NewsNomar sinks teeth into new role
Oakland (32-43) vs. Detroit (42-34), 7:05 p.m. PT
By Mychael Urban / MLB.com
06/30/09 1:29 AM ET
OAKLAND -- Activated June 12 from his second stint of the season on the disabled list, A's infielder Nomar Garciaparra made an appearance in 14 of Oakland's first 15 games after his return. In only one of those 14 games did Garciaparra start, however. That came Saturday, at designated hitter, against the visiting Rockies. Garciaparra, 35, didn't start again Monday in the opener of a three-game series against the Tigers at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, but he might be back at DH on Tuesday. "We'll see how his [pregame] work goes today," A's manager Bob Geren said before batting practice on Monday. "If he's good, there's a good chance he'll be in there [Tuesday]. Either way, I'm sure he'll be available to pinch-hit. He'll be available to pinch-hit tonight, in fact." Not exactly thrilled with being limited to coming off the bench, Garciaparra nonetheless has done well with the role. He entered Monday's game 4-for-13 (.308) with a double in the pinch-hit role, and he was tied with Mike Sweeney of the Mariners and Ben Zobrist of the Rays for most pinch-hits in the American League. Sweeney and Emil Brown tied for the A's lead in pinch-hitting appearances last year -- with 14. "I'd obviously rather be getting three, four at-bats every day," said Garciaparra, who has a chronic condition that affects both of his calves. "But I can only do what my legs let me do." Signed as a free agent to a one-year deal to serve as the primary backup at first and third base, Garciaparra was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained right calf April 29, activated May 22 and placed back on the DL with the same injury five days later. Through Sunday, he was batting .250 with two homers and nine RBIs in 28 games. He's started five games at first base, six at third and three at DH. "He really is day-to-day," Geren said. Pitching matchupOAK: LHP Gio Gonzalez (0-1, 8.03 ERA)
Gonzalez, 23, got off to a solid enough start against the Giants on Wednesday, retiring five of the first seven batters he faced -- with four strikeouts. Then San Francisco shook him. Gonzalez, who throws in the low-90s and has a plus breaking ball when he's on, surrendered three runs in both the second and fourth frames and was chased after just 3 2/3 innings of work. He allowed 10 hits and walked two, and he also made a throwing error to lose his first Major League start of the season -- to Randy Johnson. Gonzalez, who was 4-1 with a 2.51 ERA in 12 starts at Triple-A Sacramento before being recalled to face the Giants, will be making the eighth start of his big league career. DET: RHP Armando Galarraga (4-7, 5.65 ERA)
Galarraga broke a 10-game winless streak last Thursday with six innings against the Cubs, limiting them to four runs on six hits despite a three-run first. He had lost seven consecutive decisions since his previous victory, on April 26. Galarraga still has some improvement to do, but he said after his most recent start that he felt like he made a big step and had a better plan with which to attack hitters. In Galarraga's last outing against Oakland, on May 17 at Comerica Park, the A's knocked him out in the first inning with five earned runs on four hits and three walks. Dribblers ...
Rookie Landon Powell, who made his 12th start of the season at catcher on Sunday, started at designated hitter on Monday. Geren said he considered starting Powell, who had two hits in his previous five at-bats, behind the plate, but decided to get iron man Kurt Suzuki (AL-high 63 starts) back on the field. Suzuki was Oakland's DH on Sunday. "I kind of liked the lineup when we had them both in there, and Kurt's one of our best hitters," Geren said. "We're looking at adding offense any way we can." ... Although his time in the outfield likely will be limited in the wake of Travis Buck's promotion from Triple-A Sacramento on Monday, Jack Cust, who had a rough week in the outfield, was back in right field for the opener of the Tigers series. Buck is expected to start there Tuesday. ... Mired in a 3-for-19 slump with 12 strikeouts in his previous five games through Sunday, Cust was moved from second to seventh in the batting order. Moved into the No. 2 spot was shortstop Orlando Cabrera, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games on Sunday and batted .357 (15-for-42) during that span. ... Sacramento third baseman Tommy Everidge went 3-for-5 with a double Sunday to raise his batting average to .357 in 18 games with the River Cats. ... Center fielder Matt Carson led the River Cats with 12 home runs and 39 RBIs in 63 games through Sunday. ... Double-A Midland first baseman Chris Carter went 2-for-3 with a homer on Sunday and leads the Texas League with 63 runs. His 59 RBIs and 13 homers are second in the Texas League. ... Class A Stockton second baseman Jemile Weeks, Oakland's first-round pick in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft (12th overall), has hit safely in all 22 games in which he has played this year through Sunday, when he went 3-for-6 with a double, a triple and three RBIs. He's batting .400 (36-for-90) with seven homers, 23 RBIs and 16 runs. Tickets
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• KTRB 860, KDIA 1640 (Español) Up next
• Wednesday: Athletics (Dallas Braden, 5-7, 3.26) vs. Tigers (Justin Verlander, 8-3, 3.40), 12:35 p.m. PT
• Thursday: Off-day
• Friday: Athletics (Trevor Cahill, 5-6, 4.23) at Indians (TBD), 4:05 p.m. PT
Mychael Urban is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
