A's-Rangers: Oakland Athletics' Dallas Braden Sticks It to Texas

Based on his name, Dallas Braden ought to be pitching for the Texas Rangers. Instead, he won a game AGAINST Texas, 4-2, for the Oakland As, beating Vicente Padilla Thursday afternoon.

In all fairness, Braden had a foot in both camps before he was drafted. He went to Texas Tech University, but he went to high school in Stockton, CA, not far from Oakland.

And the A's were quicker on the draw. They drafted Braden in the ninth round in 2004. Makes you wonder what the Rangers were doing in rounds one through eight.

The As are good at drafting pitchers. They do lack hitters, which is why they are not high in the standings. But that's not Braden's fault. On the other hand, the Rangers need pitching, and missed a big opportunity five years ago.

That's probably because Braden is more "Oakland" than "Texan." Although he's 6'1," that makes him "less tall" than Texas starters Brandon McCarty, Matt Harrison, Kevin Millwood, and even his opponent, Padilla.

Braden's fastball is in the 80s, not the 90s, and his best pitches are a change up and a screwball, much like former A's reliever Jim Mecir. Put another way, Braden is a "finesse" (and "soft") tosser, not a "power" hurler.

Braden did have offensive help, notably from Matt Holliday, who hit a home run to seal the win on the road, proving that he is at least "Matt Holliday" when not at McAfee Coliseum, a pitcher's park. More important, Ryan Sweeney's spectacular catch in the eighth robbed Ian Kinsler of a three run homer that would have wiped out Braden's win.

But Braden got the job done on his watch. He pitched himself out of a bases-loaded fifth inning, with no damage, although the fact that he needed 111 pitches to get through five made it hard on the As bullpen. But he is the ace of a young rotation, with a 2.10 ERA.

Teams have "DNA's" and typically draft players that fit them. In the case of Braden, the A's "DNA" led to a good draft choice.