Naturally I am so worked up over Rich Harden's Cub debut Saturday afternoon, I have no choice but to stay up all night tonight in anticipation. As a result, I am following tonight's late games from the West Coast as they happen, including Sean Gallagher's first start for the Athletics, who are opening a series against the AL West-leading Angels in Oakland.

Gallagher pitched the first seven innings of the game, which the A's currently lead, 9-2. The 22-year-old righty allowed just two hits, three walks, and two earned runs before he was lifted. The seven-inning stint matches Gallagher's longest this year for the Cubs, back in late May when Gallagher and his mates beat the Dodgers, 3-1.

During tonight's late edition of Baseball Tonight on ESPN, Tim Kurkjian reiterated what has been written elsewhere, that Gallagher was the key player from the A's perspective in the Harden trade. For at least a moment this evening, Oakland fans also had to be feeling good about having acquired Matt Murton—the redhead smacked a bases loaded single to plate two runs in the middle of a 6-run Oakland rally in the third inning. That rally essentially locked up the game for the home team.

That was Murton's only hit in the game thus far. He is 1-for-5 with a strikeout.

In any case, I'm sure Rich Harden is happy to see his former team burying their chief AL West rivals.