Oakland Athletics Starting Pitcher Dallas Braden Placed On Disabled List With Stiff Left Shoulder

The Oakland Athletics are officially dealing with their first significant injury of the 2011 MLB season. Earlier Monday the A’s placed starting pitcher Dallas Braden on the 15-day disabled list due to stiffness in his left shoulder. Braden left Saturday’s game against the Tigers after five innings of one run ball. He visited with the A’s orthopedist on Sunday but there is no word yet on the severity of the injury. All we know is that Braden indicated it’s like nothing he’s felt before.

On the same day as this DL move, the A’s worked out a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays that sent Danny Farquhar to Toronto in exchange for David Purcey. It would not seem to be a coincidence that this move happened the day Braden was DL’d as Purcey has taken Braden’s place on the 25-man roster. To make room for Purcey on the 40-man roster, the A’s transferred Rich Harden to the 60-day disabled list with his lat injury.

At this point, the fifth starter job will likely fall to either Tyson Ross or Bobby Cramer. The A’s upcoming schedule would allow them to skip their fifth starter this week, but they would need to have a fifth starter later next week. There has been no official word as to who will fill in for Braden.

Athletics vs. Tigers, Series Recap: A's Split Behind Inconsistent Offense

The Oakland Athletics wrapped up a four-game series at home with the Detroit Tigers, managing to secure a split in spite of losing the first two games of the series. Over the course of four games, the A’s managed to show the good, the bad, and the ugly of their team. We got to see inept offense followed by an extra-base explosion. We saw a bullpen implosion on back-to-back nights, followed by a strong weekend of bullpen work. The only consistency was very solid starting pitching, which has come to be expected by the A’s.

A’s Pitcher of the Series: Brandon McCarthy, Trevor Cahill – There was no way a bullpen pitcher was getting this spot, so it came down to the four starters that pitched this series. Gio Gonzalez lowered his ERA to a ridiculous 0.47, but had six walks that prevented him from going deeper and potentially hanging around for a win. Dallas Braden got out of some jams, but struggled courtesy of shoulder issues that are officially a concern.

I went with both McCarthy and Cahill because they each put together strong performances this weekend. McCarthy continues his resurgence, as he went 6 2/3 innings on Friday, striking out seven and giving up six hits and no runs. He’s pitching as well as he has in a long time and deserved the win Friday night. Trevor Cahill stuck around long enough for some insurance runs, going eight innings and giving up one run on four hits with nine strikeouts. He’s alternated strong and poor performances and will look to get some consistency this week in his next start.

A’s Hitter of the Series: David DeJesus – The offense had its fair share of struggles, but DeJesus spent the weekend slowly working his way out of the initial funk he was in to start the season. He’s still got work to do, but his five hits, two runs, and three RBIs led the team this weekend. That says as much about the A’s overall performance as it does DeJesus’ individual performance.

Upcoming Schedule: The A’s get their first day off since April 4 and then wrap up this short six game home stand with two games against the Boston Red Sox. The series will feature Brett Anderson versus John Lackey and Gio Gonzalez versus Clay Buchholz. The first game will be at 7:05pm pacific on CSN Plus (due to Sharks playoff game) and the second game will be at 12:35pm on CSN California.

Notable Number: 3-4 – The A’s now sit at 3-4 at home thanks to the split of this series. They are 5-4 on the road. The team started the season off poorly in general but seemed to improve their road play over the course of the nine game road trip. The team struggled quite a bit on the road last year, so it’s a good sign that they got off to a solid start with the 5-4 road trip. The key now is gaining some level of consistency both at home and on the road. This Tigers series showed the inconsistencies that need to be addressed.

