Game 5, M’s at A’s
The season’s first start for Ryan Rowland-Smith against the A’s. The A’s have Brett Anderson pitching. A couple months ago, I had absolutely no idea how they were going to pick their rotation.
So far, we’ve seen
Dallas Braden, 24 career starts
Dana Eveland, 36 career starts
Trevor Cahill, 0 career starts
Today, Brett Anderson in his first major league game.
By contrast, the M’s first four starters:
Washburn, 272
Silva, 153
Bedard, 126
Felix, 104
The M’s starter with the fewest major league starts, and who is 23 this season, has more career starts than everyone the A’s have fielded through today.
The A’s are certainly not afraid of going with their evaluation of who’s got the best chance to succeed, no matter how short their major league track record may be.
Dave adds the line-up and his first criticism of a Wakamatsu decision.
LF – Chavez
CF – Death To Flying Things (TM – Niehaus)
DH – Sweeney
3B – Beltre
RF – Griffey
2B – Lopez
1B – Branyan
C – Johjima
SS – Betancourt
Brett Anderson is an LHP. Ryan Rowland-Smith is an extreme flyball pitcher. Griffey’s starting in right field, and Balentien’s not playing. This line-up does not give the Mariners the best chance to win tonight. It might make the clubhouse the most harmonious, but there’s no need to have Junior in the OF on a night when RRS starts and the other team is throwing an LHP. You have a built in excuse to play Balentien out there. If you have to use Junior in the OF in this series, do it tomorrow with Felix on the mound. You can hide Junior with a GB/K pitcher. You can’t do it with RRS.
I’m still a fan, Wak, but this line-up hurts the team.
Jaeger ~ Vicks Formula 44D…
On a related note, along comes another one of Pat O’Day’s ever-so-annoying Schick-Shadel ads — just as I’m cracking open another Labatt’s longneck.
Real men use the lymph of A’s fans for cologne.