Bay Area Baseball

OAKLAND -- The A's welcome another of their previously injured outfielders back into the fold tonight against the Royals in Chris Young, who was reinstated from the disabled list today and will start in right field. The A's designated first baseman Daric Barton for assignment to clear a roster spot for Young.

Barton, who was 3-for-21 in eight games after being called up from Triple-A, will have to clear waivers to remain in the A's organization. Melvin said the A's would like to see Barton clear, "but I'm not sure that'll be the case." He said Barton's average wasn't a good indication of the at-bats and defense Barton put together on this latest call-up.

Melvin said one factor in Barton being designated was that John Jaso isn't available to catch right now after being hit by a pitch on the shin Wednesday. Jaso is in the lineup tonight at DH, but Melvin said that made the A's more inclined to keep Luke Montz on the roster for now.

Regarding the other injured outfielder -- Josh Reddick said he started swinging a bat yesterday and hasn't felt any pain in his injured wrist. Reddick hasn't hit pitching yet -- and said he doesn't know when that will happen -- but was encouraged.

OAKLAND -- The irrepressible Adam Rosales still wore a big grin in the A's clubhouse Friday night, well after his eighth-inning home run off Royals right-hander James Shields -- and customary home-run sprint around the bases -- lifted Oakland to a 2-1 win.

The last time Rosales thought he had a home run, umpires in Cleveland ruled after video review the ball had not cleared the wall. Major League Baseball later acknowledged that was an "improper call." That was last Wednesday, and Rosales said he hadn't stopped hearing about it since.

"Every ball field I went too, they're all saying, 'Oh, it was a homer.' Or talk to family and friends, they're like, 'Oh it was a homer.' So now they'll be talking about something else. They'll be talking about a real homer."

OAKLAND -- Brett Anderson made his way into the A's clubhouse today on crutches with a protective boot on his right foot, and said while the diagnosis of a stress fracture in the foot is "frustrating and disappointing and all the other similar adjectives," he expects to pitch again this season.

The injury came as a surprise to Anderson. Although it's the same foot as the sprained ankle that landed him on the disabled list May 1, he said the area of the fracture didn't begin to bother him until Monday, when he was doing some running in the outfield. He had made a rehab start at Double-A San Antonio on Sunday and said he felt good then.

While running Monday, he said, "the other side of my foot started hurting." That led to his having CT and bone scans that revealed the fracture. Oddly, Anderson said, pitching off a mound bothers him less than running and walking -- likely because of the downhill slope of the mound, he said.

"It wasn't like it was a pop," Anderson said. "Came in one day and the soreness was gone on one side, then came in the next day and it was sore on the other side."

OAKLAND - The A's announced today that left-hander Brett Anderson has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right foot, meaning the team likely will be without their Opening Day starter for at least another month.

Anderson (pictured) on Thursday underwent CT and bone scans that revealed the navicular stress fracture, the A's announced in a release. Anderson, who has been on the disabled list since May 1 with a sprained right ankle, will be re-evaluated in four weeks.

Anderson was 1-4 with a 6.21 ERA in six games this season before going on the DL. His last outing was a relief appearance in the A's 19-inning win over the Los Angeles Angels on April 29.

The A's hoped that Anderson, by skipping a turn in the rotation, would have enough time to recover from the sprained ankle. The ankle continued to bother him in the relief outing, but he said he didn't think he had worsened the injury. Melvin said that Anderson's continued discomfort during the outing made the A's realize they needed to place him on the DL for more recovery time.

The A's also announced a bullpen move today, selecting left-handed reliever Hideki Okajima from Triple-A Sacramento and designating right-hander Chris Resop for assignment.

OAKLAND -- Dan Straily's early wildness helped the Rangers take an early lead in their 6-2 win over the A's this afternoon. And Nelson Cruz's three-run homer on the first pitch reliever Jesse Chavez threw upon entering the game in the fifth was a critical blow. But A's manager Bob Melvin afterward there may have been no play more important in the game than Cruz's backhand dive to rob Brandon Moss of potential extra bases and the A's of two runs in the bottom of the sixth.

"If there's one particular play in this game that had the biggest effect, it was that one," Melvin said.

After getting no-hit through five innings by Rangers starter Alexi Ogando, the A's were showing signs of life in the sixth. Eric Sogard doubled and scored two batters later on Derek Norris' sacrifice fly, and Jed Lowrie and Yoenis Cespedes hit back-to-back singles to bring up Moss, who hit a sinking line drive to right-center that appeared headed for the gap. Cruz, though, dove and made a highlight-reel catch to preserve a 6-1 lead.

It's total speculation as to whether the ball falling in would have affected the outcome of the game. If the ball gets by Cruz, though, both runners score easily and the inning keeps going with Moss at least on second. It was also starting to feel like if the A's could chip away at the lead and get the crowd into it a little they might be in position to make a late push, while the Rangers would be forced to play things differently with their bullpen.