Series Results
Thursday: Tigers 3 – A’s 0
WP: Phil Coke (1-2)
LP: Tyson Ross (1-1)
Sv: Jose Valverde (3)

Friday: Tigers 8 – A’s 4 (F/10)
WP: Brayan Villarreal (1-0)
LP: Brian Fuentes (0-2)

Saturday: A’s 6 – Tigers 2
WP: Dallas Braden (1-1)
LP: Justin Verlander (1-2)

Sunday: A’s 5 – Tigers 1
WP: Trevor Cahill (2-0)
LP: Brad Penny (0-2)

Athletics vs. Tigers, MLB Scores: A's Lineup Provides Support For Trevor Cahill In 5-1 Victory

The Oakland Athletics wrapped up their four-game set on with the Detroit Tigers, salvaging a split thanks to a 5-1 victory on Sunday. Trevor Cahill got his second win of the season and continued his pattern through four starts of alternating good and bad starts. Cahill went eight innings, giving up one run on four hits. His nine strikeouts was one short of tying his career high.

The A’s received a strong balanced effort from their offense today as four different players drove in runs. Brad Penny was dominant early, retiring nine of the first ten batters he faced. However, the A’s got the first run of the game in the fourth on a Hideki Matsui groundout. The A’s had men on first and third and Matsui hit a dribbler down the line with one out. It was clearly going to roll foul but Penny grabbed it to get Matsui out. This allowed Barton to score and give the A’s a 1-0 lead.

The A’s added three more runs in the fifth inning as Connor Jackson drew a bases loaded walk to score one run, followed by a Josh Willingham single to score two more. The A’s added a fifth run in the sixth inning on a Cliff Pennington sacrifice fly. That was more than enough as Cahill was dealing and Tyson Ross wrapped things up in the ninth with two strike outs and a flyout.

The victory ensured a split with the Tigers and got the A’s back to .500 at 8-8. The A’s close out this short homestand with two games against the Boston Red Sox starting Tuesday. Brett Anderson will square off with John Lackey at 7:05pm pacific on CSN Plus.

Tigers' Justin Verlander Commits Craziest Balk You'll Ever See Against Athletics [Video]

Athletics vs. Tigers, Starting Lineup Preview: A's Look To Salvage Series Split Behind Trevor Cahill

The Oakland Athletics look to wrap up a split in their four game series with the Detroit Tigers. The A’s send out Trevor Cahill to face Brad Penny at 1:05pm pacific on CSN California. The A’s grabbed their first win of the series last night with a 6-2 victory behind Dallas Braden and a host of extra base hits. Today the A’s are a fairly sizable favorite behind Cahill.

The A’s are giving some of their starters the day off, including left fielder Josh Willingham and catcher Kurt Suzuki. Landon Powell is getting the start in place of Suzuki and Conor Jackson is starting in place of Willingham. What’s interesting is that Jackson has success against Brad Penny in limited appearances. Over 21 plate appearances, Jackson has a line of .474/.524/.684 with four doubles and three RBIs.

Nobody in today’s starting lineup has a home run in their career against Penny, but it’s worth noting that the A’s offense is not predicated on home run power. Rather, the A’s offense will find success when it is hitting balls into the gaps. This is a lineup built to hit a lot of singles and doubles instead of a more traditional power-packed lineup. They haven’t done a lot of that thus far, but Saturday’s win over Detroit was an excellent example of what this offense is capable of when things are working. We’ll see if they can carry that momentum over into today’s matchup.

Oakland Athletics
1. David DeJesus, CF
2. Daric Barton, 1B
3. Conor Jackson, RF
4. Josh Willingham, LF
5. Hideki Matsui, DH
6. Mark Ellis, 2B
7. Landon Powell, C
8. Andy LaRoche, 3B
9. Cliff Pennington, SS

Detroit Tigers
1. Will Rhymes, 2B
2. Austin Jackson, CF
3. Brennan Boesch, DH
4. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
5. Ryan Raburn, LF
6. Don Kelly, 3B
7. Jhonny Peralta, SS
8. Alex Avila, C
9. Casper Wells, RF

Athletics vs. Tigers, MLB Scores: Dallas Braden Hurts Shoulder, A's Offense Explodes In 6-2 Victory

The Oakland Athletics took the third game of this four game series with the Detroit Tigers, winning 6-2 behind six extra base hits and a solid relief effort behind an injured Dallas Braden. Through five innings Braden had struggled, twice putting men on second and third with nobody out. He gave up one run the first time, but escaped the jam without any damage the second time in the fourth. After the fifth inning, Braden left with stiffness in his shoulder and let the bullpen close out the final four innings.

