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Cleveland Indians (7-15) at Oakland Athletics (12-10), 10:05 p.m.
Match-Up |
Line-Up
Probable Starting Pitchers: Cleveland - Jason Davis (2-2, 6.97)
Oakland - Ted Lilly (1-0, 3.24)
(Sports Network) - The Cleveland Indians hope to avoid their fourth
consecutive loss tonight when they open a three-game set against the Oakland
Athletics at Network Associates Coliseum.
The Indians matched their worst start in franchise history on Thursday when
they dropped a 4-2 decision to the Seattle Mariners to fall to 7-15 on the
season. Omar Vizquel finished with three hits, including two doubles, and
Casey Blake added two hits, including a homer, for Cleveland, which has lost
seven of its last nine. Ellis Burks posted two hits.
Vizquel stretched his hitting streak to nine games and is 15-for-41 with a
homer and four RBI in that span.
Billy Traber (0-2), the Indians' emergency starter, absorbed the loss in his
first big league start. The lefthander was charged with three runs and three
hits in 4 1/3 innings. He was forced to start because Brian Anderson suffered
a strained right gluteal muscle.
Milton Bradley missed his second straight game on Wednesday with a hamstring
injury and is questionable for tonight's affair.
Young Jason Davis gets the call tonight for the Tribe and will be shooting for
third straight win. Davis, 2-2 on the year with a 6.97 ERA, allowed three runs
on seven hits over 6 2/3 innings in his last start, a 7-4 win over the Chicago
White Sox. After allowing 10 runs over seven innings in his first two starts,
Davis has surrendered just six runs over his last two outings spanning 13 2/3
innings.
This will be the 22-year-old's first-ever appearance against the Mariners.
Oakland, meanwhile, comes into Friday's contest after taking two of three from
the lowly Detroit Tigers, including Thursday's 2-0 shutout in the series
finale. Mark Mulder (3-1) allowed just three hits to go along with five
strikeouts and one walk for his ninth career complete game and sixth career
shutout.
Eric Byrnes went 2-for-3 with a run scored for Oakland, which has won four of
its last six games.
All the news was not good, though, on the A's front, as Jermaine Dye left the
game with discomfort in his right knee. However, he does not think the injury
is serious and only expects to be out one or two games if at all.
Ted Lilly will take the hill tonight for Oakland hoping to improve on the A's
brilliant starting pitching of late. Oakland's starters are 5-2 with a 1.79
ERA over the last seven games after going 0-4 with a 6.94 ERA over the
previous six games.
Lilly, who is 1-0 with a 3.24 ERA, has not earned a decision in his last three
outings and Oakland has dropped all three of those starts. The 27-year-old
southpaw surrendered one unearned run on seven over 5 2/3 innings in his last
start, but did not factor in the decision of the A's 2-1 loss to the Texas
Rangers.
In four career starts against the Indians, Lilly is 1-1 with a 4.30 ERA.
Miguel Tejada endured his second straight 0-for-4 game on Thursday and is
mired in a 1-for-17 skid. He also has seven errors through 22 games this
season after committing 21 or less in each of the past four seasons.
Oakland took five of the seven meetings between these teams last season, but
dropped two of three to the Tribe at the Coliseum.
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