Photo by Jose Carlos Fajardo
The A's have finally figured out how to win games. Collectively the offense has improved as well as the defense. But the key to their success thus far has been the pitching from the starters to the bullpen. Oakland has always been known for having a great pitching staff.
This year everything has come together and any team facing them will tell you just how good they've become. There's a reason why the A's hold the best record in baseball and look forward to breaking their two year curse of losing in the postseason to the Detroit Tigers.
"Your always trying to incorporate some new things especially in Spring Training with your format so it doesn't get old," said Oakland's manager Bob Melvin. "We had the two cages this spring which we've done for the first time. We learned that in Japan to get more work in. We've been successful and want to keep this consistent."
"They've got a lineup that's solid throughout and that's why they've won all these games," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.
So how does a rookie whose never pitched in the Majors fair against a team like Oakland. Minnesota made a roster move last night and recalled right-handed pitcher Trevor May from Triple-A Rochester. May was originally drafted in the fourth round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft.
Tonight he will take the mound and try to avoid going down 3-0 against the A's who have won the first two games of the four-game series. It's unlikely that he'll be successful but anything can happen in baseball. Jeff Samardzija will pitch tonight for Oakland and thus far he's only lost one game. The A's don't care who takes the mound because they have only one goal and that's to win the series.
"Everyone looks forward to their first opportunity to pitch in the Major League," said Gardenhire. "We're excited to see how he does, this is not the easiest place to pitch in but hopefully he'll go out there and do his thing."
"We don't know a lot about him," Melvin said. "Until you get in the batters box and see how the ball moves you don't have an idea what he's going to throw. So the pitchers probably have the advantage a little early on but once you get in there and see a few pitches you have a better idea."