The A’s offense looked like it was was prepared to continue its struggles through the first three innings, but then managed to blow things up in the fourth inning. The first four Athletics hitters reached base courtesy of three straight doubles and a single with an error. The A’s added a fourth run in the sixth and two more in the eighth to take a 6-1 lead into the ninth.

Grant Balfour was given a chance at a two inning save but gave up a single and a walk, forcing manager Bob Geren to go to his temporary closer Brian Fuentes. Although Fuentes was a little rocky, he got out of the jam giving up only one run as the A’s won 6-2.

The A’s look to salvage a split of the series Sunday sending out Trevor Cahill to face Brad Penny. First pitch is at 1:05pm on CSN California.

Athletics vs. Tigers, Starting Lineup Preview: Andy LaRoche Appears To Officially Be a Geren Favorite

The Oakland Athletics look to get back on the winning track as they host the Detroit Tigers in the third game of a four-game set at the Oakland Coliseum. The A’s send out lefty Dallas Braden to face Tigers ace Justin Verlander. Braden is making his third start of the year and is coming off a strong outing against the White Sox in which he gave up one run over six innings. Verlander is making his fourth start of the season. He gave up two runs in a complete game loss against the Texas Ragners, and gave up three runs in each of his first two starts.

The A’s are continue their trend of getting Andy LaRoche into the lineup, giving him a shot at second base today as Mark Ellis takes the day off. LaRoche is hitless the last two nights but had a six-game hitting streak prior to that. It’s safe to say that for now LaRoche is a Geren favorite. He had a strong spring training, with a line of .333/.388/.583, leading the team with four home runs.

LaRoche went from top prospect to washout between 2003 and 2010. From 2003 to 2006 he made the progression from Rookie League to AAA. In 55 games in AAA to wrap up 2006, LaRoche had a line of .322/.400/.550 with 10 home runs and 35 RBIs. However, he struggled out of the gates at the major league level in 2007, hitting .226/.365/.312 in 35 games with the Dodgers. He went back to AAA Las Vegas and was successful. In 2008, he spent time with the Dodgers and Pirates after a trade and hit a combined .166/.252/.508 in 76 games. He was given further chances with the Pirates in 2009 and 2010 but it just never really clicked.

Now he’s just trying to prove he still has some of the talent that made him one of the top prospects in the game. He’s trying to prove he’s more than a AAAA type of talent: too good for AAA but not good enough for the majors. He’s off to a solid enough start with the A’s, but it’s way too early to tell whether he’s gotten over the hump. The upside is the A’s are giving him some consistent at bats. We’ll see if LaRoche can take advantage of the opportunity.

Oakland Athletics
1. Coco Crisp, CF
2. Daric Barton, 1B
3. David DeJesus, RF
4. Josh Willingham, LF
5. Hideki Matsui, DH
6. Kurt Suzuki, C
7. Andy LaRoche, 2B
8. Kevin Kouzmanoff, 3B
9. Cliff Pennington, SS

Detroit Tigers
1. Austin Jackson, CF
2. Ryan Raburn, LF
3. Magglio Ordonez, DH
4. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
5. Victor Martinez, C
6. Jhonny Peralta, SS
7. Brennan Boesch RF
8. Brandon Inge, 3B
9. Ramon Santiago, 2B

Athletics vs. Tigers: A's Bullpen Implodes In Extra Innings

The Oakland Athletics played their fourth extra inning game in five days, but saw this one end a little bit differently than the previous three. The Detroit Tigers won the game 8-4 thanks to a seven run tenth inning in which Brian Fuentes and Brad Zeigler were slapped around with relative ease.

