News
Hairston settling into new life with A's
Oakland (38-50) vs. Los Angeles (50-38), 1:10 p.m. PT
By Adam Loberstein / MLB.com
07/18/09 1:21 AM ET
OAKLAND -- Excuse Scott Hairston if he seems a bit lost. Dealt to the A's by the Padres on July 6, Hairston is terrible with directions. He thinks there's too many highways in Northern California. He's still living out of a suitcase. He isn't moving into his new house for another week. At least one thing is back to normal for Hairston, though. He made a trade of his own, acquiring his familiar No. 12 from third-base coach Mike Gallego in exchange for a couple golf clubs. "It was a fair trade," joked Hairston, whose A's face the Angels in the third game of a four-game set Saturday. The game will be televised on FOX. Glen Kuiper and Jose Mota are on the call. "I bought him some new wedges. Both sides are happy." The trade that landed Hairston in Oakland, however, caught him by surprise. He hit .299 with 10 home runs and had an .891 OPS in 56 games with the Padres. "There's an adjustment period, obviously," Hairston said. "It's one of those things you have to go through in the life of a ballplayer. Move to a different town, trying to learn those highways -- it's going to take some time. You just have to have a good attitude about it." Hairston has hit in the No. 3 spot in the order and started in center field in each of his eight games with the A's. He's batting .259 with the club entering Friday play. "He fits right in," manager Bob Geren said. "He gets along with the guys real well. It seems like he's been here longer than he really has. ... We've had trouble against left-handers all year. It's real helpful to add a solid, right-handed bat to the lineup." "I'm glad I wound up in Oakland," Hairston said. "The franchise is going in the right direction. There's a lot of young talent here." Hairston, 29, isn't all that young by A's standards, but isn't ready to be called a grizzled veteran just yet. "I'm kind of in the middle," Hairston said with a grin. Pitching matchupOAK: RHP Vin Mazzaro (2-5, 3.59 ERA)
Mazzaro has lost five straight decisions after blanking his first two opponents. He pitched decently against Tampa Bay on July 10, but the offense gave him no support and he ended up on the short end once again. He allowed two runs in five innings. Geren said he liked the way the rookie battled, and added that he's seen improvement in Mazzaro's changeup and command. He expects good things from Mazzaro in the second half. LAA: RHP Jered Weaver (10-3, 3.22 ERA)
His teammates felt the cross-firing Weaver was worthy of an All-Star spot with his consistently superb work, leading the staff with 120 1/3 innings and 104 strikeouts along with his 10 wins. Weaver has yielded 13 earned runs in his past 18 1/3 innings, rising his ERA from 2.65 to 3.22. He's 2-2 with a 2.56 ERA in seven career outings against the A's, and 1-1 in five starts with a 2.48 ERA at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Tidbits
Jon Wilhite will throw out Saturday's first pitch at 12:55 p.m. as the guest of Kurt Suzuki and his wife, Renee. Wilhite is the lone survivor of the April 9 car crash that killed Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart, Henry Pearson and Courtney Stewart. The Suzukis, with the help of Orlando and Katie Cabrera, have been hosting fundraisers to offset Wilhite's rehabilitation costs. Over 300 baseballs have been signed by A's and Angels players and hidden in paper bags. Fans can randomly select balls at a table behind Section 120 for a donation of $40 to the Wilhite Fund. ... Expected to start at first base Friday, Nomar Garciaparra got the nod at designated hitter. Geren said Garciaparra is fine -- he just wanted to get the right-handed-hitting Bobby Crosby into the lineup against left-hander Joe Saunders and used him in the field instead. Jason Giambi will be back in the lineup Saturday. ... Geren has been more than impressed with Adam Kennedy's transition from second to third base. "It's been remarkable," Geren said. "The adjustment period has been much smaller than I thought it'd be. He's already playing well above-average there."... With Justin Duchscherer (elbow) throwing again, Geren has floated the idea of trying a six-man rotation in an effort to keep his starters fresh. The A's are in the midst of a franchise-record 28-day grind without an off-day. Duchscherer is scheduled to throw a simulated game on July 21 before making a Minor League rehab start on July 26. Tickets
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• Sunday: Athletics (Brett Anderson, 5-7, 4.64) vs. Angels (John Lackey, 4-4, 4.93), 1:05 p.m. PT
• Monday: Athletics (Gio Gonzalez, 1-2, 6.29) vs. Twins (Nick Blackburn, 8-4, 3.06), 7:05 p.m. PT
• Tuesday: Athletics (Dallas Braden, 7-8, 3.45) vs. Twins (Anthony Swarzak, 2-3, 4.50), 7:05 p.m. PT
Adam Loberstein is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
