I live 1.8 miles from Oakland and I've never heard of the A's starting pitchers

Hey folks, JMC here back for more. Zach's away getting his Jew on in the big apple (that means he went to a Bar Mitzvah) so here I am to welcome you to another week. That headline might be a bit of an exaggeration - while I do live about 1.8 miles from the Oakland city limit I live about 9.3 miles, as the crow flies, from the Oakland Coliseum. And I have heard of one of the A's starting pitchers.

Why haven't I heard of their starting staff? Some thoughts - I'm a Giants fan, I spend more time jerking off than reading about baseball, the A's are awful, or maybe it's just because they're essentially a brand new staff... Let's see the rundown:

-Dallas Braden: Braden's actually been on the team for a couple of years and was drafted by the A's. So it's a little bit of a mystery why I've never heard of him. I guess going 6-12 in 24 starts with a 5.44 ERA hasn't exactly made him a news-maker. The fact that the A's chose this guy to be the opening day starter doesn't bode well.

-Dana Eveland: Eveland's got to be considered the ace of the staff, and I say that because he's the one guy I've heard of. A key part in the Dan Haren trade, he was plugged into the rotation last year after coming over from the D'Backs. Last year he was essentially a slightly below average pitcher (ERA+ of 93). Also, he has a girl name.

-Brett Anderson: Also part of the Haren trade. He's never pitched above AA. Good luck buddy.

-Trevor Cahill: Another product of the A's system, and another guy who's never pitched above AA.

-Josh Outman: Well he's certainly got a good name for a pitcher, or a recently openly gay guy. He came to Oakland from Philly in the Joe Blanton trade and started 4 games for the A's last year. He's got some decent peripheral stats but he's given up too many hits to be effective.

So how did the A's get here? That's what I want to know. Last year they started the season with a rotation of Joe Blanton, Rich Harden, Justin Duchscherer, Dana Eveland, and Greg Smith. They also got early starts from Lenny Dinardo and Chad Gaudin. Sean Gallagher also got 11 starts. Blanton was traded to the Phillies, Harden and Gaudin to the Cubs. Duchscherer is starting the season on the DL after elbow surgery and will miss at least six weeks. Smith, another product of the Haren trade, was sent to Colorado in the Holliday deal. DiNardo is now with the Royals. Gallagher was supposed to make the rotation but lost his spot to Outman and is starting the season in the bullpen. And that's how the A's have a whole staff I've never heard of.

Despite the fact that the A's have an unheralded rotation they could turn out to be pretty good. Anderson and Cahill are highly regarded prospects and with Gallagher in the wings and the possibility of getting Duchscherer back, they might have quite a bit of pitching depth. Combine that with what should be a much improved offense and a weak division, and they could have a shot. But, you know, probably not.