The A’s received a strong start from starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy who held the Tigers scoreless through 6 2/3 innings. He struck out seven batters in lowering his ERA to 2.45 and left the game with a one run lead. Craig Breslow and Grant Balfour were able to keep Detroit off the board and hand Brian Fuentes a one-run lead in the ninth. Unfortunately, Fuentes hung a pitch to Miguel Cabrera who hit a home run the other way to right-center field to tie the game up.

In the tenth inning the Tigers took advantage of two errors to get things going, and then put the pedal to the metal. A mix of hits, walks, and errors led to the seven runs. The A’s made a small run in the bottom of the tenth, getting their first three batters on base, but they only managed a couple more hits and lost 8-4.

The A’s send out Dallas Braden looking to stem the bleeding from what has turned into a tough series. Braden faces Tigers ace Justin Verlander, looking to match his performance last week against White Sox ace Mark Buehrle.

Athletics vs. Tigers, Starting Lineup Preview: A's Look To Get Offense Going

The Oakland Athletics and Detroit Tigers square off on Friday night in the second of a four game series. Brandon McCarthy will face off against Rick Porcello as he battles an old AL Central nemesis in the Tigers. McCarthy began his major league career with the White Sox and had several chances to face the Tigers various AL Central alumni.

The Tigers don’t have a ton of plate appearances against McCarthy, but you’ve still got Jhonny Peralta (21 PAs), Victor Martinez (16), Brandon Inge (12), and Magglio Ordonez (11). Peralta has an awful line of .056/.143/.056, while the other three have had a decent amount of success in this moderate sample size.

The A’s offense has very limited experience against Rick Porcello. Given their overall struggles this season, odds are decent they struggle again tonight. They wasted a strong pitching performance from Gio Gonzalez last night, who lowered his ERA to 0.47. They’ll look to provide more support for a hopefully resurgent Brandon McCarthy. Through two starts McCarthy has been fairly solid, while receiving the most run support on the staff.

Oakland Athletics
1. Coco Crisp, CF
2. Daric Barton, 1B
3. David DeJesus, RF
4. Josh Willingham, LF
5. Hideki Matsui, DH
6. Mark Ellis, 2B
7. Kurt Suzuki, C
8. Andy LaRoche, 3B
9. Cliff Pennington, SS

Detroit Tigers
1. Will Rhymes, 2B
2. Ryan Raburn, LF
3. Brennan Boesch, RF
4. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
5. Victor Martinez, DH
6. Don Kelly, CF
7. Brandon Inge, 3B
8. Alex Avila, C
9. Ramon Santiago, SS

Oakland's Lineup Packs No Punch Against Phil Coke In Tigers' 3-0 Shutout Of Athletics

Playing their first game at home in more than a week, the Oakland Athletics had the momentum they had built during their nine game road trip snapped during a 3-0 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Thursday night. Left hander Phil Coke and two Tigers relievers combined for the three-hit shutout of Oakland, the first game in a bakers dozen that the A’s failed to put a run on the board.

Oakland’s starter, Gio Gonzalez was solid as well, allowing just 2 hits and no earned runs in six innings of work. Gonzalez did however walk six, which explains his high pitch count (103) through just six frames. Tyson Ross could not keep the Tigers’ bats contained in the seventh in relief of Gonzalez, as Ryan Rayburn broke the scoreless tie with a two-out RBI double that proved to be the game winner.

Detroit would tack on another two runs in the eighth, but with the way the A’s were swinging the bats in their first game back at home following a long road trip, Detroit’s lone run in the seventh would have been more than enough. With the win for Detroit and loss for Oakland, both teams carry identical 6-7 records into Friday night’s game, the second of the four-game set. With the win, Tigers manager Jim Leyland is now just one shy of 1,500 for his storied career.

The A’s will try to get back in the win column Friday night when they square off against Rick Porcello, who’s 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA on the young season. Hopefully his struggles continue and the A’s can quickly put Thursday night’s offensive struggles behind them. Brandon McCarthy will make his third start of the year for Oakland.

