The Oakland Athletics will face the Florida Marlins in a rubber match on Thursday looking to secure the series victory. Trevor Cahill will face off against Chris Volstad looking to improve his All Star resume following Gio Gonzalez’s dominant effort on Tuesday. However, the most intriguing story for A’s fans is the fact that Chris Carter is finally in the starting lineup. Carter was called up after Josh Willingham went down with an Achilles injury. In his time with the team his only appearance was during a double switch against the New York Mets that saw him get one at bat.
Although Carter’s numbers were not spectacular in the minors before the call-up, he brings power potential that this team is sorely lacking. Considering they’ve only scored nine runs over the last seven games, change is needed. Bob Melvin has rolled out a variety of lineups and none of them has been able to do a whole lot of much. It’s possible Chris Carter will not be the difference-maker for the A’s, but given the way this team has performed to date, it certainly can’t hurt to see what he can do.
Oakland Athletics
1. Jemile Weeks 2B
2. Cliff Pennington SS
3. Coco Crisp CF
4. Hideki Matsui LF
5. Chris Carter DH
6. Conor Jackson 1B
7. David DeJesus RF
8. Kurt Suzuki C
9. Adam Rosales 3B
Florida Marlins
1. Emilio Bonifacio SS
2. Omar Infante 2B
3. Gaby Sanchez 1B
4. Hanley Ramirez DH
5. Logan Morrison LF
6. Mike Stanton RF
7. John Buck C
8. Jose Lopez 3B
9. Dewayne Wise CF