A's going with....

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A's going with three-man rotation in first playoff series




ARLINGTON, Texas - The Oakland Athletics will go with a three-man starting rotation in the first round of the AL playoff series against Minnesota.


Tim Hudson (15-9, 2.98 ERA) will start the opener of the best-of-five series at Oakland on Tuesday.

Left-handers Mark Mulder (19-7, 3.47) and Barry Zito (22-5, 2.78) follow in Games 2 and 3.

Cory Lidle (8-10, 3.89) will pitch out of the bullpen in the series against the Twins.

``That's something we didn't do the last couple of years. We'll change it up and see what happens,'' Zito said of the three-man rotation. ``We'll have Lidle coming out of the 'pen, and he'll be back in the rotation if we make it to the next round.''

Last year, the Athletics lost the division series in five games against the New York Yankees after winning the first two games behind Mulder and Hudson.

 

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atlanta rotation..

atlanta rotation..

Tom Glavine will pitch Game 1 of the playoffs, manager Bobby Cox announced last night.
He will be followed by Greg Maddux and Kevin Millwood in the rotation.

 

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BALTIMORE - All you had to do was watch Roger Clemens go through his long throwing program in the bullpen yesterday to get a handle on whom Joe Torre will start in Game 1 of the ALDS Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.

After pitching Wednesday, Clemens normally would have thrown his extended bullpen session Friday. However, when he pushed himself through a 20-minute workout yesterday, it put him in line to be Tuesday's starter.

Clemens will follow yesterday's session with a shorter one today in which he will focus on throwing on a downhill plane.

The two workouts put him in position to start Tuesday, even if Torre refused to divulge his decision before last night's game against the Orioles at Camden Yards.

The Angels, meanwhile, did announce their first three starters for the ALDS - Jarrod Washburn in Game 1, followed by Kevin Appier and Ramon Ortiz.

While the Yankees took BP, Clemens fired bullets to catcher Mike Borzello as pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre looked on.

Several times during the session Stottlemyre could be seen talking with Clemens, who had the same intense face he usually wears during games.

Clemens (13-6) will likely be followed by Andy Pettitte in Game 2, Mike Mussina in Game 3 and David Wells in Game 4 if the best-of-five series gets to a fourth game. Should Game 5 be needed it would be at Yankee Stadium a week from today and Clemens would be Torre's starter.

After throwing five scoreless innings in Friday night's 6-2 win, Pettitte said he thought Clemens would get the Game 1 assignment.

"I am closer [to a decision] but I am not going to announce it until [today] or [tomorrow]," Torre said. "All the pitchers don't know what our plans are yet. I am not really weighing things, I am just sort of waiting in case something happens."