Good evening and welcome to a little Friday night baseball! I'm coming at you from a beach vacation, so I can be soothed by the lovely sound of the ocean and the waves in case things go "the Minnesota way". Here's hoping that the A's have worked out all the defensive kinks and that Sonny Gray pitches at least eight. My last game thread was the Chavez' win on Tuesday, so maybe that's a good omen. That's all I've got.
Already, I'm mildly annoyed that Sam Fuld is in the lineup over Billy Burns, but I'm willing to work with it. I'm kind of irate that Eric Sogard is a starter, but circumstances, etc. Of all the blame on this season so far, not much really lies with the offense.
The A's had success against Walker their last time out; they knocked him around very effectively. The A's should stay away from pitching to Nelson Cruz, and they should also remember that they haven't yet put themselves anywhere out of the race for the West. There is still time to turn it all around.
Here are your lineups:
LET'S GO OAK-LAND!