Pitcher Preview: Kevin Correia vs Dan Straily

Correia averaged 7.1 innings in April, across five starts. He's finished seven innings just five times since. For a guy that once seemed a lock to give the Twins 200 innings, it looks instead like he'll finish just north of 180.

Oakland's lineup is sneaky good. Let's hope Kevin can keep them under control in tonight's late one.

Straily is a 24-year old righty in his second year at the Major League level, and he's putting together a pretty good year. He's gotten better as the summer has gone alone, and in his last four starts has thrown 23.2 innings and given up just five runs. For a fly ball pitcher he hasn't given up as many homers as he could have considering his splits on balls in play, but as you can see he's still served up 16 in just 140 innings. It would be worse if he allowed the league average number of home runs per fly ball.

He's mostly fastball-slider-change with an occasional curveball, and it's the slider that's been his most effective offering this season. The slider is always down and a way to right handers, always always always, because if he misses it's off the plate and away. Things get a bit more nuanced when he pitches against lefties. The changeup stays away, and so does the slider as Straily will use it as a back door option that's really tough to get good wood on. He'll also pepper in the curve a bit more often against lefties.

Straily hasn't faced the Twins ever, so this will be an interesting introduction as he tries to push the A's to within spitting distance of securing the AL West.