The Oakland A’s made some unexpected news today when they decided to demote starting pitcher Vin Mazzaro. The move is unexpected seeing that the A’s simply could’ve decided to skip Mazzaro’s next start rather than demote him.
With Oakland now 7.0 games back of the slumping Texas Rangers for first-place, the team’s decision to option Mazzaro could be an indication that the team feels they can still catch Texas.
In order to do so, however, they’ll need all the help they can get.

The A’s are on quite a roll. The A’s, who just finished a sweep against the sluggish Royals, will look to extend their season-high winning streak to six games against the banged up Red Sox.
Ben Sheets, who has been mentioned in trade talks, will look to build upon his last start, where he pitched six-shutout innings against the Angels. The A’s pitching staff has been exceptional for the past week or so, and have one of the top team ERAs in the AL.
The A’s offense, however, has also found success recently. The A’s 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff recorded seven [...]

The Oakland A’s begin their second-half of the season tonight against the Kansas City Royals. The A’s will send Gio Gonzalez (7-6, 3.79 ERA) to mound, while KC will counter with reigning AL CY Young, Zach Greinke (5-8, 3.71). Oakland’s bats, which have been rather inconsistent during the first-half, will need to get the second-half started on the right foot. Greinke hasn’t been nearly as good as he was last season, but he’s still a very tough opponent to face. 
The A’s closed out the first-half of the season with a series win against a visiting Angels club. Currently the A’s [...]

With all of the injuries that the A’s have dealt with this season, another possible injury could definitely put a serious blow to the team’s chances in the second-half. Currently 9 games behind the Rangers, the A’s are slipping out the race and could become sellers at the deadline, so it’s becoming increasingly important for the players to stay on the field and out of the trainer’s room.
Dallas Braden, who was scratched in his last start due to elbow tendinitis, is said to be on track for his Saturday start against Cleveland. But, as the SF Chronicle’s Susan Slusser points [...]

What’s really going on with Eric Chavez these days? One minute the former six-time Gold Glove winner is saying that he feels fine and ready to go, and the next minute he’s saying that his back is tightening up on him. By popular opinion, many A’s fans feel that the longest tenured player in franchise history should just hang up the cleats. I had still had some hope about two or three weeks ago about a possible return from Chavez, but I’m slowly getting fed up with all this will-he/won’t-he play stuff.
Chavez, who was supposed to start a rehab assignment [...]

The Swingin’ A’s blog site just got remodeled, and I have to say that it looks incredible. When I came to FanSided in February earlier this year, I knew I’d have all the necessary resources toproduce quality articles, but I never knew that I’d have such an awesome looking site to display all those quality articles.
But I guess that’s one of the many perks of joining the FanSided family. I am tremendously grateful for all of Zach’s hard-work and I’m extremely excited about this new chapter for the Swingin’ A’s blog site. Hopefully, you will all notice some of the [...]

Finally. The A’s locked up one of their young and talented players. According the San Francisco Chronicle, the Oakland Athletics, who are notorious for letting their talented players walk to free agency, locked up pitcher Brett Anderson to a four year deal. Anderson, who set an Oakland rookie record with 150 strikeouts last season, is off to great start this season. In 12 IP, Anderson has not allowed a single run and is getting better with each performance.
The deal, which runs through 2013 with options for 2014 and 2015, buys out Anderson’s arbitration years as well as his first year [...]

Yup! That’s right, free A’s spring training tickets! RedLeaf Water (The Official Spring Training Water of the Oakland Athletics) has been kind enough to hold a giveaway for a PAIR of A’s spring training tickets. And from what I’ve heard, they’re awesome seats. Below is the contest information as well as the deadline:
1. Become a “fan/friend” of RedLeaf on Facebook—simply search “redleaf water” and mention you’re entering the contest with Swingin’ A’s
2. RedLeaf will be selecting the winner very soon, so enter now!
**So, if you would like to win a free pair of tickets to an A’s spring training game [...]

Earlier today, I had the chance to talk some Oakland A’s HotStove with Tom Reese and Paul Rubillo from HotStove.com. Topics included Michael Taylor and Chris Carter’s progress, Jack Cust, Eric Chavez and the 2010 AL West. Included in today’s post are my phone interview, and some bonus information about the A’s. Enjoy!
Click this link to see my interview with the guys over on HotStove—A’s Chat With Joseph Lopez of Swingin’ A’s
A’s Eric Chavez homered twice in the A’s game against the White Sox on Wednesday. That certainly is good news for all A’s fans, as Eric Chavez tries yet [...]

With two spring training games completed, here’s a look back at some of the action that took place on Thursday and Friday:
THURSDAY, MARCH 4 (LOSS, 9-3)
Trevor Cahill: Put in two-innings of work Thursday against the Cubs. Cahill allowed two runs on three hits, and struck out two. A’s manager, Bob Geren, said that he liked what he saw from Cahill.
Justin Souza: Pitched one frame, allowed one hit but also managed to strike out the side in the eighth inning.
Michael Taylor: Went 0 for 1 in his first spring training game for the A’s.
Chris Carter: The highly touted prospect went 1 [...]