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AL West: Injury bug not slowing division-leading Athletics

Baseball Betting Lines

04/27/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Between April and October, the proverbial injury bug is bound to strike at any time.

Happens to every team, every season, and with no forewarning.

For the Oakland Athletics, the injury bug has reared its ugly head in the season's very first month. And yet, Oakland currently sits atop the American League West Division with a 12-8 record.

Let's look at some of the walking wounded, starting with the day-to-day bunch.

Pitcher Brett Anderson left after six innings of Saturday's start with left forearm tightness. He is scheduled to throw today, but considering it's an injury that initially surfaced last spring training, the team will likely play it safe and skip Anderson's next start on Friday. He had pitched well leading up to the injury, scattering just three hits and one run over six frames.

"It's one of those things where we really won't know much until he throws again," manager Bob Geren said on Sunday. "It's not something that affects him when he's doing everyday things, so he'll receive treatment and we'll go from there."

Moving along the infirmary, first baseman Daric Barton broke his right middle finger during Sunday's 11-0 win over Cleveland. No news yet on whether Barton will miss any time. The break is a small one along his right middle finger, and Monday's off day afforded Barton some recovery time. He has shrugged off quite a few minor injuries this year and is one of only two A's players to start all 19 games.

Catcher Kurt Suzuki missed two straight starts over the weekend due to some soreness along the left side of his back. However, Sunday's scratch was mostly for precautionary measures, as Suzuki plans on returning to the lineup tonight in Tampa. Elsewhere, third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff was also scratched from Saturday's lineup after taking a foul ball off his left foot the previous night. Fortunately, he was back in the lineup on Sunday.

Now, on to the more serious injuries. Second baseman Mark Ellis joined an already crowded disabled list last Wednesday with a strained left hamstring, which is expected to sideline him until at least early-May. That is roughly the same timeline as right fielder Travis Buck, who is nursing a strained right oblique and is eligible to be activated May 6.

Center fielder Coco Crisp, who has yet to play this season since being acquired from Kansas City, is also slated to return in mid-May from a fractured left pinkie finger. Upon Crisp's return, Rajai Davis is expected to slide over to left field.

Meanwhile, the bullpen has been without Joey Devine and Michael Wuertz. Devine was expected to share the closer's role last season, but wound up undergoing Tommy John surgery in April and didn't pitch an inning in 2009. His recovery was sidetracked in March due to right elbow tendinitis, though he has began throwing off a mound. Wuertz is already making his way back from a bout with shoulder tendinitis and could return as early as this week.

So, how have the A's managed to stay afloat in the wake of so many injuries? Look no further than their starting rotation, which has surrendered just five runs over the last five games. The starters have allowed three runs or less in 17 of the 20 games this season, combining for a 9-3 record along with a Major League-best 2.65 ERA.

M'S LOOKING TO IMPROVE HOME-AWAY SPLITS

The Seattle Mariners entered the season as a darkhorse contender to finally snatch the AL West reigns away from the Angels. But in order to climb the standings, they are going to have to find a way to win some games on the road.

At the moment, seven of the Mariners' nine wins have come at Safeco Field. Elsewhere, they are a Major League-worst 2-9 on the road. On their current six-game road trip through Chicago and Kansas City, Seattle has gotten off to an 0-4 start after dropping last night's series opener to the Royals. Kansas City starter Kyle Davies had a no-hitter into the sixth inning, and the M's wound up with only one run on six hits for the game. Seattle hit just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Manager Don Wakamatsu conceded his team seems to be dealing with some confidence issues on the road. "When you look at the record, it sure looks that way," he said. "There are things we have to continue to work on. But we're a team that if the offense isn't functional, we can't afford to make any mistakes."

While the offense looks to get things figured out, the pitching staff is anxiously awaiting the debut of prized offseason acquisition of Cliff Lee. The southpaw tossed six scoreless innings for Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday and is scheduled to join the Mariners on Friday when they return home to face Texas. Lee suffered a lower abdominal strain on March 26.

ANGELS' MORALES A STAR IN THE MAKING

Angels' slugger Kendry Morales is not yet a household name to casual baseball fans, but it's only a matter of time before that changes.

Following up from his breakout season last year, Morales was recently named AL Player of the Week. In a stretch of seven games over the last week, Morales hit a staggering .542 with three homers and 10 RBIs

With runners on first and second and two outs in the seventh inning of Sunday's showdown with the Yankees, manager New York manager Joe Girardi considered intentionally walking Morales. But after Damaso Marte issued the first ball, Girardi changed his mind and opted to go after Morales, a decision which proved costly. With the count 3-0, Morales launched a 3-0 offering into the mock-mountain range beyond the wall in left-center, propelling the Halos to an 8-4 triumph.

The switch-hitting Morales burst onto the scene in 2009, his first full season in the majors, by hitting .306 with 34 home runs and 108 RBIs despite platooning with Robb Quinlan for the first month of the season. Morales has worked to improve his hitting from the right side and, despite his hot start this year, says he is humbled that opposing managers would even consider walking him with first base occupied.

"I don't have enough years in this league for someone to walk me with a man on first base," Morales told the Los Angeles Times. "So, I was quite surprised."

Manager Mike Scioscia credits Morales' dedication to putting in the extra work, as well as his improved bat discipline to work into hitter's counts. Thanks in no small part to Morales' contributions, the Angels have won two straight to improve to 11-10 and move to within 1 1/2 games of the division- leading A's.

SHORT-HANDED RANGERS HOPING FOR GOOD NEWS ON THE INJURY FRONT

At 8-11, the Texas Rangers continue to hold down the bottom spot in the AL West standings. Of course, the competition level factors into that. The Rangers just wrapped up a 10-game stretch that saw them go 3-7 against the Yankees, Red Sox and Tigers.

In addition, Texas has had some injury woes. All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler has been on the DL with a high right ankle sprain. He began a rehab assignment on Monday, which marked his first actual game action since March 12. If all goes well, he will rejoin the team as early as Friday.

Kinsler said his ankle is between 80 and 90 percent right now, and conceded it will probably bother him to some degree throughout the season.

"I know it's not going to be 100 percent healthy," he told the Star-Telegram. "Everything is kind of limited. It's not really holding me back. It's still there. It's not completely healthy. It's not like my left foot."

Upon Kinsler's return, manager Ron Washington said he plans to plug his second baseman into the No. 5 spot in the lineup, bumping right fielder Nelson Cruz to the No. 6 hole. Of course, that plan hinges on the health of Cruz, who left Monday's game with some nagging right hamstring tightness and is considered day-to-day. He had to leave games in Boston last Tuesday and Wednesday because of the same hamstring. Any potential prolonged absence would be a big blow to the Rangers' offense, considering Cruz is hitting .323 on the year out of that fifth spot in the lineup.