June 17, 2011; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Graham Godfrey (65) pitches during the fifth inning against the San Francisco Giants at the O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Godfrey only collected a single win in his career with the Athletics, he went 1-6 with an ERA of 5.09 in 46 innings of work, he made 4 starts.  But it was the circumstance in which Godfrey won that game that is worth noting.

It was just his second Major League start, he had allowed 5 ER against the Chicago White Sox in his debut, and this time he was facing off against the defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants in the Bay Bridge Series.  This game was taking place in Oakland, and the right hander would be facing off against 2-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum.  No big deal.

Just about anyone who had a clue and was watching this game knew the A’s had no chance to win this game, and would probably lose a laugher in the process.  It didn’t quite work out though as everyone expected.  Lincecum struggled a bit by his standards of the time, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) in 6 innings of work, and Godfrey was able to outduel Lincecum.  Godfrey worked 7 strong innings, gave up just 6 hits and 2 runs (1 earned).  Nobody expected Godfrey to deliver like he did, but for this moment he defied the odds and inserted himself into a little sliver of Athletics history.

Godfrey was never expected to be anything more than a back of the rotation type starter at best, so the fact that he’s been moved along in his career to another organization is not any kind of surprise.  He may not ever get his number retired, he may not even be remembered by many A’s fans past the end of this article, but his contribution to the A’s battle against the fierce rival Giants will always be a fond memory.

The A’s are all about defying the odds and beating expectations so this performance by Godfrey stands out as a symbol of what the A’s stand for.  That said, apparently so does Billy Beane trading everyone away if you ask the casual baseball fan, so it seems fitting then that Graham Godfrey was sent on his way.

Is Tommy Milone pitching his way down to Sacramento? (Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE)

As Brett Anderson prepares to return to the Major Leagues for the first time since last season, the A’s have an important but not necessarily bad decision to make.  No doubt about it they have a difficult choice, but it is one that has to be made, and soon.  Many times over the past couple weeks the speculation has been flying around that the A’s would take the unconventional step of expanding their starting rotation to 6 in order to include Anderson.  But even then that wouldn’t be incorporating all of the viable starting candidates the team has in its arsenal.

At the moment the A’s have Bartolo Colon, Brandon McCarthy, Jarrod Parker, Dan Straily, Tommy Milone, and Travis Blackley available right now, with Brett Anderson and A.J. Griffin set to return in the very near future.  That doesn’t even account for the presence of Tyson Ross and Graham Godfrey in Sacramento as well, both of whom have made starts for the A’s this year.  For those keeping score, that makes 10 potential starters, with 8 of them filed under the viable starter category (Bet you can’t guess which 8).

Ideally the A’s would feature a starting rotation featuring in no particular order Colon, McCarthy, Parker, Anderson, and Straily right now.  When the rosters expand in September the A’s can activate A.J. Griffin and expand the rotation to 6 in order to ease the burden on all of the starters, not just the young ones.  Conspicuous by his absence is Tommy Milone.  His lack of effectiveness recently has made his dominance especially at home seem more like a mirage than a hint of what the soft tossing lefty is capable of long term.  Perhaps a brief stint in Sacramento would be in order until September when he can be brought back for depth.  Either way it seems Milone has lost his direction and it has come at the most crucial point in the season, and now is not the time to let the kid work out his issues in Oakland.

What appears likely to happen, and as CSN’s Kate Longworth tweeted tonight Anderson is rumored to be penciled in as the starting pitcher for the A’s Tuesday night and Milone or Dan Straily would be the favorites to head back to Sacramento.  My gut tells me that Milone will be rewarded for putting in a full season thus far in Oakland with the chance to work out his issues in the A’s rotation and Dan Straily will head back to the minors.  Straily demonstrated in his last start against the Kansas City Royals just what he’s capable of in his near gem performance, meanwhile Milone has an ERA of 7.50 in his last 4 starts.  But even the Billy Beane and the Oakland A’s are susceptible to making moves motivated by personal feelings, no matter what they might want us to believe.

