Paul Byrd
* RHP
* (0-0) -.-- ERA
Indians: Unfortunately, Byrd's 2007 season will best be remembered for his admitted use of human growth hormone, which he said he used under doctor's supervision to treat a medical condition. MLB hasn't said whether Byrd will face a suspension for that HGH use, so he'll take the ball for the opener of a three-game set at McAfee Coliseum, where he is 1-2 with a 5.26 ERA in five career starts. The veteran Byrd was a 15-game winner in '07, but he'd still like to improve his performance against left-handed hitters. He certainly doesn't have to improve his control after leading the AL with 1.31 walks issued per nine innings pitched last year.
Justin Duchscherer
* RHP
* (0-0) -.-- ERA
A's: Duchscherer, who made three starts for the A's late in the 2003 season but was used exclusively in relief during the following four seasons, has transitioned back to the starting role he prefers this spring after recovering from hip surgery that ended his 2007 season in May. Prior to his big league debut in 2003, Duchscherer made 23 starts at Triple-A Sacramento and went 14-2 with a 3.25 ERA to claim Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year honors. An All-Star setup man for the A's in 2005, Duchscherer threw mostly cutters out of the bullpen, but he'll be using his full arsenal (two-seamer, four-seamer, curveball, changeup) as a starter.
Byrd will try to ignore first-start jitters
Paul Byrd is 37 years old and has more than 11 years of service time in the Major Leagues. But that first start of the season, which comes Friday in Oakland, still excites him.
"You can pitch all the Spring Training games you want, but until the buzzer sounds and the gate opens and you start the season, it's just not the same," he said. "I'm older, so you would think I wouldn't get as nervous, but that's not the case. I still have to calm myself down. I still love what I'm doing and can't wait to take the mound and compete."
Yet 14 years ago, Byrd didn't have nearly as much excitement for the game.
Casilla gives A's options vs. Tribe
When converted setup man Justin Duchscherer makes his debut as a full-fledged member of the A's starting rotation Friday night in the opener of a three-game series against the visiting Indians at McAfee Coliseum, he'll likely be limited to 100 pitches.
Thus, it's more than likely that upon exiting the game he'll hand the ball off to the man whose development in the Oakland system helped make Duchscherer's role change possible.
Santiago Casilla, a 27-year-old right-hander who was signed by the A's out of the Dominican Republic in 2000, is emerging as a late-innings reliever upon whom the team can rely as it once did Duchscherer.
