Oakland at Texas

Dan Haren was unconscious at the beginning of the season. The A's were 12-4 in his first 16 starts, and he was pitching to an ERA of 1.78. He allowed as many as three earned runs only twice, with the 14 other starts allowing two or less. He allowed as many as seven hits in a start just once. Things have really changed. The A's are just 6-7 in his last 13 starts, and he has allowed three runs or more in 8 of the 13 starts, and seven  hits or more in 12 of the 13! That adds up to 96 hits in 80 innings, and an ERA of 4.78. The Rangers are a very hot team right now, as they are 9-2 over their last 11 games, and have produced five or more runs in 10 of the 13. Edinson Volquez was 14-1 with a 2.55 ERA in the minors before his September call up, and has a start under his belt, so he should settle down for this one. We like the Rangers in the opener here.