OAKLAND -- Coco Crisp returns to the A's outfield today, as expected, after being reinstated from the 15-day disabled list this morning. Michael Taylor was optioned back to Triple-A Sacramento after last night's game to clear a spot for Crisp. Manager Bob Melvin said the A's are also hoping Chris Young (quad) will be ready to return Friday after playing a rehab game with the River Cats tomorrow.

The prognosis on left-hander Brett Anderson is not so promising. Anderson continues to feel discomfort in his right ankle and will not be ready to pitch Friday, as the A's had hoped he might. What's puzzling about the injury, Melvin said, is that it doesn't bother Anderson when he's pitching -- only when he runs, or does things like pitcher's fielding practice. The level of concern, though, is high enough that Anderson won't pitch Friday and "maybe not in the foreseeable future," Melvin said.

"It's just not at the point we're comfortable putting him on a big-league mound," Melvin said. "He wants to pitch. But he also understands that he's not ready to at this point."

OAKLAND -- The A's bullpen hadn't been charged with a loss all season. The Rangers' bullpen hadn't blown a save. One of those things was going to change Tuesday night, and it turned out to be the former in Texas' 10-inning, 6-5 win, although the A's infused the bottom of the 10th with their usual brand of late drama against Texas closer Joe Nathan.

Chris Resop took the loss after allowing a pair of solo home runs in the top of the 10th to Adrian Beltre and Mitch Moreland. Resop fell behind Beltre 3-0 and threw a get-it-over fastball, and Beltre hit it over the wall in left-center. Moreland hit his second of the game two batters later on a two-strike fastball that Resop tried to elevate but left over the plate.

"You hate to be the guy that let your team down," Resop said. "It feels terrible."

OAKLAND -- In a break from their ordinary pre-game routine, many of the A's were on the field four hours before tonight's game participating in fundamental drills and pitcher fielding practice. It's a common sight on spring training fields in Arizona -- not so much in big-league stadiums during the season.

"Once every month, month and a half, I think it's good to do and just kind of refresh," manager Bob Melvin said. "(That's the case) whether it's bunt plays, whether it's just fielding your position, and whether or not we're not doing it as well as we would like -- which to this point has been the case."

Melvin said the pitchers in particular "haven't been great" fielding their position. "So we have to stay on top of it."

Here's the A's lineup for tonight's game against the Rangers and lefty Derek Holland. It includes Yoenis Cespedes, who left last night's game after throwing up between innings but said he's feeling better today:

SS Rosales
2B Lowrie
CF Cespedes
3B Donaldson
C Norris
DH Montz
LF Smith
1B Freiman
RF Taylor

OAKLAND -- The 2012 A's were a perfect example of why you don't read too much into the standings in mid-May -- or early July, for that matter. So the fact that Oakland went into Monday's series opener against Texas six games behind the Rangers in the West was largely met with indifference in the A's clubhouse.

But.

The A's were fresh off a road trip on which they went 3-7 and lost six of their last seven games. And the Rangers were coming in with the best record in baseball. And after the A's took the opener 5-1 behind seven strong innings from A.J. Griffin and five different players driving in runs, there was a sense from the A's that this wasn't your normal mid-May win.

"You don't want to put too much importance on particular games, but there are certain games during the course of the season that are a little more important than others," said manager Bob Melvin. "And this was a good game for us to play well."

OAKLAND -- With an entire outfield worth of A's on the disabled list -- plus their opening day starter -- manager Bob Melvin's first pre-game session in the home dugout at the Coliseum since the team's 3-7 road trip was a laundry list of injury updates. To break it down, Melvin said:

Center fielder Coco Crisp ran "full-out" before today's game against the Texas Rangers and "didn't look like there was any hesitation." Crisp was going to take batting practice and fly balls in the outfield and appears on track to rejoin the team Wednesday, assuming he doesn't have any setbacks with his hamstring.

Chris Young went 1-for-5 and played seven innings in center field today in an extended spring training game, but "did feel (his quad) a little bit" and was not 100 percent. Young will play again tomorrow and the A's will decide afterward whether Young will be ready to rejoin them Wednesday. If not, the off-day Thursday could give Young another day of recovery before a potential return Friday against the Royals.

Brett Anderson made a rehab start at Double-A Midland on Sunday and allowed six runs on six hits and four walks in 3 2/3 innings. Melvin said the A's didn't pay much attention to Anderson's line, rather "the fact that he felt good and didn't feel anything with his ankle. That's pretty much what we were looking for." If Anderson responds well, Melvin said he could have a decision by tomorrow on when the lefty will return to the rotation.

OAKLAND -- Luke Montz's Tuesday night started with him getting thrown out of a Triple-A game in Fresno. It ended with his being summoned to the majors for the first time in more than four years.

Montz, called up from Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday to replace Coco Crisp (15-day DL -- strained left hamstring) on the A's roster, said he was on the bench with the River Cats in Fresno when the team took some vocal exception to a pair of called strikes early in the game against center fielder Michael Choice.

