"I felt good, strong, I'm ready to go," Zambrano said after his final appearance before starting the opener on Monday in Houston. "I'm ready to start the season, I'm healthy. I'm ready to do my job."

Zambrano will be facing the Astros for the first time since he pitched a no-hitter against them in Milwaukee - a game moved because of Hurricane Ike last September.

"They didn't have Carlos Lee (who was hurt) or Ivan Rodriguez in that lineup," Zambrano pointed out. "I have to be careful with them."

Soto's homers were his first two of spring training. The grand slam came against Dallas Braden, capping a six-run third inning. In the sixth, the reigning Rookie of the Year hit a towering homer to straightaway center off right-hander Andrew Bailey, who had not allowed a run all spring.

"It felt good to square up a couple balls," Soto said. "It's going to be a work in progress."

Meanwhile, A's manager Bob Geren finally announced the team's rotation after the game.

Braden, who gave up six runs in five innings, will be the opening day starter, as expected. He'll be followed by Trevor Cahill, Dana Eveland, Brett Anderson and Josh Outman.

Sean Gallagher, who began the season penciled into the No. 2 spot, is now "competing for a bullpen spot," Geren said.

"What I'm looking for from him this spring was to attack the strike zone a little better," Geren said. "I'm looking for his stuff to be a little crisper."

Cahill and Anderson, the A's highly touted pair of 21-year-olds, will each be making their big league debuts. Neither has pitched a regular season game above Double-A. Cahill will start the second game in Anaheim, about an hour from his home in the San Diego area.

"It's awesome," Cahill said. "I'm still shaking. All my friends are already asking me for tickets."

Braden said the news that he was going to get the opening-day start took some of the sting out of a poor performance against the Cubs.

"When you think about it you've been given a go ahead from an entire organization, a front office, to try and get the season off on the right foot, to try to set the tone," Braden said. "And you know what? I think we're all ready to have this spring come to an end and kind of get it crackin' for real."

Notes: The A's overcame a six-run deficit, tying the game in the ninth on Josh Horton's RBI single in the ninth. ... RHP Justin Duchscherer is expected to begin his rehab from elbow surgery within a week, manager Bob Geren said. Duchscherer remain in Arizona for the rehab. He is expected to be out until mid-May. When Geren was asked if Duchscherer would come back as a starter or reliever, he said: "We haven't gotten that far yet." ... LHP Gio Gonzalez had been scheduled to pitch on Wednesday, but the club moved him back to Thursday. Gonzalez was out for two weeks with a shoulder problem. He returned for a minor-league game on Monday. ... C Landon Powell took batting practice and was cleared to play. Powell has been out for 1 1/2 weeks with a strained muscle in his side. A former No. 1 pick, Powell is in line to make his major league debut as the A's backup catcher.