Oakland Athletics at Texas Rangers
Posted on | August 23, 2006 | No Comments
Just a few weeks ago, the race in the AL West could not have been any tighter, with all four teams within a few games of each other. Well anyone hoping for a four team race in September will be disappointed, as the Oakland Athletics have pulled away from the field, establishing a 4.5 game lead over the Angels, a 7.5 game lead over the Rangers, and a 14 game lead over the Mariners. Despite pulling away within the division, the A’s do not have the luxury of losing baseball games, as they know they can lose their lead in the division just as quickly as they gained it. That being said, the A’s will travel to Texas, to take on the Rangers in a three game series. The A’s are coming off an up and down series against the Royals where they split the four games, and a three game series with the Blue Jays in which they won two of three. That being said, the Rangers have been playing awful baseball as of late, losing three straight to the Devil Rays.
In game one, the lefty Barry Zito will take the mound against Edinson Volquez. Zito has recovered in the second half of the season after a shaky start, posting a 13-8 record, and a 3.76 ERA. Volquez is 1-2 on the year, with a 4.02 ERA, but is questionable to start because of a blister on his pitching thumb. Volquez has been up and down so far in 2006, largely depending on the batters he is facing. Opponent hitters batting lefty are hitting a mere .167, whereas the right-handers are hitting .342. In game two, Joe Blanton and Adam Eaton will pitch for their respective teams, in what should be a high scoring game. Blanton is 13-10 on the year, but has a high 4.47 ERA. Eaton has a 3-3 record in 2006, but also has a high ERA of 4.45. Dan Haren and Vicente Padilla are the scheduled starting pitchers for the series finale on Sunday. Haren is 12-9 on the year, with a 3.79 ERA, and has won six consecutive games with some help from his offense. Padilla has a 12-8 record, and a 4.38 ERA, and has struggled recently, allowing forty three hits in only thirty five innings within his last six starts. Not to mention the fact that Padilla has struggled immensely against the A’s in 2006 with many of their big hitters.
Analysis: The Rangers have fallen out of the race to make the playoffs, and will have difficulty on the pitching mound in this series. Oakland has the clear momentum and also the strength on the mound. Look for the Oakland A’s to sweep the series against the Rangers, and show that they are worthy to make the playoffs and be serious contenders for a World Championship.
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