After the second, Montz said, the home plate umpire pointed toward the Sacramento bench and motioned to eject somebody -- only nobody was sure who. So Montz jumped up and took charge of arguing the case.

OAKLAND -- The A's were thrilled to win the longest game in Oakland history on Monday night, but it ended up costing them a couple of key pieces for the next two weeks. The A's placed Coco Crisp (strained left hamstring) and Brett Anderson (sprained right ankle) on the 15-day disabled list today, Crisp retroactive to April 30 (yesterday) and Anderson effective today.

Crisp was injured running out a ground ball in the 13th inning of that game. Manager Bob Melvin said Crisp had discoloration in the area yesterday, couldn't run and was having a little trouble walking, so the prudent move was to put him on the DL. Melvin said the A's are hopeful Crisp will be able to return after 15 days.

Anderson had already sprained the ankle -- and was in fact scratched from starting what ended up being the A's 10-8 19-inning win Monday -- before throwing 5 1/3 innings of relief in the game, coming out only after he felt discomfort in the ankle again. Melvin said the A's actually got a better idea of Anderson's status because of that outing -- they realized just skipping one of his starts might not be enough to let Anderson fully recover.

"Our feeling is we just need to try to knock this out," Melvin said.

OAKLAND -- A's catcher Derek Norris said he was surprised when he looked up at the scoreboard in the seventh inning Tuesday night, as manager Bob Melvin walked out to relieve Jarrod Parker, and saw the Los Angeles Angels with three runs.

"I thought he'd given up maybe one, and I looked up and it was a couple more," Norris said of Parker. "But he threw the ball extremely well."

It wasn't Parker's prettiest line -- he allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits, walking three and striking out four in the A's 10-6 win over the Angels. But as Norris indicated, it didn't feel like Parker was hit hard even in the innings where the Angels did score.

J.B. Shuck reached on an infield hit in the third and later scored on an error. Shuck beat out another slow chopper in the fifth, moved up when Erick Aybar shot a ground ball into right for a single and scored along with Aybar when Mike Trout hit a chopper that snuck just inside the third-base line into left-field for a double.

OAKLAND -- The A's made just one roster move today following last night's 19-inning marathon win over the Angels, recalling reliever Evan Scribner from Triple-A for some bullpen depth and sending Dan Straily back down. Manager Bob Melvin said the A's are probably just going to be a little short-handed tonight after Coco Crisp and Chris Young both left last night's game with injuries.

Crisp (strained left hamstring) and Young (strained left quad) are both out of the lineup. Melvin said Young's is probably less of a concern than Crisp, and that Young possibly could be available to pinch-hit tonight. Hamstrings can be tricky, so the A's don't want to take a chance with a speed guy like Crisp. Melvin said he didn't yet know if either is a candidate for the disabled list.

OAKLAND -- By the time Brandon Moss' two-run homer sailed over the right-field wall in the 19th inning, officially ending the longest game in Oakland A's history, the A's had rallied from a five-run deficit for the second consecutive day, Brett Anderson had made his first career relief appearance after being scratched from starting against the Angels, the teams had combined to throw 597 pitches and Moss had already homered in the game -- 13 innings earlier and technically the day before.

"I'm glad it's over," Moss said.

The A's beat the Angels, 10-8, in the first game of a three-game series at O.co Coliseum on Monday night, although it was well into Tuesday morning when Moss hit his third career walk-off homer off Angels right-hander Barry Enright. The time of game was six hours, 32 minutes, the longest ever for the stadium, the Angels and the Oakland era.

"It's one of those things where you just want to quit, but at the same time you don't want to lose, so you're not going to quit, and you just keep fighting through and hoping they throw a ball into your bat," Moss said.

OAKLAND -- In light of NBA center Jason Collins coming out as gay today in a story in "Sports Illustrated," A's manager Bob Melvin was asked what he thought the reaction in the A's clubhouse would be to having an openly gay teammate. Melvin said he agreed with reliever Jerry Blevins' assessment that the A's clubhouse is one of the more inclusive and open in sports to begin with.

"We welcome all kinds here, and I think it's good," Melvin said. "We embrace that as an organization, especially in the demographic we're in, in California here. We would absolutely have no issues with that at all."

Collins, a 34-year-old center who ended this season with the Washington Wizards, is the first active player in one of the four major U.S. pro sports to come out as gay. Melvin was also asked for his reaction to Collins' announcement.

OAKLAND -- A's third baseman Josh Donaldson said he'd just woken up this morning and flipped on the TV when he heard his name on the MLB Network. The reason -- he had been named A.L. Player of the Week for the term ending Sunday, over which Donaldson batted .545 (12-for 22) with seven doubles, 10 RBIs, seven walks and four runs in seven games.

