If you saw Ted Lilly pitch last night you saw a very inconsistent young major league pitcher.

Keep in mind that Ted Lilly’s delivery had been reworked by A’s pitching coach Rick Peterson, just this past winter and spring.

At times, Lilly has the correct release point which propels his pitches to the exact point of the strike zone intended. At other times, Lilly can’t find his release point causing his breaking stuff to hang directly over the hitting zone (5 homers versus Atlanta).

Lilly has been tagged for many critical homers, then he turns around and strikes out five in a row. A frustrating pattern for all involved.

What to do?

The first option is that Lilly should work out of the bullpen until he can throw with the consistency necessary to be a major factor on this pitching staff. It is no disgrace to work out of the pen when one is struggling.

The second option, the A’s send Lilly to AAA to give him a chance to really learn his new delivery without the pressure of a pennant chase.

Rick Peterson is a very technical pitching coach, insisting on sessions in the videoroom, countless discussions about pitching, and studying computer enhanced images of ones delivery. Perhaps Lilly isn’t suited for Peterson’s methods. A trade in his future?

In any case when Lilly gets in trouble his mechanics are out of whack because he isn’t comfortable with his new delivery, baseball is muscle memory, acts repeated countless times, Lilly’s muscle memory only goes back to March, not a very long time in baseball.

He needs to work it out somewhere before his confidence is completely shot.

Click below for more.The Mariners face the Cy Young award winner, Barry Zito, today. Zito has not been dominant for a complete game in a while. He is fabulous for six innings, then loses his control, and is pulled without going seven or eight innings. Today is a day after his team was shut out 13-0 last night, that Zito needs to go eight just like Mulder did last Sunday against the Giants.

The Mariner bullpen had the night off Wednesday, so it isn’t a good idea to get into a late inning struggle today.

The White Sox got to the .500 mark last night after winning the game on a homer by Frank Thomas. Funny in baseball, Thomas is given up for dead over the last few seasons, now this year he is back, hitting his 20th homer of the year last night in the 12th inning for the win. Billy Koch got the win, but almost lost the game when he was scored on in the top of the 11th. Koch needs to get it together and soon or he should be demoted from his closer roll. Tom Gordon is waiting in the wings.

Jeremy Gonzalez has pitched fairly well for Tampa Bay. Today he goes against Boston and Tim Wakefield. Knuckleballers generally do well indoors, so if the Red sox wake up and hit today they should have enough to beat the pesky Devil Rays.

How about Kevin Millar? Sold to Japan by the Marlins this winter, the Red sox stepped in and claimed Millar off waivers causing an international incident. The Sox won his rights and Millar has been terrific. He has a .316 average, 59 RBI’s, and 13 homers.

Jeff DaVanon can hit and Brad Fullmer’s injury should allow him to play full time. With David Eckstein hitting .241, DaVanon is this years catalyst for Anaheim. Let him leadoff and play rightfield and watch this lineup take off.

Tony Mounce has pitched well in all of his starts for the Rangers, his team has not supported him in a like fashion, thus he brings a 0-2 record into his start against Kevin “Who knows what you’ll get” Appier.

The Cubs, Cards, and Astros all are struggling right now. The Giants can sweep the Cards for the first time in a four game series since 1912, someone wrote today. Is that right?

The Giants manipulated their rotation just so Kirk Reuter could make this start. The Cards aren’t hitting, but I think it is more the Giants pitching that has slowed the Cardinals down. The Giants must know something other teams don’t.

Felix Rodriguez is very close to regaining his eighth inning set up roll. Now he looks better every time he comes into a game, if he can throw his 96 MPH pitches where he wants to, the Giants become very scary in the late innings.

San Diego is giving the Dodgers all they can handle. Tonight Adam Eaton and Kevin Brown. This game has 2-1 written all over it unless Brown’s leg is bothering him.

Randy Johnson didn’t make his rehab appearance because his knee still isn’t right. Not good news for Arizona, it is taking three months for Johnson to come back from his knee problems, doesn’t this seem like a long time in light of all the medical miracles we see in sports.

Claudio Vargas is the Expos Dontrelle Willis. Those two are the two best rookie pitchers in the game.

Zambrano and Myers, this looks like another low scoring game in Philly too.

The Cubs need some hitting. Moises Alou is 37 years old today, that tells you something about their best hitter. I would trade Zambrano for a big time hitter. Hello Marlins.

A’s look to Barry Zito to right the ship.

Braves lost 20-1, then won 2-1 in 12 last night. Anything is possible in this game they call baseball.

In baseball anything can happen and it usually does. There is a different story every day.

Get ready for one heckuva game in Oakland this afternoon under very clear skies, meaning homers are likely.