July 18, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics shortstop Brandon Hicks (18) hits a walk off home run against the Texas Rangers during the ninth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-US PRESSWIRE

Both Miller and Hicks were designated for assignment, so they will go through the waiver process or may be traded within that waiver period.  They may still remain in the organization of they go unclaimed and accept the assignment, but I would imagine they’d elect free agency.  Both of them found themselves on the outside looking in, and may look elsewhere for a better opportunity to prove themselves.

Brandon Hicks of course will be remembered for the huge walk off home run against the Texas Rangers on a Wednesday afternoon, but unfortunately aside from that his big hits were few and far between.  In 70 plate appearances over 22 games Hicks hit .174/.243/.391 with 3 home runs.

Jim Miller was up and down between Oakland and Sacramento all season, and was relegated to mop up duty.  He did fairly well in his role making 33 appearances and registering a 2.59 ERA.  But he pitched around a lot of messes he created with walks, issuing 27 free passes in his 48.2 innings of work.  If he can improve his control, he can be a servicable middle reliever, and assuredly he’ll get his chance somewhere if it isn’t ultimately in Oakland.

Andrew Carignan is recovering from Tommy John surgery, and probably won’t be pitching until next season is well underway.  Carignan made just 11 appearances before hurting his elbow, and had a 4.66 ERA over his 9.2 innings.  He was outrighted to Triple A so he’ll be staying with the organization while he continues his rehab process.

The protection of Green, Ynoa, Peterson, and Leon leaves a few recognizable names open for the taking in the upcoming draft.  Of note are pitchers James Simmons, and Justin Souza, also eligible is outfielder Jermaine Mitchell.  Infielders Tyler Ladendorf and Josh Horton, along with catcher Petey Paramore, and pitchers Travis Banwart and Jared Lansford round out the list of eligible players from the Athletics organization.

Barring another move of some sort that clears space on the roster, the A’s will not be selecting any players in the Rule 5 draft.  They will be surely keeping a close eye on the draft to see if any of their players are taken from them.

June 26, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Travis Blackley (54) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-US PRESSWIRE

TURNING POINT:  The top of the 7th inning started off much like many innings did tonight, Brandon Inge struck out and Derek Norris grounded out as Chad Beck relieved starter Brett Cecil.  Then the A’s figured Beck out as Brandon Hicks doubled and was driven in by Jemile Weeks on a triple.  Coco Crisp followed with a double to bring in Weeks, then the A’s set the table with walks by Jonny Gomes and Josh Reddick.  Yoenis Cespedes came up with the bases juiced and smoked a line drive that cleared the bases as everyone was running on the 3-2 pitch.

ON THE HILL:  Travis Blackley probably can’t believe that he has 3 wins this season, lest we forget that he hadn’t won a game in the Major Leagues for 8 years prior to this season.  Blackley was dominant today in his 7 innings of work, he allowed just 5 hits and 1 walk while striking out 8 Blue Jays in the process.  Evan Scribner followed with a scoreless 8th inning with just 1 hit allowed and 2 strikeouts.  Jim Miller had one blemish on his resume for the night, allowing a solo home run to JP Arencibia in the 9th, he allowed another hit and struck out 1 to finish the game.

AT THE PLATE:  The A’s got fairly even contributions from all around the lineup, every one reached base one way or another, and nobody besides Jemile Weeks had a multi hit game.  Derek Norris absolutely crushed a 2 run home run in the 2nd inning to put the A’s on the board, so perhaps there are signs of life from him.  Yoenis Cespedes drove in 3 runs but did strike out 3 times in his other at bats.  The A’s keep swinging like they’ve proven they can, and they keep winning.

