A’s Notes: Barton, Chavez, Pennington & More!

In last night’s game against Baltimore, A’s 1B Daric Barton suffered injuries to both his legs. According to the A’s official site, Barton suffered contusions to his left shin and right knee. A’s manager, Bob Geren, said that he doesn’t expect Barton to miss any significant amount of time, and that the injuries are not that serious.

According to multiple reports, including the SF Chronicle, A’s DH Eric Chavez (back/neck) is expected to resume baseball activities in a week or two. Chavez, who is in last year of the six-year deal he signed back in 2004, has played in only 33 games this season. In 111 ABs, Chavez hit .234/.276/.333 with one homer and 10 RBIs. So, an early August return is the best case scenario.

Also on the mend for Oakland is RF Travis Buck. Buck (leg), who has been out for a majority of the season, has been cleared to resume baseball activities. In 11 games this season, Buck hit .219/.324/.375 with one homer and two RBIs. Remember, Buck has been dealing with injuries for most of his career, but he has shown in the past that he’s a solid player. In 2007, Buck hit .288/.377/.474 with 7 homers and 34 RBIs. According the SF Chronicle, Buck could potentially start a rehab assignment as early as next week.

A’s pitcher, Trevor Cahill, won his seventh consecutive start last night. For the season, Cahill is 8-2 with a 2.74 ERA. Cahill has played so well in fact, that he could very well be the one representing the A’s in Anaheim for the All-Star game.

Dallas Braden, who is winless since throwing the perfect game on Mother’s Day, is on track to make his next start against Cleveland on Saturday. Braden, who missed his last start due to elbow tendinitis, is at risk for further injury. The A’s have already lost Justin Duchscherer for the remainder of the season, and losing another player—especially one like Braden—would certainly be a devastating blow to the team.

A’s IF Cliff Pennington, who struggled back in May, has brought his average up to .256. Pennington was on fire in the month of June, as he hit .338/.402/.442. If the A’s continue to get that kind of production out of Pennington, the offense should be able to put some runs across the board.