NewsA's Cahill, 21, ready for prime time
Oakland (0-1) at Los Angeles (1-0), Tuesday, 7:05 p.m. PTBy Mychael Urban / MLB.com
04/07/09 4:07 AM ET
ANAHEIM -- The A's won't come right out and say it, but Trevor Cahill likely would have been in their starting rotation to start the season even had ace right-hander Justin Duchscherer not opened the year on the disabled list. Cahill, 21, makes his highly anticipated debut Tuesday against the two-time defending American League West champions at Angel Stadium. "He's not on the team because he's right-handed," A's manager Bob Geren said Monday. "He's on the team because he's an excellent pitcher, and we have a lot of faith him in to get the job done." Cahill, who went 2-2 with a 5.40 ERA in seven Spring Training appearances, including six starts, has never before started a regular-season game above Double-A ball. His final tuneup for Tuesday, however, came last week against the host Giants at AT&T Park. After allowing three runs in the first inning at San Francisco, Cahill gave up a run on three hits over his final four frames. "I settled in and let the ball work," said Cahill, whose primary weapon is a hard sinker. "That was big for him," Oakland pitching coach Curt Young said. "He pitched better and better the longer he was out there. He's pretty even-keeled mentally, but I think pitching in a big league stadium maybe caused some nerves early on." A's catcher Kurt Suzuki agreed that Cahill might have been a little jumpy last Thursday, and he agreed that the experience should help against the Halos. He stopped short of saying that five-inning stint in the preseason Bay Bridge series is something Cahill can cling to Tuesday. "I know Trevor's pitched in some big stadiums before, and he's a pretty calm guy in general," Suzuki said. "But it's a lot different pitching in an exhibition game than it is pitching in a big league game when it really counts." According to baseball-reference.com, Cahill on Tuesday will become the 16th pitcher since 1954 to make his big league debut in one of his team's first two games of the regular season; none of the previous 15 started the opener, either. At 21 years and 37 days, Cahill will be the seventh-youngest pitcher to start a game in Oakland history. "There's not a whole lot about him that isn't impressive," Geren said before noting that Cahill's natural ball movement might be the most impressive. "His maturity is beyond his years, he's very intelligent, he doesn't throw anything straight. There isn't any one certain thing." Actually, there is. With Duchscherer on the DL, by the way, Cahill is indeed the rotation's only righty. "We only have one [lefty] in the bullpen," Geren said with a smile, "so that evens it out." Pitching matchupOAK: RHP Trevor Cahill (0-0, -.-- ERA)
Cahill was Oakland's second-round pick in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft and in 2008 was named the A's Organizational Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive season after leading the club's farm system with a 2.61 ERA while splitting the regular season between Single-A Stockton and Double-A Midland. Ranked by Baseball America as Oakland's No. 2 prospect and No. 11 in all of baseball, Cahill earned a spot in the starting rotation in his first trip to big league Spring Training. Having pitched in the 2008 All-Star Futures Game and in the Beijing Olympics as a member of Team USA, Cahill is no stranger to pitching under pressure, but he'll have to guard against overthrowing -- specifically, throwing so hard that the sink on his two-seam fastball disappears -- against the Halos. A Southern California native, Cahill will have several friends and family members in the stands for his coming-out party. LAA: RHP Dustin Moseley (0-0, -.-- ERA)
Finally healthy and confident, Moseley feels he is fully recovered from elbow surgery following the 2007 season and ready to deliver on his promise as a 2000 first-round Draft pick by the Reds. He made 10 starts for the Angels last year and has 20 career starts. The big right-hander has developed a two-seam fastball with late movement to go with his offspeed stuff. He was 3-0 with a 3.15 ERA in five Cactus League starts, with 15 strikeouts against only five walks in 20 innings. Moseley was 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in three games against the Athletics last year and is 1-1 with a 7.57 ERA against the A's in seven career appearances. Tidbits
No deal was announced, but the San Jose Mercury News reported Monday that Comcast SportsNet California, which has exclusive TV rights to A's baseball, has reached an "11th-hour" agreement with DirecTV. Last week there were concerns that the satellite providers' customers would find A's games blacked out. Customers of DISH Network also were able to access CSN California's coverage of the A's and Angels on Monday. The A's, who were not involved in the negotiations, were not informed of the reported deal. ... A's setup man Russ Springer, whose uniform number during Spring Training matched his age (40), will wear No. 36 during the regular season. Fellow righty Sean Gallagher wore No. 36 during the spring, but he recently received a text message from former Arizona Fall League teammate Kyle McClellan, who played with Springer on the Cardinals last season. "He said 36 is Springer's number," Gallagher said. "And I know how much everyone respects Russ and what a great teammate he is, so I told [equipment manager Steve Vucinich] that if I made the team, I wanted Springer to get him number back. ... It's the least I could do. Gotta keep the veterans happy." Gallagher is now wearing No. 38. ... A's managing partner Lew Wolff was in the team's dugout before batting practice. ... The first pitch for Thursday's series finale has been pushed back 20 minutes, to 7:25 p.m. PT. Chuck Finley and Brian Downing are being inducted into the Angels' Hall of Fame in a pregame ceremony. ... Matt Holliday became Oakland's 10th Opening Day left fielder in the past 10 years. Tickets
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• Wednesday: Athletics (Dana Eveland, 0-0, -.--) at Angels (Shane Loux, 0-0, -.--), 7:05 p.m. PT
• Thursday: Athletics (Brett Anderson, 0-0, -.--) at Angels (Jered Weaver, 0-0, -.--), 7:05 p.m. PT
• Friday: Athletics (Josh Outman, 0-0, -.--) vs. Mariners (TBD), 7:05 p.m. PT
Mychael Urban is a national writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