FINAL THOUGHTS:  Things just keep getting better for the Green and Gold who have now taken over 2nd place in the AL West by a single percentage point over the Los Angeles Angels.  Subsequently that puts them in possession of the top wild card spot in the AL.  The A’s are now 52-44 and don’t seem to be interested in flirting with the .500 mark anymore this year.  As the trade rumors fly all around the A’s and the July 31 deadline nears, the A’s seem ignorant to all the chatter.  That’s just the way they should be.  If Billy Beane does pull the trigger on a deal, I have confidence that this team will be able to welcome in any kind of personality.  If Hanley Ramirez does become an Athletic, who’s to say he’ll be a malcontent in Oakland?  There are a myriad of factors that play into the potential deal, money, prospects, his attitude etc… but even a declining Hanley Ramirez is better than starting Eric Sogard/Brandon Hicks at SS as long as Cliff Pennington is on the shelf.  But if Hanley Ramirez does come to Oakland and ruin the good vibes in this clubhouse, then maybe this team’s chemistry wasn’t as strong as we all thought.  But for now, it’s all speculation.  Tomorrow night at the Rogers Centre AJ Griffin takes the mound with a 2-0 record and a 2.70 ERA against  the tough lefty Ricky Romero who is 8-6 with a 5.22 ERA this year.  The A’s can take yet another series with a win tomorrow, at this point there is no need to let up for the A’s, and I don’t believe they will.

July 17, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Roy Oswalt (44) pitches the ball against the Oakland Athletics during the sixth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

TURNING POINT:  After the missed chance in the 7th inning, Josh Hamilton promptly and definitively put the momentum back in the Rangers possession with a leadoff home run.  But the A’s showed they still had some fight left.  Cliff Pennington struck out to lead off the bottom of the 8th (See: Kurt Suzuki, Brandon Inge), Jemile Weeks was hit by a pitch,  Seth Smith singled, and Josh Reddick drew a walk to load the bases with Yoenis Cespedes coming to the plate with a chance to tie the game on one swing of the bat.  Cespedes was ultimately rung up on a called 3rd strike fastball after 3 sliders from Adams.  It was up to Brandon Moss to put a dent in the deficit, but he popped up harmlessly to Adrian Beltre to pretty much seal this game for Texas.

ON THE HILL:  Bartolo Colon wasn’t spectacular, but he did keep the Rangers bats fairly quiet for the most part.  He was charged with 4 ER, but I imagine that will change because Brandon Moss dropped the fly ball from Nelson Cruz in the 4th inning but was somehow not charged with an error.  Colon gave up 8 hits and walked 1 in his 7 innings, striking out 5 in the process.  Jordan Norberto gave up the 1 ER on Josh Hamilton’s 28th home run of the season in his 1 inning.  Jim Miller came in on mop up duty after the A’s had their last gasp in the bottom of the 8th, he struggled to find the strike zone, walking 2 and hitting a batter before giving up a run on a Hamilton sac fly.

AT THE PLATE:  If you were slotted in the 7, 8, 9, or 1 spots in today’s Athletics lineup that means you didn’t reach base.  Yoenis Cespedes had 2 hits, a single and a double to account for 2 of the A’s 5 hits.  Josh Reddick, Seth Smith, and Brandon Moss accounted for the other 3.  Chris Carter was the only other player to reach base with his 7th inning walk.  Kurt Suzuki, Brandon Inge, and Cliff Pennington are all proving to be as punchless as can be in the A’s lineup.  With their lack of production it’s not hard to imagine why the A’s would be looking at upgrades as they push for the playoffs (I can’t believe I’m even typing this).

FINAL THOUGHTS:  With all the anticipation leading up to this game for the A’s coming off the sweep of the Twins it was a bit of a downer to see them come up so small tonight.  The A’s found ways to shoot themselves in the foot tonight, and the Rangers are a good enough team to take advantage of those miscues.  Nevertheless, the A’s haven’t really done any harm to themselves as the Tigers, Orioles, and Indians all lost tonight.  With their win the Rays pull even with the Tigers to tie for the 2nd wild card spot.  So while it wasn’t a pretty game, no true harm was done.  The A’s remain just a 1/2 game out of a playoff spot, with a chance to take a share of the lead with a win.  Travis Blackley makes his first start since July 1st after being held back due to back pain, he comes in with a 2-2 record and a 2.63 ERA.  Opposing him will be once upon a time Athletic Colby Lewis who will be returning from the DL with a 6-6 record and a 3.51 ERA on the season.  If the A’s miss chances like they did tonight, it could make for a long and trying week for the green and gold as they try to find momentum with the Yankees coming to town.  The A’s showed this past weekend that “the Bash is Back”, let’s show the Rangers a little taste of what the bash is really all about.