A's turn to well-traveled Jackson to start against Tigers
Edwin Jackson has pitched for a lot of teams. The Oakland A's have burned through many starting pitchers this season.
In a case of harmonic convergence, Jackson will join the A's on Monday and immediately jump into the rotation. He will be called up from Triple-A Nashville and start Monday afternoon at Detroit.
Jackson will tie Octavio Dotel's major-league record of playing for 13 teams, and the A's will use their 12th different starter this season.
Oakland has five pitchers on the disabled list, including four who have started a combined 26 games.
Jackson, 34, began his major-league career with the Los Angeles Angels in 2003. He started 13 games for Washington last season, posting a 5-6 record and a 5.07 ERA. He also made three relief appearances for Baltimore.
Jackson spent the first three months of this season in the minor leagues. He made 10 starts for Syracuse, the Nationals' Triple-A affiliate, and went 4-2 with a 3.40 ERA.
He opted out of his contract and signed a minor-league deal with Oakland on June 6. He posted an 0-1 record and 4.02 ERA in three starts with the Sounds before being called up.
The A's just hope Jackson can eat some innings and give their bullpen a rest.
"He's pitched pretty well," A's manager Bob Melvin told MLB.com. "The last outing was good. I think he's had one that was not so good and a couple that were good. I don't think it's as much about that as it is about making sure his pitch count is there, and he's ready to go out there and give you a full complement."
Detroit was one of Jackson's many stops during his nomadic career. He made 33 starts for the Tigers in 2009 and finished 13-9 with a 3.62 ERA. He has faced Detroit 15 times, including 10 starts, going 4-2 with a 3.36 ERA.
He'll be opposed in the opener of a four-game series by Jordan Zimmermann (2-0, 4.95 ERA). After a stint on the DL because of a shoulder impingement, Zimmermann gave up four runs (three earned) in five innings during a no-decision against the Chicago White Sox on June 16. He's 1-0 with a 3.65 ERA in two career starts against Oakland.
The Tigers are just happy to sleep in their own beds again after flaming out during a once-promising road trip. They won three games against the Chicago White Sox, then lost two at Cincinnati before getting swept in a three-game series at Cleveland. They were blasted 12-2 on Sunday.
"We have to find a way to get back into the win column," Tigers catcher James McCann told the Detroit News. "No one likes to lose. It's these moments that are a true character test for what kind of team we are. Are we going to be able to bounce back and put this in the rear-view mirror, or is this going to have a snowball effect?"
The A's split a four-game series against the Chicago White Sox over the weekend, but their power bats have continued to roll. They have homered in a major-league-record 25 consecutive road games.
