Trevor Cahill faces the Rays for the first time in his career. This will only be his fourth start in the big leagues. Cahill is 0-1 in his three starts with a 2.60 ERA and 1.44 ERA.
The stat to watch will be Cahill’s walk total. He has walked 13 batters in 17 1/3 innings, so this could be a challenge to the sometimes overly aggressive Rays hitters. The big question will be whether the Rays will be patient enough to allow themselves to be walked.
Judging by Cahill’s numbers against left-handed bats, I’d guess that Pat Burrell might get the night off in favor of Willy Aybar. Lefties bat .263 against the A’s right-hander, while right-handed bats only hit .175.
Scott Kazmir faces the A’s for the 12th time in his career. He is 6-2 with a 2.70 ERA and 1.19 WHIP against Oakland. Last season, he faced them three times, allowing only eight hits in 19 innings. Pretty impressive.
No A’s hitter has had notable success against Kaz, although Matt Holliday is 2 for 2 against him, dating back to his days with the Colorado Rockies.
On paper, this is a game the Rays should win. They desperately need to string together some good wins.