"Within about 30 seconds they said it on TV and I was like, this is crazy. Really?" said Donaldson. "I knew I put a pretty decent week together, but I wasn't expecting any kind of award or anything. But it happened and I'm appreciative of it."

A pretty understated reaction from Donaldson, about whom manager Bob Melvin later joked that when Melvin was telling people about the award today, the common response was, "That's great," followed by, "Oh no."

"Meaning if you know him, he can be a little bit vocal and spread the word," Melvin said with a grin. "But congratulations to him, well-deserved."

OAKLAND -- Sure, there's the disparity in the A's record when Yoenis Céspedes starts (now 9-2 this season) and when he doesn't (5-10). There's the fact that he protects other hitters batting in the middle of the lineup and has to be on the minds of opposing runners and base coaches with his arm in left field. But today showed why the A's spent the past few days answering questions about how much they were looking forward to having him back from the disabled list. When Céspedes steps into the batter's box, it generates an air of anticipation. And the moment is not too big for him, even when it's expectation of him that is creating it.

Céspedes hit a game-tying, two-run homer with one out in the ninth inning of the A's 9-8 win over the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon that sent the game into extra innings -- they won in 10 -- and helped the A's avoid a four-game sweep at home and a ninth loss in 10 games. It was Céspedes first game back from the 15-day DL with a strained muscle in his left hand, and his fifth at-bat of the day. In a 1-2 count, left-hander Brian Matusz threw a changeup down near the level of Céspedes' ankles, and he hit it into the bleachers in left.

"He's very impactful obviously, and that home run was kind of what he's all about," said manager Bob Melvin. "We need him in the lineup and he showed today why."

OAKLAND -- Yoenis Céspedes is back in Oakland and back in the cleanup spot for the A's today as they try to avoid a four-game sweep at home against the Baltimore Orioles. Céspedes was activated from the 15-day disabled list this morning; to make room on the 25-man roster, the A's designated outfielder Casper Wells for assignment.

Céspedes went 3-for-9 with a home run during his three-game rehab assignment with the Triple-A River Cats. He said this morning his left hand, where he strained a muscle April 12, is pain-free and that he "felt pretty well" hitting in Sacramento.

"Those games, I used them not only to hit, but to recognize the pitching," he said.

OAKLAND -- Reggie Jackson pulled up to the third-base dugout at the O.co Coliseum before today's game in the passenger's seat of a golf cart, wearing a gold jersey and an A's hat that he said he brought himself from home. But that's nothing, he said -- he has T-shirts of former A's teammates Vida Blue, Bert Campaneris, Catfish Hunter and Joe Rudi hanging up in his car shop.

"I wear my A's hat when I play golf," Jackson said. "I work for the Yankees and love the Yankees, but the A's are certainly a part of me that goes back forever."

On hand as the A's honored their 1973 World Series championship team, Jackson met with reporters for about 15 minutes before the pre-game ceremony. Players from the '73 team were introduced individually before the game and escorted to their former positions by current A's players. Josh Reddick walked to right field with Jackson, who later threw out the first pitch to former catcher and current broadcaster Ray Fosse.

Among the topics Jackson discussed was the number of African American players in the major leagues, which he termed: "Not very good. It's not very good, and I don't know why." Jackson said the rise of travel teams and private coaching that costs money may be a factor.

OAKLAND -- The A's will honor the franchise's 1973 World Series championship team before their game this afternoon against the Orioles. Most of that team, including Reggie Jackson, Rollie Fingers, Vida Blue, Sal Bando, Bert Campaneris and others, will be here for the pre-game on-field reunion.

"You can't help but just feel good being around world champions," said manager Bob Melvin, who grew up in the Bay Area following those mid-70's A's teams. "They're always there for a resource and picking their brain, and when you're around winners sometimes it rubs off."

The current A's could use a little of that. They've lost seven of their last eight games and were shut out last night by Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen. It's right-hander Chris Tillman on the mound for Baltimore today, meaning the A's are going with their lefty-heavy lineup:

CF Crisp
C Jaso
DH Smith
SS Lowrie
1B Moss
3B Donaldson
RF Reddick
LF Young
2B Sogard

OAKLAND -- The A's offense has been a case of feast or famine this month, and Friday night they were starving. Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen gave up a Coco Crisp single and Nate Freiman double over eight innings, and Jed Lowrie hit a blooper off closer Jim Johnson that fell in for a double in the ninth inning of Oakland's 3-0 loss.

It was the sixth time already this season the A's have been held to one or zero runs -- a quarter of their games. And yet they ended the night still the highest-scoring team in all of baseball this season with 126 runs, three ahead of the Colorado Rockies. Take away a 13-0 win in Boston and the A's have scored a total of 17 runs in losing seven of their last eight games.

"We were very good early on and we've hit a dry spell at this point," said manager Bob Melvin. "There have been some games where we've been shut down. We have to find the consistency. We have the ability to do it. We're just in a little bit of a rut right now and we've got to fight our way out of it."

