The Oakland Athletics send out Trevor Cahill to face Josh Tomlin and the Cleveland Indians Wednesday night in what could turn into another low-scoring affair for the A’s. Through one month, Tomlin appears to be making “the leap” as he has been quite solid through five starts. It might be too soon for that, but there’s o doubting Tomlin’s line thus far. He’s gone at least six innings in every start and the three earned runs he gave up in his second start on April 10 are the most for him this season. It’s safe to say he’s in the zone.
He is countered by Trevor Cahill who has settled into a bit of a groove himself. Since going 4 2/3 innings and giving up four runs on April 12, Cahill has given up two runs over 21 total innings pitched and is now 4-0 with a 1.88 ERA. The Indians lineup has been playing a bit above their heads as they’ve jumped out to a 20-8 start, so we’ll see how Cahill handles them.
The A’s continue in their efforts to get Conor Jackson into the lineup on a consistent basis. Jackson has shuffled between four positions, getting time primarily in left field, right field and at first base. Additionally he’s been an extra innings replacement at third base once. Andy LaRoche is getting time at third base in place of Kouzmanoff, but if he also starts to struggle, one wonders if Jackson might get some time there as well.
Oakland Athletics
1. Coco Crisp (S) CF
2. David DeJesus (L) RF
3. Conor Jackson® 1B
4. Josh Willingham® LF
5. Hideki Matsui (L) DH
6. Landon Powell (S) C
7. Mark Ellis® 2B
8. Andy LaRoche® 3B
9. Cliff Pennington (S) SS