Game 20: Rangers vs A's

Things could be worse. Seattle is starting off strong. That won't last. Oakland isn't doing well. That should continue. The Angels are stinking early. Don't expect that to last. The Rangers are second in the division. I expect that to be the case, just not the one game under part. The Rangers are going to do well this season.
Rangers are three games back of Seattle, who are overperforming right now. I think the Rangers are slightly underperforming, but they are showing signs... good signs... and that gives me hope for my baseball team.
Kurt Suzuki is batting .529 with two doubles, a homer and all seven of his RBIs this season in his last five games.

Michael Young, who had a career-best 24 homers in 2005, hit his sixth of the season in Monday’s 6-4 win over the Orioles. Young, though, has just three homers in his last 59 games against the A’s.

Ian Kinsler went hitless in his last 12 at-bats of the road trip, but is batting .537 (22-for-41) with three homers in nine games at home.

Nelson Cruz, second on the team with six homers, had Monday off after going 2-for-12 in his previous three games.

Josh Hamilton is questionable Tuesday after missing the last two starts with bruised ribs.

Millwood is a great pitcher right now. He's just not winning. He leads the team in innings at 30, he has one of the best ERAs in the majors with a 2.10 ERA and has thrown AT LEAST seven innings in each of his four starts. And still, he stands with a 1-2 record. It is kind of baffling to see that. In his career against the A's, he is 4-3 in 13 starts and has a 3.88 ERA to back it up. This season opponents are hitting Millwood for a .181 batting average. I'll take that. Should Millwood continue with these numbers for the rest of the season, we could be looking at a 20 win season.

Rangers to Watch:

• No Rangers have ever faced Brett Anderson.

Anderson has pitched just six games above Class A, but with the uncertainty about the A's rotation, and Anderson's great spring, he'll open with the A's. Anderson will work with the standard four pitches (fastball, curve, slider, change), throwing mostly four-seamers but mixing in the occasional two-seamer. His command and feel are exceptional, and he can spot his fastball all over the zone. He had a reputation as a very polished arm coming out of high school, and he hasn't disappointed. He knows what he's doing on the mound: mixing it up, locating, getting ground balls when batters make contact and limiting the big innings. Anderson profiles as a potential third or fourth starter . He may not be a huge strikeout pitcher in the majors, but he's going to be solid in all of the other fantasy categories, and he'll have a rotation job as the season opens.

OK, that's his scouting report coming into the season. He's only 21 years of age. He has pitched three games for the A's this season and has a 0-2 record with a 5.89 ERA. Welcome to the Majors, junior. Still, he is averaging over six innings a start with 18.1 innings thus far. He's given up four long balls and fanned only nine. It should be interesting to see how this pitcher matures as the season wears on.

A's to Watch:

• The current team is batting 66-224 (.295) with 18 doubles, 5 HRs, and 29 RBIs.
• Orlando Cabrera is 25-82 (.305) with 4 doubles, a HR, and 11 RBIs.
• Mark Ellis is 12-28 (.429) with 3 doubles and 2 RBIs.
• Jason Giambi is 6-12 (.500) with 2 HRs and 3 RBIs.

Forecast: The Athletics have good numbers on Millwood. But this Millwood is a pitcher we haven't seen in a long, long time. It looks like the team is starting to click, and Millwood is there to lead the way. That was strange to say. Rangers win the opener of the series, 10-4.

Home Plate