News
Slumping Hairston likely back Friday
Oakland (59-75) vs. Seattle (71-64), 7:05 p.m. PT
By Mychael Urban / MLB.com
09/04/09 1:31 AM ET
OAKLAND -- Outfielder Scott Hairston was held out of the starting lineup for the second consecutive game Thursday as the A's opened a four-game series against the Mariners at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Hairston has been battling a sore left quadriceps for some time now and didn't play Sunday in Anaheim, either, but he's expected to return to action Friday. "I'd say he's probable," Oakland manager Bob Geren said during batting practice Thursday. "If everything goes well, he should be able to play tomorrow." Not much has gone well of late for Hairston, who was acquired in a trade with the Padres on July 5. He batted .299 in 56 games with San Diego, but he's mired in a 7-for-47 (.149) slump over his past 11 games and is batting .240 in 45 games with the A's. "I'm sure the [quad] has something to do with that," Geren said, "but overall I'm pleased with the way he's played since he came over. He's played hurt quite a bit, and he's still played well in the outfield. His hitting will come back around when he's feeling better -- I have no doubt about that. "He's a good player, all the way around." Hairston, who is eligible for arbitration this winter, will be facing Mariners left-hander Ryan Rowland-Smith if he's in the starting lineup Friday. Against lefties this year, Hairston is batting .333 (38-for-114). With his next home run, Hairston will match his career high of 17, set with the Padres last season. Pitching matchupSEA: LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith (2-2, 3.95 ERA)
A lack of run support continues to haunt Rowland-Smith, who has experienced the feeling in his past two outings. The lefty held the Athletics to two runs over 6 1/3 innings on Aug. 25, but settled for a no-decision, and in his last start, a misplayed line drive led to three runs and a loss to the Royals and Zack Greinke, who pitched a one-hit shutout. Rowland-Smith threw 113 pitches -- 80 for strikes -- in a stellar, but losing, effort. Rowland-Smith is holding opponents to a .212 (7-for-33) average in the first inning. This will be the lefty's third start against the Athletics this season, and he has yet to record a decision. OAK: RHP Clayton Mortensen (0-1, 18.00 ERA)
Acquired in the July trade that sent Matt Holliday to the Cardinals, Mortensen is making a spot start in place of rookie right-hander Vin Mazzaro, who has been temporarily shut down with shoulder tendinitis. Mortensen, a 24-year-old who has a 9-8 record with a 4.39 ERA in 23 starts at Triple-A this season, made his A's debut on Aug. 8 against the Royals and allowed eight runs on eight hits and three walks over four innings. He was sent back down after the outing. Dribblers ...
Geren on Thursday announced his starting rotation through Tuesday, Sept. 15, and he's taking advantage of off-days on the schedule next Tuesday and Thursday to get some of his youngsters extra rest. Lefty Brett Anderson will start Saturday and get eight days between starts, as will fellow rookie southpaw Gio Gonzalez, who next starts Sunday in the series finale. Brett Tomko and rookie righty Trevor Cahill will work Tuesdsay and Wednesday, respectively, in Chicago, while Mazzaro, Edgar Gonzalez and Tomko will handle the weekend series in Minnesota. ... The A's are starting to receive new helmets from Rawlings, designed to withstand the impact of baseballs thrown at speeds up to 100 mph. ... Brett Wallace, acquired in the Matt Holliday trade with the Cardinals, went 2-for-3 as Triple-A Sacramento's designated hitter on Wednesday to raise his batting average to .302 in 39 games with the River Cats. ... Right-hander Henry Rodriguez, whose fastball has been clocked at 100 mph, threw a shutout inning Wednesday and struck out one batter, giving him 70 strikeouts over 41 2/3 innings for Sacramento this season. ... To the surprise of nobody, Chris Carter, now with the River Cats, was named the Texas League (Double-A) Player of the Year. Joining him on the TL Postseason All-Star team from Midland were Adrian Cardenas and Graham Godfrey. Rock Hounds skipper Darren Bush was named the TL's Manager of the Year. Tickets
Buy tickets now to catch the game in person.
On the Internet
MLB.TV
Gameday Audio• Gameday
• Official game notes On television
• CSNCA-HD On radio
• KTRB 860, KDIA 1640 (Español) Up next
• Saturday: Athletics (Brett Anderson, 7-10, 4.42) vs. Mariners (Luke French, 4-4, 4.62), 6:05 p.m. PT
• Sunday: Athletics (Gio Gonzalez, 4-5, 6.07) vs. Mariners (Doug Fister, 2-1, 2.94), 1:05 p.m. PT
• Monday: Off-day
Mychael Urban is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
