The Oakland Athletics continue their 2011 Cactus League schedule as they square off against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at 12:05 Pacific time at Tempe Diablo Stadium. This 2011 spring training game marks the A’s debut for designated hitter Hideki Matsui, fittingly enough against his 2010 team. The game is available to watch on MLB.TV and can be heard on MLB.com’s Gameday Audio.
Today’s Athletics lineup features the spring training debuts of Mark Ellis and Kevin Kouzmanoff. Chris Carter is a notable start in left field as he looks to fight his way onto the Opening Day Roster. He struggled in his major league debut last year before finishing with a strong September. The A’s added two outfielders in David DeJesus and Josh Willingham, as well as DH Hideki Matsui, which would seem to leave him without a spot on the roster. However, a strong spring training could alter those plans.
The pitching matchup features Dallas Braden taking on Joel Pineiro. The A’s utilized several of their fifth starter options in relief yesterday. We’ll see who gets a crack in early relief today. The A’s second lineup of the spring training season is as follows:
1. Mark Ellis, 2B
2. Kurt Suzuki, C
3. Hideki Matsui, DH
4. Conor Jackson, 1B
5. Kevin Kouzmanoff, 3B
6. Matt Carson, CF
7. Chris Carter, LF
8. Michael Taylor, RF
9. Steve Tolleson, SS
The Angels are playing their third Cactus League contest and send out this lineup:
1. Maicer Izturis, 3B
2. Bobby Abreu, DH
3. Torii Hunter, RF
4. Vernon Wells, LF
5. Howie Kendrick, 2B
6. Erick Aybar, SS
7. Mark Trumbo, 1B
8. Jeff Mathis, C
9. Peter Bourjos, CF