While I don’t think there is necessarily a wrong move to make in this case, there is definitely a less right move to make.  Either way though, the A’s have gotten themselves back in a position to get into the postseason after a brief stumble, and whichever pitchers are called upon to start, they’ll be making some of the most crucial starts Oakland has seen in years.

May 21, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics first baseman Daric Barton (10) in the dugout before the game against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

Some of the most notable names in Sacramento include Opening Day starting 3B Josh Donaldson, Anthony Recker, Eric Sogard and Kila Ka’aihue who were also on the Opening Day roster, and familiar names like Adam Rosales, Tyson Ross, Graham Godfrey and Michael Taylor.  Oh and some guy named Daric Barton.

The numbers that stand out the most from this lot are those of Josh Donaldson, who is grooming himself as the ultimate Quadruple A player.  He hit about a .150 in Oakland as the 3B there after Scott Sizemore blew out his knee in Spring Training, in Sacramento though it’s an entirely different story.  Donaldson is putting up ridiculous numbers in his 27 games there with a .382/.433/.718 line, that equates to an astounding 1.152 OPS.  If he can do that for even a week in Oakland it would change his entire career trajectory.

Eric Sogard has also torn the cover off the ball, his .339/.443/.473 line has to be pleasing to the A’s.  I believe Sogard can be a useful utility man in Oakland, but if he is relied upon to start there could be problems.

Kila Ka’aihue has also hit well in his time since being designated for assignment, he is hitting .317/.457/.587 in Sacramento as he tries to make his case to return to the Athletics.

Adam Rosales is hitting .296/.347/.483 and will probably continue to ride the Capital Corridor train from Sacramento to Oakland and back throughout the season as the need for roster depth dictates.

Graham Godfrey started the Triple A All Star Game last night for the PCL, and he is having a dazzling season in Sacramento with an 8-0 record and an ERA of 2.88 in 13 starts.  With the rotation health issues the A’s have had, I’d be surprised if he didn’t find his way back to the Oakland rotation at some point.

Then there’s Daric Barton, the most debated figure in the Oakland Athletics organization in recent memory.  Barton well, he’s being Daric Barton down there.  He’s hitting .239/.410/.431, same old high OBP low SLG Barton we all worship or can’t stand.  Some things never change.  At this point who knows if or when he’ll be back in Oakland.

As for the prospects of the Rivercats, most notably Grant Green, Michael Taylor, Brad Peacock, and Daniel Straily, it’s something of a mixed bag.

Grant Green has played all around the diamond, from outfield to 3B to his original SS position, and he’s had what I would classify as a solid season.  He’s hitting .290/.334/.441 and if he continues to produce I would imagine his arrival in Oakland will come at the first opportunity that comes along (Say a Brandon Inge or Cliff Pennington DL stint).

Michael Taylor has big power potential if you look at his frame, but unlike Ryan Sweeney he’s actually shown the ability to hit the ball 400 feet.  While he’s not hitting for much power in Sacramento with just 6 homers in 76 games, he is hitting .302/.405/.451 so not all hope is lost.

Brad Peacock is having what can be categorized as a terrible horrible no good very bad season with the Rivercats.  He does have a .500 record at 6-6, but his ERA is 7.12,  and his WHIP 1.75.  But his FIP is just 3.91 and his BABIP is .383 so perhaps it’s not as bad as it seems.  He still may be stuck in Sacramento though for 2012.

AJ Griffin has been extremely impressive since his surprise call up, and Daniel Straily may very well be the next in line to get such a call up should it be necessary.  He’s made 4 starts since being promoted to Sacramento and has a 3-1 record with a 1.04 ERA.  If Bartolo Colon is dealt at the deadline, Straily may be the one to take his place.

The Rivercats are on track to make some more noise in the Triple A playoffs, provided the A’s don’t pluck away all their best players.