News
Six-man rotation a success
Oakland (74-80) at Los Angeles (90-63), 6:05 p.m. PT
By Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com
09/26/09 1:15 AM ET
ANAHEIM -- When the A's decided to use a six-man rotation down the stretch starting on Sept. 1, it was done for the sole purpose of limiting the number of innings for their young pitchers. After all, the rotation has comprised at least four rookies since June 2, and right now rookies Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez and Clay Mortensen are starters. But since that change to six-man rotation, the A's have been on fire as the club is (16-7) and the ERA for the starting rotation has been a sterling (3.62). The A's will continue to employ that six-man unit the rest of the season, even with the club's off-day Monday, with this weekend's starters being the same as next weekend's. "We've been with it for quite a while to get our young players some extra rest," A's manager Bob Geren said. "It's a way of controlling innings to limit them to 175-180 innings. That's our goal." The A's, though, won't turn to one of their rookies on Saturday against the Angels when left-hander Dana Eveland takes the mound against right-hander John Lackey. Eveland, who has played parts of five seasons in the Majors, has been solid in September with a 2.00 ERA in four appearances, including one start that came Sunday against Indians when he allowed just one run over five innings to get the win. But the A's will face a tough task as Lackey has been dominant against Oakland in his career with a 16-4 record and a 2.54 ERA in 28 starts. "They've been division rivals," Lackey said, "and we always seem to have competitive games with them." Meanwhile, right-hander Brett Tomko received some good news as his season-ending injury was diagnosed as a pulled nerve in his right biceps, meaning it won't require surgery and there's no structural damage. Tomko, who was a major part of the rotation's recent success with a 4-1 record and a 2.95 ERA in six starts since joining the club on Aug. 18, said it might have happened because he went from pitching infrequently with the Yankees to becoming a full-time starter in a short period of time. "They think I pulled the nerve," Tomko said. "It just kind of feels asleep and numb all the way down by arm. But it's just one of those things where there's nothing we can do until that nerve calms down. There's no surgery or anything, it's like a pulling a hamstring." Tomko, who is a free agent after the season, said the injury will not affect his offseason workout plan and he will be ready to go by Spring Training. Pitching matchupOAK: LHP Dana Eveland (2-3, 6.50 ERA)
Eveland, moved into Oakland's six-man rotation to take the place of Tomko, picked up his first win since April when he held the Indians to a run on five hits and two walks over five innings his last time out. A member of Oakland's rotation, Eveland lost his job after being tagged for 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings against the Mariners on May 1 and was optioned shortly thereafter to Triple-A Sacramento, where he spent most of the year. A 25-year-old whose command needs to be spot-on for him to be effective, Eveland has made four appearances this month since being recalled, the first three out of the bullpen. He's faced the Angels once this year, allowing three runs on eight hits and two walks over six innings of a start on April 8 in Anaheim. He did not get a decision in Oakland's 6-4 victory. LAA: RHP John Lackey (11-8, 3.56 ERA)
After a rough start, yielding three first-inning runs on two walks and three singles, Lackey settled in and got through six innings at Texas on Sunday, claiming the win while giving up five runs (four earned) in six innings. Lackey had given up three earned runs combined in his previous four starts, covering 33 2/3, but he has a history of struggling in his home state. Lackey also has a history of dominating the Athletics. He turned them away on Aug. 30 with one unearned run across eight innings for his 100th career win and is 16-4 in 28 career starts against Oakland with a 2.54 ERA. He's tied with Frank Tanana for fourth in wins in franchise history with 102. Tidbits
Scott Hairston was held out of the lineup again on Friday with a sore hip and SI joint. Geren said Hairston just isn't improving, so his return his weekend is doubtful. ... The A's are 4-0-4 in their last eight series, which is their longest streak without a loss since July 27-Sept. 3, 2006. ... The A's and Angels have combined to win each of the last eight AL West crowns, with the Angels inching toward making it the last nine. Tickets
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• Sunday: Athletics (Edgar Gonzalez, 0-3, 5.22) at Angels (Joe Saunders, 14-7, 4.63), 12:35 p.m. PT
• Monday: Off-day
• Tuesday: Athletics (Trevor Cahill, 10-12, 4.45) at Mariners (Felix Hernandez, 17-5, 2.49), 7:10 p.m. PT
Rhett Bollinger is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