OAKLAND -- With Adam Rosales, fresh off the disabled list, in the A's lineup tonight against Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen, Jed Lowrie has been defensively displaced. Lowrie, who has played exclusively shortstop since the beginning of the season, makes his first start at second base tonight with Rosales at short.

"The versatility of Jed probably works against him at times," A's manager Bob Melvin said.

Melvin said the decision tonight mostly comes down to Rosales being most comfortable at shortstop. Lowrie will still play some shortstop, Melvin said, such as when left-handed hitting Eric Sogard plays second base.

Lowrie, whose .365 batting average ranks third in the American League, said the move comes "a little out of the blue." He said he had talked with Melvin about possibly having to move, but he "didn't really expect it today."

OAKLAND -- The A's, it's fair to say, are rolling right now, as they depart for their first East Coast road trip owners of the American League's best record at 12-4 and winners of 12 of their last 14 games.

Of course, six of those wins have come against the Houston Astros, whom many pundits have picked to lose 100 games -- at least -- in their first season in the American League West. The A's finished off their second three-game sweep already this year of the Astros with a 7-5 win on Wednesday in which they knocked Houston's opening day starter, Bud Norris, out of the game with six runs in the first inning.

So, it was asked of manager Bob Melvin, what to make of the A's early record? Is it more a reflection of their play or their early schedule?

OAKLAND -- With four stolen bases in last night's 4-3 win over the Astros, the A's now lead the majors in that category with 15 in their first 15 games. Coco Crisp, Josh Reddick and Chris Young share the team lead with four apiece. Young had one of the massive jumps the A's got last night against both starter Brad Peacock and Houston's relievers, where it seemed like they were a third of the way down the line before the pitcher made his first movement.

It was suggested to manager Bob Melvin this morning that the A's must have noticed something on the basepaths to get such jumps. Melvin kind of suppressed a smile and answered: "Yep." He was more expansive when asked what makes him confident in turning his players loose on the bases.

"We'll steal when the opportunity is there and we'll run a little bit more maybe if we're not swinging the bats as well," Melvin said. "I think the double-steal (in the fourth inning Tuesday night) was really important in the fact that now all of a sudden there's a wild pitch and we score a run without a hit. Now it's 2-1, we're no longer being shut out, and it felt like a different situation.

OAKLAND -- Shane Peterson admitted this wasn't how he envisioned his hitting line in his major-league debut: 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. And yet pitcher A.J. Griffin said he thought Peterson was the "player of the game" in the A's 4-3 win over the Astros at the Coliseum on Tuesday night. And Eric Sogard, who had three hits, was left talking about how Peterson made the "biggest play of the game."

The play came in the top of the third, with Griffin struggling uncharacteristically with his command and the Astros looking to build on a 2-0 lead. With the bases loaded and two outs, Rick Ankiel yanked a pitch down the first-base line that appeared headed for the right-field corner. Had it gotten there, it might have cleared the bases. Instead, Peterson, playing first base in Brandon Moss' absence, dove to his left and made a backhand stab of the ball, robbing Ankiel and ending the inning.

"They had something brewing right there," Griffin said. "He came up huge and we got the momentum back in our dugout. So that was a huge play."

OAKLAND -- Brad and Sue Peterson have had quite the busy week and a half. First the Temecula, Calif., residents were in Sacramento to see their son Shane open the season with the Triple-A River Cats. Then, when it appeared A's first baseman Brandon Moss might go on the paternity list April 4, they hopped a flight to Houston, where Shane was headed in case the A's needed to replace Moss on the active roster. Only Moss' wife did not go into labor, and Moss returned the next day, meaning Shane was never officially called up.

Peterson returned to Sacramento and his parents returned home until this morning, when Moss was officially placed on the paternity list and Peterson officially called up. They hopped in the car, Peterson said, and made the drive up to Oakland, where Peterson is in the A's lineup tonight, batting eighth and playing first base in his major-league debut.

"It's been a long few travels for them," Peterson said with a grin. "But obviously it's worth it for them."

OAKLAND -- Nate Freiman muscled up on a 1-2 first-inning curveball from Erik Bedard for his first major-league home run Monday night while carrying a weight of melancholy on the shoulders of his 6-foot-8 frame.

Freiman, who attended Wellesley High School outside Boston, Mass., said he learned of the bombings at Monday's Boston Marathon via a phone call from family members who still live in the area, so he knew immediately they were all right. But the events of the day continued to occupy his thoughts even after the rookie's three-run homer keyed the A's 11-2 win over the Houston Astros at the Coliseum.

"I grew up in Wellesley, which is the halfway point of the marathon," Freiman said. "Every year we'd go down and watch the runners go by. We used to have season tickets to the Red Sox in the early 90s, and we'd go to the Patriots Day game, the 11 a.m. game, and sit really close to home.

