|
|
Tim Hudson will have more on his side than his teammates and his array of pitches when he faces the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in today's series finale.
He'll be boosted by the impending birth of his second daughter, who will be
named Tess. Hudson's wife, Kim, will have labor induced Monday, a day off for
the A's.
"You feel more confident," Hudson said Saturday. "Something special is about to happen in your life that's pretty much a miracle."
Perhaps it goes without saying, but the contrast between playing a sport and
seeing life enter the world is vast.
"This is a game. Monday is going to be something that's a life-changing
experience," said Hudson, who is 3-0 with a 2.72 ERA. "It's exciting.
I don't know if it's going to make me pitch any better or worse, but mentally,
it's a neat thing."
• Eric Chavez has three home runs in his past five games, including an
impressive-looking line drive over the center-field wall in the eighth inning
Saturday. But don't suggest to him that his hitting doldrums have ended.
"I'd rather be getting consistent hits, better at-bats," said Chavez,
who is batting .220. "It's not an indication of where I want to be."
Chavez believes that only a prolonged streak, not just one at-bat or one solid
game, will restore his form.
"I'm a big `feel' guy, and I'm not feeling it right now," he said.
"It takes me a while to get comfortable and really start to feel it."
• A's Manager Ken Macha said that the defensive consistency displayed
by shortstop Bobby Crosby and second baseman Marco Scutaro stems largely from
the tutelage of third-base coach Ron Washington, the team's infield guru.
Crosby, a rookie, and Scutaro, who is essentially a first-year player, have
committed only one error apiece.
"That, to me, is more of a tribute to `Wash,' " Macha said. "The
defense has been outstanding. You couldn't ask for guys to play any better than
that."
• Macha said he probably will rest Mark Kotsay today, owing to the center
fielder's history of back problems.
Kotsay has played two games on Tropicana Field's FieldTurf, which is more forgiving
than most synthetic surfaces. It combines artificial grass with a mixture of
sand and ground rubber. Nevertheless, Macha has no desire to push Kotsay's luck.
If Kotsay sits, Eric Byrnes would make his third start of the season in center
field.
• Trainer Larry Davis said infielder Mark McLemore is scheduled to end
his conditioning program at the A's training facility in Phoenix today and will
report to Triple-A Sacramento on Monday.
Back To Index Page