Brandon Inge Season Placed On DL, Shoulder Surgery Will End Season

The Oakland Athletics have placed third baseman Brandon Inge on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right shoulder. It appears that this is not as far as it'll go, as A's beat reporter Jane Lee reports it's a precursor to season-ending shoulder surgery next week. It's the second time this month that Inge has dislocated his shoulder, which was the precursor to being sent to the DL.

Inge is 35 years old and has been hitting okay from the plate, with splits of .218/.275/.383, piling up 12 home runs and a .658 OPS with 331 plate appearances. In 74 games with the A's, Inge had 11 homers with .222 batting average, a .286 OBP and a .389 slugging percentage. Inge signed with the A's on April 29th after being released by the Detroit Tigers and might have seen his last action with the team, as he will be a free agent this offseason.

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Brandon McCarthy Progressing, Stable After Surgery

Athletics pitcher Brandon McCarthy was struck on the right side of his head with a batted ball during yesterday against the Los Angeles Angels. McCarthy underwent surgery last night at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, and the 29-year old appears to be alert, awake, and resting while showing signs he is improving.

A CT Scan revealed an epidural hemorrhage, brain contusion and skull fracture. He was then transferred to a nearby hospital, where a neurosurgeon performed a second CT scan and clinical examination, and surgery was recommended to relieve pressure from McCarthy’s head.

The surgical procedure involved evacuating of an epidural hemorrhage and stabilizing the skull fracture. A CT Scan demonstrated that the situation had improved and the epidural hemorrhage had subsided. McCarthy is currently resting in the critical care unit of the hospital and should hopefully be back on the road to recovery.

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Brandon McCarthy Injury: Athletics Release Statement On Pitcher's Condition

Oakland Athletics starter Brandon McCarthy left Wednesday's matchup with the Los Angeles Angels after being hit in the head with a line drive in the fourth inning, though the team released a statement noting that he is doing fine.

McCarthy never lost consciousness, and was taken to a local hospital as a precaution. He underwent a CAT scan, though the results are not yet known. The A's released this statement on his condition:

"Brandon McCarthy is conscious and doing well. Doctors at Summit Hospital want him to stay overnight for further observation. He will not accompany the team on the charter flight to Seattle tomorrow afternoon."

The first man on the scene was catcher Derek Norris, who had this to say about the accident:

"The first thing he asked me is 'Where did it hit me?'" Norris said. "I'd say that was on OK sign that it didn't cause him too much pain."

The A's will have the day off on Thursday before travelling to Seattle to face the Mariners on Friday. 17 of the team's last 23 regular season games are on the road.

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Athletics Vs. Angels Final Score: Oakland Swept At Home With 7-1 Loss

The Athletics were the hotter team heading into their three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels but this tilt has cooled them off considerably. The A's lost by a score of 7-1 on Wednesday to be swept at home by their divisional rivals.

The A's were once again in a hole early on, as the Angels scored three times in the top of the third inning, thanks to RBI singles from Torii Hunter and Howie Kendrick.

Seth Smith hit an RBI single in the bottom of the third to cut the Angels lead to 3-1 but were unable to get any more runs off of starter Dan Haren.

Oakland starter Brandon McCarthy had to leave the game in the fourth inning after a terrifying moment where he was hit in the side of the head with a line drive.

A horrific top of the ninth inning ended up dooming the A's. Maicer Izturis drew a bases-loaded walk, Hunter drove in two runs with an RBI single and Izturis came home on a double-steal as the Angels plated their seventh run of the game.

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Brandon McCarthy Hit In Head By Line Drive

Oakland Athletics right-handed pitcher Brandon McCarthy had to be taken off the field after getting drilled in the head by a baseball. After McCarthy threw a pitch, Erick Aybar sent a liner straight back to him that got him in the back of the head. McCarthy went to the ground but did not lose consciousness.

McCarthy ended up sitting on the mound for a period of time until he was able to stand up and walk off the field under his own power. You can see McCarthy leaving the game by checking out the link to this photo below.

@bmccarthy32 leaving the game. twitter.com/newballpark/st…

— newballpark (@newballpark) September 5, 2012

McCarthy pitched three and two-thirds of an inning, giving up five hits and surrender three earned runs. He's enjoying a solid season at the mound, winning eight games in 17 starts while conceding an ERA of 3.10, a career low.

Travis Blackley has come in to relieve McCarthy, and got the A's out of the inning. The Athletics currently trail the Angels 3-1.

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MLB Standings: Giants, A's Poised For Stretch Run

With less than a month remaining in the 2012 MLB season, the standings show both Bay Area teams with a shot at the postseason. The San Francisco Giants are atop the NL West, while the Oakland Athletics control their own destiny for the AL Wild Card.

The Giants open Wednesday with a 4.5-game lead over the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers. They have built their lead over the last 10 contests, separating themselves from L.A. by two more games over that span.

Oakland is tied for the Wild Card lead in the AL, but it has its eye on the division-leading Rangers. The A's are four games back of Texas with 27 left to play. Winning the division title would allow the Athletics to avoid a one-game playoff and give them home-field advantage in the Division Series.

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Athletics Vs. Angels: Brandon McCarthy Looks To Salvage Series

The Oakland A's have fallen off their torrid winning streak and now look to salvage their series with the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night at the Coliseum.

