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Houston at Oakland, 9:05 PM CT
TV: CSN Houston
Radio: KBME 790
Athletics SBNation Blog: Athletics Nation
Pitching Match
RHP Brad Peacock (1-1 / 4.82 ERA / 1.18 WHIP) vs. RHP A.J. Griffin (2-0 / 1.93 ERA / 1.07 WHIP)
Preview
So, umm yeah. Remember last night when we talked about Erik Bedard's record at the Oakland Coliseum? I guess he wasn't very fond of the name change, O.co Coliseum must keep Bedarad up at night. That lifetime ERA of 2.73 in Oakland went right out the window at the get-go, Bedard walked four, gave up a homerun to Nate Freiman (Hey, remember that guy!), and allowed six runs. All of this happened before Bedard could record the second out. Brad Peacock takes the mound today in his old stomping grounds.
Funny enough for Peacock, after making two starting for the Nationals in 2011 - Peacock was traded to Oakland but never pitching in the majors for the A's. On April 5th, Peacock faced the A's at home - giving up only two runs on three hits and three walks. The only mark against Peacock, he only last 4.1 innings, walking the first two batters in the fifth that lead to a big inning for Oakland. Keeping the base paths relatively empty and not having to work from the stretch will be Peacock's key to success tonight. Carlos Pena is two for three against A.J. Griffin and the only Astros to have faced Griffin before today.
A.J. Griffin, another young A's arm that a flourished in the California sun. In 2012, Griffin skipped AAA and went straight to majors, continuing his success with a 7-1 record and 3.06 ERA. In comparison to his 2012 FIP (3.80), it begs the question if the success is coming more from the fielders around Griffin. The 6'5" righty doesn't over power batters with his fastball, but rather hits his spots. That said, Griffin has been excellent in 2013, pitching 14 innings and only allowing 3 ERs. CoCo Crisp jumped all over Brad Peacock for a leadoff homerun in Houston, I expect him to be aggressive again.
