This is the only time Hiro Nakajima has been spotted in an Athletics uniform, Opening Night 2013. (Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports)

The A’s universe immediately fell in love with the guy.  He was a big hit at the FanFest event in January, and his beaming smile radiated throughout Spring Training in February and March.  There was just one problem, he never hit during Cactus League play.  Be it that his timing was off, or the fact that he was facing a number of pitchers he had never seen before, or if he was having  trouble adjusting to life in the United States, we don’t know what caused his struggles.

He was injured at the tail end of Spring Training, what turned out to be a fairly severe hamstring strain.  Nakajima would be placed on the 15 day DL and the Athletics were spared having to option him to Triple A Sacramento at the end of the spring.  His hamstring appears to be more or less healed, and he has now appeared in 13 games for the River Cats.  Today the Athletics announced that they were activating him from the DL, and optioning him to the River Cats.  All this means is now he is no longer on a rehab assignment, he’s a minor leaguer.

In the 13 games he’s played, he’s posted a .265/.316/.347 line in 57 plate appearances.  It’s not a line that will pop out at you, but it’s certainly an improvement over his spring numbers when he couldn’t buy a hit.  But with the emergence of Jed Lowrie at shortstop, there is no longer a sense of urgency to get Nakajima to Oakland.

With Lowrie entrenched at short, and Eric Sogard and Adam Rosales occupying somewhat of a platoon at second base, there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of room for Hiro.  But the fact of the matter is the A’s made a two year commitment to Nakajima and they still don’t know exactly what they have.  The chances that he can provide more offense than either Sogard or Rosales are fairly high.  They both have had their moments, but neither of them are truly worthy of being everyday players.  Nakajima may still be, we simply don’t know.  He’s been working out at second base, at third base, maybe he’s even been secretly catching bullpen sessions for all we know.  Either way, he is working diligently to make himself as useful as he can to the Oakland Athletics.  He may not be in Oakland any time soon, but I believe the chances are high that at some point he will play an important role with the Athletics.

Okay, no take all my statements from the previous paragraph and the exact opposite was what I expected to see.

May 15, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Dan Straily (67) pitches the ball against the Texas Rangers during the third inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

I’ve been hard on Straily for much of the time he’s been with Oakland, and he’s earned that criticism with his inability to command the strike zone, and to keep opposing hitters in the ballpark.  But last year when the possible acquisition came up of the likes of Chase Headley of the San Diego Padres, Straily’s name came up, and the Athletics balked at such an asking price.  For much of the season this year as Straily got knocked around, questions began to arise as to exactly why the A’s weren’t willing to deal the young right hander.  Tonight, he showed us all why the A’s wanted to keep him in the fold.

There wasn’t much in the way of activity, as you could expect in a 1-0 game (just the 13th such game in Arlington’s history).  Straily was the story tonight.  He allowed just 2 hits in 7 scoreless innings, he struck out 5, and walked none.  He was relieved after just 88 pitches, he certainly could have gone further, but with a lockdown bullpen there was no need for Bob Melvin to risk it.  Besides, Straily would be guaranteed to go into his next start versus the San Francisco Giants with a boatload of confidence.  This was a glimpse of the Dan Straily we’ve all been waiting to see, I won’t proclaim that he has arrived just yet, but this was encouraging in a big way.

Yoenis Cespedes provided the game’s lone offense with a solo home run to dead center field in the top of the 3rd inning versus Yu Darvish.  While his numbers may not bear it out, he is making an impact with the long ball.  This was his team leading 9th home run of the season.  The A’s had their chances to give themselves some breathing room, but they failed in those chances, leaving 11 men on base.  They’ve left 26 runners on in the last two games, but they’ve come out on top in both games.

The A’s are 25-22, just 4.5 games behind the division leading Rangers, and have a chance to sweep them in Arlington, which undoubtedly is a rare feat.  They’ll send Jarrod Parker (2-5, 6.04 ERA) to the mound against a former Athletic Ross Wolf who will be making his season debut for the Rangers in place of Nick Tepesch who was scratched due to a blister on his middle finger.  Wolf appeared in 11 games for the A’s in 2010 and posted a 4.26 ERA in 12.2 innings of work.  This is his first major league action since then.  The A’s can give Wolf a rude welcome back to the Show tomorrow as they attempt to complete this sweep of their division rivals.

Apr 20, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers relief pitcher Derek Lowe (55) throws to the Seattle Mariners during the fourth inning at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

Lowe was recently designated for assignment by the Texas Rangers to make roster space for Josh Lindblom in their rotation (Lindblom pitched against the A’s Monday night). While Lowe struggled in the time he pitched this season, a 9.00 ERA in 13 innings of relief, last year he pitched extremely effectively as a reliever with the New York Yankees. In 23.2 innings pitched he had a 3.04 ERA. He struggled early on last season as a starter with the Cleveland Indians before being released and eventually signing with the Yankees where he became an excellent cog in the Bronx Bombers pen.

Last season, around this time, the A’s made an under the radar move in acquiring a long reliever from the San Francisco Giants via claim. Though he lasted through last season and barely into this one his impact was tangible and key in the A’s run to the postseason. That man was Travis Blackley. Although he was later designated for assignment and claimed by the Astros Blackley’s importance to the club was almost irreplaceable. However another under the radar move could be made.

The A’s should try and claim Lowe from the Rangers and use him in the same capacity as they did Blackley. The A’s starting pitching has been shaky at points this season and in the games where they leave early the team cannot always rely on Evan Scribner to get the job done. The A’s need someone with starting experience and a veteran presence to hold games as they stand to let the bats get a chance to come back into the game when a starting pitcher exits early on. This where Lowe would fit perfectly into the A’s system and help save the team some roster transactions and depth while also limiting other relievers innings. The veteran presence is just a bonus.

If the A’s were to claim Lowe they would only be on the hook for the veteran minimum. For the amount of experience and talent they would get in return it is beyond worth the risk of Lowe continuing to struggle. Sometimes you need to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. In this case it is time to bring in an old enemy into the fold and hopefully replicate the results of Travis Blackley last season. This might be nothing. Or it might end up being another diamond in the rough for A’s GM Billy Beane to hop on.