The A's will send Brandon McCarthy (8-5, 3.10 ERA) to the bump, who allowed five runs and 11 hits over seven innings of work en route to a 6-0 loss to Los Angeles on April 16. He is 1-3 with a 5.30 ERA in his last six starts against the Halos, and is 2-2 with a 4.60 ERA in five starts after sitting out the last two months with a strained shoulder.

The Angels will counter with Dan Haren (9-10, 4.98), who won for the first time in his last five outings on Friday. He currently is 0-3 with a 4.85 ERA in his last four starts against the A's. Haren is also 0-1 with a 6.08 ERA in two starts in Oakland since leaving the A's in 2007.

First pitch is set for 12:35 p.m. PT with coverage on CSN California and 95.7 The Game.

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Athletics Vs. Angels Final Score: Oakland Can't Muster Offense In 6-1 Loss

The Oakland Athletics have looked punchless in the first two games of their three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels. On Tuesday night, they lost to the Angels by a final score of 6-1 and have officially lost the series.

Jarrod Parker and Zack Greinke kept the game scoreless until the top of the fifth inning, when Mike Trout hit an RBI single to give the Angels a 1-0 lead. Alberto Callaspo added a sacrifice fly in the sixth to push the Los Angeles led to 2-0.

Brandon Moss gave the A's a glimmer of hope in the bottom of the seventh with his 16th home run of the year to cut the lead to 2-1. The Angels were not done, however, as they scored two runs in the top of the eighth with an RBI doubel from Erick Aybar and an RBI single from Callaspo.

Kendrys Morales delivered the dagger in the top of the ninth with a two-run, two-out double off of Jerry Blevins.

The A's will try to salvage a win and avoid the sweep on Wednesday.

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A's Josh Reddick Named American League Player Of The Week

A's right fielder Josh Reddick was named the American League Player of the Week for the period ending Sept. 2, according to Comcast SportsNet.

Reddick hit .387 with two doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI and six runs scored, and propelled the A's to an undefeated 7-0 record during the week. This is the first time that Reddick has earned Player of the Week honors in his career, and he becomes the third Athletics player to be honored this year, joining Brandon Moss and Yoenis Cespedes.

The left-handed slugger is hitting .260 on the season with 25 doubles, five triples, 28 home runs, 75 RBI, and 72 runs scored in 2012. Reddick leads the A's in eight offensive categories, including home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, total bases, and extra-base hits.

The A's will square off against the Angels at O.co Coliseum for game two of a three-game set tonight. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. PDT.

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Athletics Vs. Angels Final Score: Oakland Win Streak Snapped With 8-3 Loss

The Oakland Athletics entered Monday's three-game series opener against the Los Angeles Angels with a nine-game winning streak. They left with an 8-3 loss.

Vernon Wells and Chris Iannetta hit RBI singles in the top of the second inning to put the A's in a 2-0 hole early on. Torii Hunter led off the third inning with a home run and Erick Aybar added a two-out RBI single to make it 4-0 Angels. Wells led off the fourth inning with another home run to stretch the Los Angeles lead all the way out to 5-0.

The A's finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single from Josh Reddick and Josh Donaldson led off the bottom of the fifth with a home run to cut the Angels lead to 5-2, but the Angels answered back with three runs in the top of the sixth, thanks to a two-run Iannetta homer and a sacrifice fly from Hunter.

Oakland was only able to muster one more run, with a solo homer from Chris Carter off of reliever LaTroy Hawkins in the bottom of the eighth. The solo shot was Carter's 14th of the season.

Tom Milone was tagged with the loss and fell to 11-10 after giving up five runs on 10 hits in just three innings of work.

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Athletics Vs. Angels: Halos Lead Through Five Innings, 5-2

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim need wins to gain on the Oakland Athletics in the AL West and AL wild card standings, and even though it's a longshot, the Angels have an early lead of 5-2 after five innings at the Oakland Coliseum as they seek to end Oakland's nine-game winning streak.

Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells have home runs off of A's starter Tommy Milone, and Chris Iannetta and Erick Aybar have two hits each and a run batted in. The A's trailed 5-0 until Josh Donaldson hit his sixth home run of the season, and Oakland is trying to mount a comeback against Angels starter C.J. Wilson.

Milone is out of the game after allowing five runs on 10 hits in three innings. Oakland's streak is in jeopardy after the A's loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth before Josh Reddick popped out to end the inning.

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MLB Standings: Oakland Athletics In Play For Wild Card Or Division Title

If you're somewhere outside of Northern California and you just looked at the Major League Baseball standings and had to rub your eyes when you saw that the Oakland Athletics are 76-57, you probably aren't alone.

The Swingin' A's are not only Wild Card spot holders at the present, but they were 3-1/2 games out of first place in the AL West, behind the defending AL champion Texas Rangers when play began Monday.

Can the A's pull it off and make the postseason? Did anyone really give this team a chance to be where they are at this point of the season? Oakland loves the underdog role, and they've perfected it with their low payroll and overachieving players.

The A's have seven games left with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and can knock that underachieving team out of contention for good. Oakland also has nine games left against teams outside their division, and all are contenders -- the Yankees, Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles.

The A's also have a shot at the Rangers' lead, with seven games left against that team.

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Athletics Vs. Angels Series Preview: TV Schedule, Probable Pitchers & More

The Athletics will be trying for their 10th straight win on Labor Day. The Angels are in town for a massive three-game series.