A’s Place Braden on DL

The Oakland A’s played it safe, and are going to give Dallas Braden a break from pitching. On Friday, the A’s placed Braden (4-7, 3.83 ERA) on the 15-day DL in hope to see the pitcher make a recovery from elbow tendinitis. Clayton Mortensen filled in for Braden, and went six innings in the A’s 4-5 loss in Cleveland. Mortensen allowed three runs, walked two and struck out seven in his first game of the 2010 season.

With the All-Star break quickly approaching, the A’s hope that the extra rest will help Braden get comfortable with pitching again. The A’s had reported earlier this week that they expected Braden to make his start against Cleveland, however, after Braden was unable to throw his slider without feeling discomfort, the A’s made the choice to shut him down.

I mean, what if Braden went out there today and got himself in even worse shape? What’s one start compared to an entire second-half? The A’s certainly have some pitching depth, but losing Dallas Braden would be a tough void to fill. However, if Braden’s ‘tendinitis’ is not any better by the end of the All-Star break, the A’s could be in deep water.

In other news, the A’s expect young ace, Brett Anderson to return shortly after the All-Star break. Anderson, who signed a four-year deal earlier this season, has been on the DL since June 4th. For the season, Anderson is 2-1 with a 2.35 ERA in six starts. The A’s certainly would like to have Anderson back in the rotation, and the prospect of having Anderson-Cahill teaming up in the rotation should be reason enough to get A’s fans excited.