Coco Crisp Afro Challenges Dominique Zeigler For Best Bay Area Hair

Athletics vs. Tigers, Starting Lineup Preview: Daric Barton Looks To Stay Hot

The Oakland Athletics and Detroit Tigers square in the first of four games with Gio Gonzalez matching up against Phil Coke. Both pitchers have very limited experience against the opposing team so there isn’t much to compare in that regard. Daric Barton has four career at bats against Coke and is 3-for-4. On the other side, Jhonny Peralta has nine career at bats against Gonzalez and is hitting .222.

The A’s offense has picked up some steam over the last few games, scoring five or more runs in three of four games. It’s not a huge sample size, but it’s a positive step forward for an offense that struggled mightily in 2010 and through the first week and a half of this season. While Hideki Matsui is starting to hit the ball, David DeJesus is struggling sitting at 8 for 41 thus far on the season. Josh Willingham is not tearing the cover off the ball, but he’s hitting with sufficient authority. DeJesus is the last of the three offseason additions who needs to get his bat going. He’ll get today off, but will see plenty of action this weekend.

Oakland Athletics
1. Coco Crisp, CF
2. Daric Barton, 1B
3. Conor Jackson, RF
4. Josh Willingham, LF
5. Hideki Matsui, DH
6. Mark Ellis, 2B
7. Kurt Suzuki, C
8. Andy LaRoche, 3B
9. Cliff Pennington, SS

Detroit Tigers
1. Austin Jackson, CF
2. Casper Wells, RF
3. Ryan Raburn, LF
4. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
5. Victor Martinez, C
6. Jhonny Peralta, SS
7. Brennan Boesch DH
8. Brandon Inge, 3B
9. Ramon Santiago, 2B

MLB Standings 2011 Update: Oakland Athletics Three Games Back Of Texas Rangers

As the Oakland Athletics prepare for their four game series with the Detroit Tigers, now seemed as good a time as any to start looking at MLB Standings as they relate to the A's. We'll be looking at standings early in each series stream just to keep you up to date as to where the A's are in the AL West and the Wild Card. The wild card race doesn't really kick into gear until after the All Star Break, but it's worth keeping track of it anyway. I've posted both sets of standings below.

In the West, the Rangers jumped out to a quick 9-1 start, but have lost two straight, and more importantly, they've lost Josh Hamilton for six to eight weeks with a fractured humerus. You never wish injury to opposing players, but this provides a big opportunity for the rest of the West. Given the roster moves this past offseason, it's unlikely that we'll see any of the four teams run away with the division. However, a strong push heading into Memorial Day weekend could position one of these teams for a playoff run.

The AL Wild Card is basically a jumbled mess right now because it's so early. The Kansas City Royals have a half game lead over the Yankees, Angels and White Sox. We'll keep track of the Wild Card in each of these updates, but we won't get into serious discussion about the field until the summer.

Oakland Athletics vs. Detroit Tigers, MLB Schedule Preview: A's Return Home For Six Games

The Oakland Athletics wrapped up a nine-game road trip yesterday with a series victory over the Chicago White Sox to improve to 6-6 on the season. Now they head home for six games against the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox looking to gain some more ground on the first place Texas Rangers. The A's were 3-3 against the Tigers in 2010, winning three of four at Detroit and losing both games in Oakland.

The Tigers are off to a rough start, sitting in fourth place in the AL Central at 5-7. They've been relatively healthy but haven't been able to put together consistent performances. Outfielder Magglio Ordonez could be back this weekend as he recovers from an inflamed bursa sac in his right ankle. Ordonez has struggled a bit this season but is always a dangerous threat at the plate.

Tonight's opening matchup features Gio Gonzalez and Phil Coke, with the A's sitting as a fairly sizable favorite. Gonzalez is off to a red hot start sitting at 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA and will look to continue his hot start. Coke is 0-2 with a 4.00 ERA and will be making his second start and fourth overall appearance for the Tigers. The rest of the weekend features Brandon McCarthy-Rick Porcello, Dallas Braden-Justin Verlander, and Trevor Cahill-Brad Penny. I'd imagine the A's will be favored tomorrow and Sunday, with Verlander potentially being a slim favorite on Saturday.