February 18, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Luke Montz (71) poses for a picture during photo day at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

What is most noteworthy about the fact that Montz was called up, was the fact that it was the first time it happened for him since the 2008 season.  Montz got to play in 10 games in September of the 2008 season, and in his 26 plate appearances he hit .143/.308/.286 with a home run and 3 RBI.  The stats are inconsequential though in this case since they are so long ago and such a small sample size.  But those two facts illustrate just how big this is for Luke.

Since being drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 17th round of the 2003 draft (who later became the Washington Nationals to those uninformed), those 10 games were the only MLB experience Luke Montz had accrued.  He has a career .237/.334/.435 slash line over 3,629 plate appearances in 940 games over 11 seasons in the minor leagues with 144 minor league home runs to his name.  He is the essence of a career minor leaguer.  In Sacramento though he is hitting the ball, with a .283/.406/.679 line with 5 home runs and 12 runs driven in over his first 64 plate appearances.  He’s a big guy, at 6’1″ and 230 LBS and can hit for some power from the right side.  His ability to catch, and play first base gives the team a little flexibility in possibly starting both John Jaso and Derek Norris in the same lineup without having to worry about losing the DH spot should the catcher get injured.  With the A’s playing a number of games in a row starting Friday, and the expectation of facing a number of left handed starters, the addition of Montz makes sense.

His presence did pay dividends this afternoon in the loss to the Los Angeles Angels, he contributed an RBI double in the Athletics comeback attempt that ultimately fell short.  He was to come up to bat in the 9th inning with two runners on, but was lifted in favor of Eric Sogard (who popped out to end the game).  Montz now gets to travel with the Athletics to the Bronx to take on the New York Yankees, which has to be a huge thrill for the 29 year old.  His time in Oakland for now may not be long, as Crisp is expected back once his 15 days is up, Luke Montz has an opportunity to make a big impression on the big club that will keep him in the mix to play for the Athletics more in 2013.

August 8, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Dan Straily (67) pitches the ball against the Los Angeles Angels during the fourth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Needless to say this is a disappointing development, not because I’m a firm believer that Dan Straily needs a lot of work harnessing his “stuff” in Triple A, but because this is another ill effect from the tiny injuries that I believe will always plagued Brett Anderson.  He never really missed time aside from the start in Tampa Bay where the injury occurred, he made his next start in Boston with poor results.  I don’t believe this is the type of injury that will become a recurring issue like we’ve seen with Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors next door at the Oracle Arena.  At least not in the sense that there will always be ankle problems to deal with, Anderson seems likely to injure himself much in the same vain again, that’s just what he does.

Straily has certainly excelled in Triple A thus far, in his 3 starts he’s 3-0 with a 0.96 ERA in 18.2 innings pitched.  He has 20 strikeouts and just 6 walks.  Excellence from Straily in the minors is nothing new, but transitioning that success into the major leagues has been something of a struggle.  He made one start for the Athletics this year before Bartolo Colon was reinstated.  He struck out 11 in 6.2 innings while allowing just 2 ER in a winning effort.

Straily figures to face the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.  He faced them twice last year and pitched 4.2 and 6.2 innings in those two starts, he allowed a total of 8 ER in the 11.1 innings, gave up 15 hits, and struck out 13.  Straily did face Josh Hamilton and the Texas Rangers as well, and Hamilton took him deep as well.   The Angels have struggled quite a bit this season, but they have a lot of offensive potency so Straily will have to be on his game to keep their lineup down.

It was on this fateful play that Scott Sizemore tore his left ACL for the second time. (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)

This is a tough blow for the Athletics, and an extremely tough one for Sizemore as he has to redo all the rehab and the recovery that he had to endure all throughout the last year.  This will be the ultimate test of Sizemore’s will, his determination, and his character.  He had to sit by the wayside and watch as his teammates embark on one of the most incredible runs as they caught and passed the Texas Rangers to take the AL West title.  There is no doubt that had to be extremely difficult for him, even though he was surely happy for the team.

This also puts the Athletics in an even more precarious situation with their middle infield.  Two months ago there appeared to be far too many middle infield candidates for far too few spots on the roster.  Guys like Eric Sogard and Andy Parrino (who was recalled to replace Sizemore on the roster) had virtually no chance to start the season in Oakland no matter how well they performed.  But Jemile Weeks got hurt, then demoted, then both Adam Rosales and Hiroyuki Nakajima found themselves starting the season on the 15 day DL.  Next thing we know, Eric Sogard is the starting second baseman on Opening Night.  Scott Sizemore was presumed to be the one to get the bulk of the time at second, but Sogard’s sizzling spring moved him ahead in the depth chart.  Sogard’s hot bat had cooled considerably and Sizemore figured to start getting a little more playing time.

Now we’ll never know what Scott Sizemore would have been able to contribute to the 2013 Athletics, a far different team from the one he played with last in 2011.  As the A’s and Sizemore move forward on the long road ahead, time will tell just what impact this injury will have on the future.  For the A’s, what effect Sizemore’s absence have on the team; for Sizemore, what effect this will have on the rest of his career.  We wish Scott all the best in his recovery, and hope that last night wasn’t the last time we’ll see him in green and gold.