Today's game: Towers v. Haren

This should be an interesting matchup as Towers gave the A's fits last year... of course, the way the lineup is set up leaves much to be desired.

Kotsay
Thomas
Kendall
Chavez
Durazo
Hatteberg
Ellis
Swisher
Scutaro

Ok, what was Macha puffing on? Having Thomas hit second?? Kendall should never bat higher then second as he is just getting accustomed to the league; same with Thomas. So now Chavez will be coming up with the worst scenario being only 1 runner on and 2 outs. Of course you could say that Chavez having to start the next inning would be the worst, but leaving a runner on base would be a nice rub on the wound :)

The Powerless Ellis batting behind OBP machines Hatteberg and Durazo makes no sense at all. And if you saw the game last night, you can tell that Ellis is favoring his shoulder as he didn't range to his right. So you might as well get Ginter behind Durazo to see if he can develop into some power. The thought of having three lefties in a row doesn't sit well mainly because of Hatteberg's weak start to the 05 season. Finally, Thomas hitting 9th would allow for speed on the bases as the lineup turns over.

Kotsay
Kendall
Chavez
Durazo
Ginter
Hatteburg
Swisher
Scutaro
Thomas

So the A's lost tonight five to two and of course, Thomas, Kendall, and Ellis go a combined 0-10 with Thomas and Ellis getting a walk a piece. Here's Macha's "reasoning:"

"Just trying it out and seeing how it looks," Macha said. "I want to see how Charles does in the No. 2 spot. That's the wild card in the whole thing, and I know I'll get a quality at-bat out of (Kendall), no matter where he is. I moved Chavez down one spot, but he's OK with that, too."

Huh? Why must you find out what Charles does in the 2 spot this early in the season? It's not as if he or Kendall have gotten off to a great start. There were a couple of times in the game where Chavez came up with two outs and of course the A's didn't score. So instead of trying to win a game AND get some production out of guys, Macha places them in situations where they are going to fail. Nice way to start the season.