OAKLAND -- The A's starting lineup had a different look tonight for the series opener against the Houston Astros -- and not just because every player is wearing No. 42 on Jackie Robinson Day. Coco Crisp is back in center field after missing two games with a strained left groin. Josh Reddick is out after a rough series against Detroit in which he went 1-for-13 with seven strikeouts.

Manager Bob Melvin said this isn't a normal day off for Reddick. For one thing, he's still just a week removed from spraining his right wrist in Houston, so Melvin doesn't want to play him too many days in a row. But Melvin also said Reddick is "not swinging his best right now," and with the Astros starting a left-hander tonight in Erik Bedard, it provided a chance to rest Reddick, who could still pinch hit.

OAKLAND -- It hasn't been the smoothest of starts for Jarrod Parker, who set the Oakland rookie record for wins last season with 13. Parker is 0-1 with a 6.48 ERA in his first two starts and didn't get out of the fourth last time in Los Angeles, allowing nine hits in 3 1/3 innings. Parker goes today against the Detroit Tigers, whom he faced twice in the ALDS last year, pitching into the seventh both times but having the misfortune of opposing Justin Verlander.

Manager Bob Melvin said this morning he isn't concerned about Parker's early going, and "we're probably talking about this because it's more of a rarity when he is off his game, as far as where he's throwing the ball. I know he's excited about getting back out here and righting the ship and getting back into a routine and a rhythm that we're used to seeing."

Parker did not have a stretch of three consecutive starts of fewer than six innings at any point last season, so he'll try to avoid making that a first today. Here's the lineup the A's will have behind him, with Coco Crisp (groin) out again:

OAKLAND -- Likely not many members of the current A's clubhouse would remember the last time the team beat Justin Verlander. Not many of them were around. It was April 16, 2011, and Oakland defeated the Detroit Tigers, 6-2, to hand Verlander his second loss. He finished the season 24-5 and won the Cy Young and MVP awards.

Verlander has faced the A's six times since then, including last year's Division Series and today's 7-3 Tigers win at the Coliseum, and his line against them has been nothing short of masterful: 6-0, 43 innings, 20 hits, 47 strikeouts, 0.63 ERA. If you don't want to do the math, that's three earned runs allowed in the six starts.

"Anytime he steps on the mound he's going to have his game," said A's catcher Derek Norris, who drove in the lone run off Verlander today with a single in the second inning. "Unfortunately for us, his game seems to fit pretty well with our lineup."

OAKLAND -- The A's today find themselves in exactly the position they were preparing for by bringing in Chris Young over the offseason for outfield depth -- though it's certainly much earlier than they were hoping to need him.

The A's this morning placed Yoenis Céspedes on the 15-day disabled list with a strained muscle in his left hand suffered on an awkward slide during last night's 4-3 win over the Detroit Tigers. Michael Taylor was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento.

Céspedes hurt himself sliding into second base in the eighth inning Friday night. He had an MRI this morning that showed the strain, manager Bob Melvin said.

"Hopefully (15 days is) the timetable for it," Melvin said. "We want to make sure he's 100 percent healthy when he gets back.

OAKLAND - Coco Crisp and Yoenis Céspedes are both out of the A's lineup today against Tigers ace Justin Verlander after leaving last night's game with injuries. Crisp exited in the 10th inning with a strained groin, and Céspedes left in the 11th with a left hand injury. We'll ask for updates on both from manager Bob Melvin later this morning.

This is the sort of scenario the A's were girding for when they assembled their five-man outfield. Chris Young will start in center field, his natural position, with Seth Smith making his second start of the season in left.

Here's the full lineup the A's will send out against Verlander:

DH Jaso

CF Young

RF Reddick

1B Moss

LF Smith

3B Donaldson

2B Sogard

C Norris

SS Parrino

OAKLAND -- The A's extended their winning streak to nine games with their first walk-off win of the season -- after leading the majors with 14 last season -- but saw two of their starting outfielders leave the 12-inning 4-3 win over the Tigers with injuries.

Coco Crisp was replaced in center field in the 10th inning after sustaining what the A's announced was a strained left groin. Yoenis Céspedes left the game an inning later with a left hand injury on which X-rays were negative.

Céspedes was hurt on an awkward slide into second base in the eighth. After he walked with two outs, Céspedes was caught stealing second and appeared to jam his left thumb area tumbling into the base. He knelt on the infield dirt for several minutes while a trainer came out to check on him before staying in the game. He was pinch-hit for in the 11th inning.

"We'll see how he is tomorrow," said manager Bob Melvin.

OAKLAND -- Josh Reddick said he appreciated the timing of his return to the A's lineup tonight, though it wasn't planned. Reddick, who missed the last three games with a right wrist sprain, received his 2012 Gold Glove on the field before the A's played the Detroit Tigers and then returned to the outfield for the first time since crashing into a wall in Houston in the series finale against the Astros.

