Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Tyson Ross has departed his Thursday start against the Minnesota Twins with a left oblique strain. Ross suffered the strain two batters into the inning after a passed ball. Ross had given up a game-opening single to Denard Span and then threw a pitch that got past Kurt Suzuki. The team trainer then came out and Ross departed.
David Purcey came on in relief of Ross and put together 3 2/3 inning of solid relief. He allowed Span to score in the first and gave up a run of his own in the second inning, but otherwise made his way through the emergency call. Craig Breslow relieved Purcey in the fourth inning and just gave up a two-run homer to Justin Morneau. The Twins currently lead 4-0 in the fifth inning.
Ross’ injury was has been preliminarily diagnosed as a left oblique strain, which could lead to an extended absence for the young starter. Timing is never good with injuries, but this one is particularly bad given how well Ross was pitching lately. He had given up two runs or less in each of his last four starts and was proving to be an excellent replacement for Dallas Braden.
Although there is not a specific timetable on Ross’ return, one would imagine he’ll end up on the 15-day disabled list. Oblique strains are always tricky and often lead to a decent amount of missed time. The A’s don’t have a day off until Thursday June 2, so they’ll likely need to find a spot starter for the next couple of weeks. Some of the candidates would include Josh Outman, Guillermo Moscoso and Bobby Cramer.