One thing is abundantly clear. As I noted last season after the teams in the West met for the first 19 games, there wasn’t a team that could beat the A’s over the long haul, if Oakland’s starting pitching stayed healthy.

Seems like deja vu all over again. The Angels slug the ball, but their starting pitchers put the offense in a hole too often.

This year both Seattle and Anaheim have money to spend in July, plus both teams have an abundance of excellent minor league talent to trade. After watching the A’s smoke the league during the summer with superior pitching neither team in the West can sit back and go with what they have once the peaches are on the trees.

One can never predict injuries, but barring any, the Angels and the Mariners will chase the A’s most of the summer.

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Marty; It is even more hazardous to start risking suggestions after thirteen games than it was offering predictions when spring training started. Having said that, where do the Giants stand today?
Click below for Ed’s expert breakdown on the Giants!

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The A’s and Mariners match up very evenly. In fact, the A’s pitchers handle the Angels hitters much better than the Mariners hitters.

Also, the A’s have a tougher time hitting Seattle’s pitching staff than they do the Anaheim staff.

The only thing Anaheim has going against Oakland is a bullpen that gives the A’s fits. Also, Garret Anderson gives just about everyone on the A’s staff trouble.

Who will win the West?

The team that beats up on the rest of the league. The teams in the AL West generally end up playing each other relatively equally.

Freddy Garcia kept his composure last night and more importantly kept the ball down with something on it. Now Garcia has put together two good games this season. One against Anaheim and the other against Oakland.

Mark Redman is showing me something too. He can pitch inside and is not flustered on the mound, no matter what the situation. He is a major upgrade from Ted Lilly.

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The “second round”of games early
this season between the Mariners
and the Athletics starts Monday
and ends Thursday here at Safeco
Field. The Mariners won their last
two games over Texas capturing
their first series of the season and
the M’S are getting healthier.

Scott Spiezio played for the first
time this season during the last
two games against the Rangers
handling plays at third
and driving in a couple with a
home run. Raul Ibanez came out
of a slump with a home run while
Bret Boone still hot and Ichiro
starting to get his hits.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez
Seattle,WA. [Read more →]

Houston unveiled this year’s version of Lidge to Dotel to Wagner last night when they brought Chad Harville into his first game in Houston.

The former A’s righty will be given a chance to be the bridge to Brad Lidge who then turns the ball over to Octavio Dotel for the save.

Harville has a big league arm, and if he learns how to pitch in the majors, he will be a great pick up for Houston.

Kirk Saarloos never quite fit with Houston. If the A’s bring him along slowly as a starter in AAA, he may help the big club next year.

Tom Glavine throws seven great innings, then leaves with a stiff shoulder. The Mets bullpen turns Glavine’s 2-0 lead into a 7-2 deficit in the eighth inning. If the Mets didn’t have bad luck, they wouldn’t have any luck at all.

By the way, no word on the return date for Jose Reyes, injured Met shortstop. Whispers about him that he may be a slow healer and a softy.

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Jermaine Dye is locked in. Major leaguers get their share of fastballs to hit, the good ones don’t miss their pitch. Right now Dye is not missing his pitch.

Even though he takes his walks and hustles down the line, Erubiel Durazo’s lack of RBI production is alarming. It’s a race to see if Durazo drives in a run before a Kansas City Royal’s starter wins a game.

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The A’s face the Angels in Anaheim, a good test for both teams.

Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, and Barry Zito against Bartolo Colon, Jarrod Washburn, and Kelvim Escobar.

Angels starters John Lackey and Ramon Ortiz, who have ERA’s over 10 are being spared this weekend.

Arthur Rhodes gets to see if he can close out the righthanded power of the Angels, while Troy Percival and company will be ready for the A’s and Jermaine Dye.

Tim Hudson got an extra days rest because he went nine against Seattle last Saturday.

Bartolo Colon hasn’t been tagged at all this season, so this is a good test to see if he can withstand the first pressurized series between these two teams.

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Not much was decided between the White Sox and the Royals Wednesday other than the fact that neither team has a closer that can be relied on when the game is on the line.

Jon Garland acquitted himself quite well over the first six innings of the game before losing his spot in the seventh when Benito Santiago and Carlos Beltran took him deep cutting his lead to 6-5.

For five innings Garland looked like a more than decent third starter and that’s good news for Chicago.

On the other hand, Jeremy Affeldt is nowhere near the pitcher that KC needs to win this division. Affeldt is all over the place with his curveball and can’t command his fastball either.

Both teams can hit. Beltran can be an MVP, but only if this team develops some pitching.

Now the closers. Curtis Leskanic doesn’t have the stuff to get big league hitters out on a nightly basis (Mike MacDougal is still out). Billy Koch is a disaster every time he steps on the mound. Seeing Koch give up homers to Beltran and Sweeney, the latter giving the Royals a short lived 9-8 lead in the ninth, was painful.

Cliff Politte should be given the closers role before Koch destroys another good pitching performance.

The AL Central is wide open until someone comes up with a bullpen, then watch out.

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The Angels have the formula down for beating the Mariners. See how many runs Seattle can score early in the game, then let the big bats clobber the either the Seattle starter or the out of shape Mariner bullpen.

One thing I like about Vladimir Guerrero is his smile. It seems every time the slugger comes through with a big hit or scores an important run, his face lights up.

Last night Rafael Soriano continued his spring training session in the majors with another loss, his second of the year.

Scott Shields, who should be in the rotation, Francisco Rodriguez, and Troy Percival ended the game in fine fashion for Anaheim.

Tonight Freddy Garcia who pitched extremely well in his first start against the Angels goes against Ramon Ortiz, a pitcher the Angels would love to trade.

The A’s got timely hitting and a big out from Chad Harville to hang on against Texas.

What’s up with Barry Zito?

Is it focus? Arm strength? Who knows, but this pattern of his not being able to consistently make an important pitch when he needs it, is getting old.

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Tim Hudson is looking very good. Unbelievable, Hudson’s major league record is now 81-33.

We are talking Whitey Ford, Spud Chandler, Pedro Martinez winning percentage right now for Hudson.

This man can pitch and should be resigned this season before his contract runs out in 2005. I wouldn’t wait around.

The Mariners are struggling and can’t get the big hit or the right pitch when the game is on the line as they fell to 0-5 Saturday.

Just as Rafael Soriano showed he needs more spring training on Friday, Eddie Guardado’s debut Saturday indicated that the lefty’s velocity is not where it should be right now.

Marco Scutaro continued his magic weekend, driving in the tying run and playing major league defense in the field.

It’s too early to determine just where Scutaro will be in a month when Frank Menechino and Mark McLemore are back, but for the first week of the season, Scutaro is a major reason the A’s are 4-1.

The Angels were pounded by Texas again Saturday.

What does it mean?

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