The occasion was particularly special for Reddick in that eight members of his family -- or "7 1/2," as he put it -- were on hand from Georgia to see their first game in Oakland since the right fielder joined the A's last season. They included his parents, Kenny and Cheryl, his grandparents, his brother and his infant niece (the 1/2). Reddick said they arrived a few hours before the game after being delayed overnight in Atlanta.

See the replay of our live chat featuring Matt Kawahara, The Bee's baseball beat writer, discussing the Giants and A's and their early-season success.

OAKLAND -- The A's announced their opening day roster this afternoon shortly after beating the Giants, 4-3, in each team's final exhibition game. Shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima (hamstring) was placed on the 15-day disabled list, Eric Sogard made the club as a utility infielder (not surprising, given his .444 spring average), and Evan Scribner claimed the final spot in the bullpen over several other candidates.

First baseman Nate Freiman, whom the A's claimed off waivers from the Astros on March 23, also made the roster and will begin as a right-handed complement to Brandon Moss. Jed Lowrie will likely start out as the A's shortstop, with Sogard and Scott Sizemore sharing time at second base.

Nakajima said he is disappointed to be starting the season on the DL but understands the A's want to make sure he recovers fully from a left hamstring strain. Manager Bob Melvin said when Nakajima is healthy he'll likely head to Triple-A Sacramento for a rehab assignment, which Nakajima said he would welcome.

OAKLAND -- The A's roster will take its opening day form this afternoon. Manager Bob Melvin said the team should announce its 25-man roster 20-30 minutes after today's exhibition game against the Giants at the Coliseum.

Still to be resolved are the middle infield and the final spot in the A's bullpen. The infield situation could get a lot clearer if shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima (hamstring) has to begin the season on the disabled list -- which Melvin (left) reiterated today is "very likely." Nakajima (left, making a tag) hasn't played since straining his left hamstring Tuesday. The A's would ostensibly keep Jed Lowrie, Eric Sogard and Scott Sizemore up the middle.

PHOENIX -- A's left-hander Brett Anderson exited his Cactus League start against the Arizona Diamondbacks today after just two batters with a strained muscle in the area of his neck and upper back.

Anderson was covering third base after a fielding error by third baseman Josh Donaldson and fell backward reaching for a throw from Donaldson as Diamondbacks runner Adam Eaton slid into the bag.

The A's announced Anderson sustained a strained right trapezius.

*** UPDATE (2:12 p.m.)

Anderson said he felt the muscle "kind of balled up and spasmed a little bit" on the play but that he "(doesn't) think it's anything major."

Anderson had to reach back to his right for the flip and said he felt the muscle tighten as he got up. He said he left the game mostly as a precautionary measure.

"You don't want to overcompensate and change your mechanics and hurt your arm or something else more major," Anderson said. "So it's kind of a precautionary thing, come out and not make it any worse."

According to the lineup sent out this morning by the Oakland A's on Twitter, shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima is slated to bat second today against the Seattle Mariners for the second day in a row. The A's have had Nakajima bat in several spots in the lineup this spring. A's manager Bob Melvin, though, said after Thursday's game that he likes what he has seen from Nakajima so far batting in the No. 2 spot.

"I do," Melvin said. "Liked what I saw today, yeah."

Nakajima singled twice in three at-bats Thursday, with both hits going to the opposite field. The shortstop later said that on the first single, which came with leadoff man Coco Crisp on first base, he was trying to move Crisp over and so aiming for the right side. The second hit came on an outside breaking ball that Nakajima waited on and flipped into right field.

"I think that's kind of his game," Melvin said. "Certainly this spring he's been waiting and seeing pitches. .... Whether the ball's in, middle or away he can hit the ball to right field. And in the two-spot, when you have that hole open (between the first and second basemen), you're going to have some hits if you can hit it over there."

PHOENIX -- Even for a Cactus League affair in early March, Thursday's game between the A's and Mariners got off to an odd start. A's left-hander Tommy Milone, the control artist who owned the seventh-lowest walk ratio among qualified starters last season (1.71 per nine innings) issued a free pass to Mariners leadoff hitter Robert Andino -- on four pitches.

Andino dropped his bat and jogged to first base. Order was restored shortly thereafter as Milone froze Andino with a deceptive move to first and picked him off. Milone would allow a two-out single later in the inning and a pair of singles in the third, but ended that rally by striking out Mariners No. 3 hitter Jason Bay and wrapped up his second outing of the spring with a line of three innings, three hits, no runs and three strikeouts.

"Good breaking ball, command of everything," manager Bob Melvin said. "He's the type of guy that you don't notice, and all of a sudden he's out of the game and there are no runs on the board. That's kind of how he pitches."

PHOENIX -- Before the A's played the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, Jed Lowrie hadn't played third base in a major league game since 2011. And Chris Young had never played left field.

"In any game," Young said. "At any level."

But that's where each found himself on manager Bob Melvin's lineup card. Both players, acquired by the A's this winter, may be asked to play multiple positions this season. So Lowrie, a natural shortstop, and Young, a former All-Star center fielder, are using spring to acquaint themselves with different surroundings.

