 starts (20.2 innings). This one could very well be a pitcher's duel.
The White Sox were kind enough to bench Tyler Flowers today. Thanks guys! Also, Chicago apparently got Dewayne Wise back, because he wasn't good enough to be on the Yankees or something.
| Athletics (B. Colon - R) @ White Sox (C. Sale - L) | |||
