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Pitchers facing off today: Sonny Gray versus Trevor Bauer. What do we know? Well, we hope Trevor keeps pitching like his last three starts: 3 losses and a 6.16 ERA. Sonny is stellar as always, coming off the dominant win against the Dodgers on Tuesday where he walked one, struck out nine and had his second shutout of the season.
During the start of last night's game, I tried to get some important answers regarding some of our players and their latest Clubhouse and dugout moves:
1. Josh Reddick picked up a new clubhouse pet and has discussed assigning Billy Burns away-game, caretaking duty. Billy has indicated he will "option" out. Can Billy Burns actually say NO to Josh Reddick assigning him Chuckie the Chinchilla road duty?
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2. Graveman and Phegley were passing a baseball back and forth in the first inning last night. Each would smell it and pass it back to the other who would smell it and pass it back...This went on a few times. What in the heck were they smelling?
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If I ever get a tweet back, I'll let you know.
Bottom line: We all make baseball work for us so we can hang in there through these tough times. Tell us how you're surviving.
And then there's the anxiety piece. Amidst all of these losses, I've found a way to control my anxiety. I'm giving myself until the end of the season to try and decipher Brett Lawrie's tattoo sleeves. So far, utilizing the remote pause, I've only deciphered a crescent moon and star as well as some form of flora, I believe. Yes, I could look up a photo and do it that way, but I won't until October. Trying to catch a glimpse of his tatts and decipher what they are calms me, especially when the A's are winning and I'm nervous (e.g. last night!). Bottom line: We are all coping at this point. And many of us are rooting for the Jays secretly!
Time to go out and win this series, boys! Can you imagine? Here's the starting lineup that will try and make it so on this fine August day. Oh hey, and when all else fails, remember 1994 and be glad we have baseball.