Both fared well Thursday. Lowrie made a diving play on a grounder to his left in the first inning and battled a tough sun to catch a pop-up in the second. Young made all plays that came his way, including a shallow fly ball in the third that he caught on a run.

PHOENIX -- Jemile Weeks is experiencing a stall in his attempt to compete for the A's second base job and rebound from a down season in 2012. Weeks is nursing a bruised right shoulder that he suffered when he was upended at second base on a play against the Giants last Friday and won't play until this weekend at the earliest.

Weeks was off to a good start with the bat this spring, hitting .545 (6-for-11) with a home run and five RBIs before the injury. He hasn't played since Friday and did not participate this morning in cut-off and relay drills with the other A's infielders.

"I think it was bad timing," Weeks said. "But it's part of the game, so it's something I have to deal with and just face like a man, and try to get back as fast as possible."

Weeks began last season as the A's everyday second baseman after a promising rookie season in 2011 but hit .221 in 118 games and was sent down to Triple-A late in the year and left off Oakland's playoff roster.

PHOENIX -- Part of the emphasis this spring for A's reliever Sean Doolittle, the subject of today's print story, is tweaking the breaking ball he threw last season from a curveball into more of a slider. Doolittle, the converted first baseman, rose rapidly from A-ball to the majors in his first season pitching professionally while relying heavily on his fastball. It's a mid-90s pitch that Doolittle moves around the strike zone well. But for a guy who hadn't pitched competitively since college, it was also simply the pitch Doolittle had the most confidence in throwing.

According to the analytics website FanGraphs, Doolittle threw the fastball on 86.8 percent of his pitches in 2012, while mixing in the curveball (9 percent) and a changeup (4.2 percent). Pitching coach Curt Young said that while the changeup was "effective," the curve "wasn't as effective as he wanted." Fiddling with the breaking ball, though, Doolittle said, "wasn't something I really felt like I was equipped to learn on the fly" last season, especially with the A's in the middle of a division race.

Still, Doolittle said the tweak itself has been pretty minor.

"I just kind of tried to re-define what I was doing with it," Doolittle said. "Last year I felt like more times than not I was trying to start the slider out of the zone and have it break back in. Now I've pretty much just changed where I aim, aiming down the middle, and it's just allowed me to get more out in front and more on top of it.

"Doing that you have more arm speed and because you have more arm speed, it's tighter and a little bit later (breaking). It wasn't like a big change. It was more of a mental thing, redefining what I was trying to do with the pitch."

Doolittle said the goal is to draw more swing-throughs with the pitch this season. He felt like the release point started to click for him a couple weeks ago, "and I feel pretty good about it." That doesn't necessarily mean that he'll go away from the fastball, he stressed. Just that he may be more confident going to the breaking ball this season if the situation calls for it.

-- Matt Kawahara

SCOTTSDALE -- The A's announced this morning they have reached a 20-year agreement to hold spring training in Mesa beginning in 2015, ending their association with Phoenix Municipal Stadium after 32 years.

The agreement includes two five-year team options that could stretch the contract to 30 years. Beginning in 2015 the A's will hold workouts at Fitch Park and play spring training games at Hohokam Stadium, where the Cubs currently play.

The facilities are scheduled to undergo $20 million in renovations in 2014 after the Cubs vacate them at the end of this year. The A's announced that under the agreement, the City of Mesa will pay $17.5 million -- including $8.2 million in funding from the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority -- and the A's will pay $2.5 million of the renovations.

Owner and managing partner Lew Wolff said in a statement the A's are "extremely excited about our future spring home and want to thank the City of Mesa for all their hard work and cooperation in making this agreement possible.

"With the improvements planned over the next two years, we believe Hohokam Stadium and surrounding facilities will rival any in Major League Baseball. Our players and coaches, as well as our great fans, will be the beneficiaries."

The A's formerly trained in Mesa from 1969-78, playing spring games at Hohokam Stadium in 1977. Upgrades to the stadium will include a new scoreboard, re-seating, a remodeled home clubhouse and weight rooms and a field replacement, according to a news release.

The A's have played games at Phoenix Municipal Stadium since 1982.

-- Matt Kawahara

PHOENIX -- A's right-hander Dan Straily finds himself in an in-between phase at this early point in camp. Like everyone, he's using spring training to build stamina and hone pitches. But he's also competing for a spot in the A's rotation, which makes it tougher to use his outings to experiment or work on a particular aspect of his game.

Straily seemed to be talking along those lines after his outing Monday against the Angels, in which he pitched 2 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on four hits. He said he felt he was locating his fastball better than in his first start, for one thing, but also mentioned a curveball that he left up and that was hit for a double.

"That's a pitch I wouldn't normally throw in that situation, but it's something I'm working on," Straily said. "It might be time to forget about trying stuff out and just try to work on what I have."