Just take this picture, and imagine it happening at night. Cespedes goes yard versus Timmy once again. (Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports)

Milone and Lincecum traded zeroes for the first 2 innings before Buster Posey lined an RBI single to center to get the Giants on the board.  The A’s would answer back though with authority as Yoenis Cespedes yanked a 2 run home run half way up the left field bleachers.  That’s his second home run in a week off of Lincecum, so apparently there’s something Cespedes likes about facing him.

Lincecum would be charged with 5 runs altogether in his 4.2 innings of work, the last of which came when Jeremy Affeldt gave up a 3 run homer to Josh Reddick in the 5th inning.  Reddick has put together a nice spring, and hopefully he can carry over some good habits from spring to the regular season.

Tommy Milone would pitch 4.2 innings himself, allowing 5 hits and 2 ER with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts to get the victory.  Pat Neshek, Jerry Blevins, and Jordan Norberto would follow with 3.1 innings of scoreless relief.  Evan Scribner did allow a run in the bottom of the 9th inning on 2 hits and a walk.

Josh Reddick led the offensive charge with 2 hits, including the 3 run bomb.  Yoenis Cespedes went 1-4 with the aforementioned 2 run homer against Lincecum.  Jed Lowrie, Josh Donaldson, John Jaso, and Eric Sogard each added hits of their own.

Of course it’s only an exhibition, but this one was good for two reasons: it was a victory over the Giants, and it puts us one step closer to Opening Day on Monday versus the Seattle Mariners.  The two teams meet up again tomorrow night at AT&T Park as A.J. Griffin takes the mound against our old friend Barry Zito at 7:15 PM.

Not Even House Can Solve Oakland's Injury Problems. The A's announced that Brandon McCarthy would join the growing list of A's players on the DL. (Photo Credit: FOX/David Shore)

Well, the A’s may be out of luck. The team has been bit by the infamous injury bug that resides in the depths of the cavernous O.co Coliseum all season long and there’s no clear solution to Oakland’s injury woes in sight.

The A’s are now without starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy, who has been off to a strong start this year, due to a shoulder strain. The right-hander has been placed on the 15-day DL with a right shoulder strain and for a young team like Oakland, losing a veteran in McCarthy does not bode well for the rest of the rotation.

McCarthy had been on quite a tear this month, going 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA in three May starts. Losing McCarthy only adds yet another name on a growing list of Oakland players limping through the clubhouse; Coco Crisp, Yoenis Cespedes, and Brandon Inge are some of the other notable names currently riding the DL express train.

It is too bad that Dr. Gregory House does not exist, because the A’s could really use some of his medical remedies. Since we’re living in reality and not on the set of House, it is best to keep things in perspective. The A’s have had problems with keeping their players healthy and this season is no different. Losing players is never an easy thing to get over, but for the A’s, a team with relatively no well-known players, it is especially more painful to endure.

The team’s rotation came into the season without Dallas Braden and Brett Anderson, but with plenty of young talent, the A’s figured they could get by without Anderson or Braden. Losing McCarthy, though, does put quite the dent in Oakland’s starting rotation.

The A’s rotation, without McCarthy, includes Bartolo Colon, Tom Milone, Jarrod Parker, and Tyson Ross. Colon has gone 4-4 with a 4.09 ERA in 10 starts with Oakland this season. Milone, a nice addition this past offseason, has been solid as well, going 5-3 with a 4.09 ERA in 8 starts. Parker, a top pitching prospect, has gone 1-2 with a 3.90 ERA in five starts. Finally, there’s Ross. Ross has gone 2-4 with a 5.73 ERA in 7 starts.

The A’s have plenty of other pitchers waiting down in the minor leagues, but the guy the team called up to take McCarthy’s spot on the rotation is right-handed reliever Jim Miller. Miller last pitched for the team’s Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats. He was with the team for a brief stint in April before getting optioned back to Sacramento earlier this month.

If the team has any shot at remaining somewhat relevant in the AL West this year, they’ll need to find a way to stay healthy. Paging imaginary Doctor now.

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Follow me on twitter @oaklandace75 and for more A’s related analysis, stories, and opinions, follow us on twitter @FS_SwinginAs or like us on Facebook.

Remember him? The A's traded Gio Gonzalez last winter as the team continued their youth-movement. Image Credit: Brad Barr-US PRESSWIRE

Each month, Swingin’ A’s will revisit three of the biggest trades that the A’s made this past offseason. We’ll continue by reexamining the deal that sent All-Star Gio Gonzalez to the Washington Nationals. The A’s received plenty of young talent in this deal. This deal, in my mind, anyway, makes Billy Beane look very, very smart. We’ll see what you think. 

When the A’s traded Gio Gonzalez to the Washington Nationals this past offseason, I seriously thought about jumping ship. This rebuild only to tear down mentality was not sitting to well with me, but I’m glad I’ve decided to stick around this year. The A’s scored big time in the Gonzalez deal, landing four prospects in the trade. Among those talented prospects are pitchers Brad Peacock, Tom Milone, A.J. Cole, and catcher Derek Norris.

Milone has made his presence felt in Oakland’s clubhouse this season. He’s 3-2 with a 3.69 ERA so far for the Athletics and has demonstrated early on that he’s a guy with solid control and command of his pitches. The A’s have Peacock and Cole down in the minor leagues, but Peacock could find himself in the big leagues at some point this year. Cole, though, is still too early in his development to really make a considerable push for a major league call-up.

The power hitting catcher Norris, though, could find his way up to the big leagues in a hurry. The prospect is tearing things up in Triple-A Sacramento; he’s hitting .329/.344/.565 with 3 HR and 16 RBI in 21 games this year. Should the A’s continue their crazed youth-movement at some point this season and decide to trade away “aging” Kurt Suzuki (who’s just 28), Norris’ name could be on Bob Melvin’s daily lineup card in a hurry.

The A’s gave up a lot in Gonzalez, but in my mind, the team made out considerably well in the trade with Washington. The Nationals have enjoyed Gio Gonzalez’s presence in their starting rotation, as the southpaw has gone 2-1 with a 1.82 ERA in five starts. Both sides, then, have done incredibly well. The Nationals finally have the talent to compete in the National League while the A’s have done a nice job restocking on some young talent as they plan for future success.

One month into the season and the A’s have certainly taken advantage of this trade. Milone is a talented young pitcher pitching in the heart of Oakland’s rotation and the team is seeing encouraging signs from catching prospect Norris. So far, this deal has been equally good for both clubs.

What do you think? Who did better in the trade, the A’s or Nationals? 

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Follow me on twitter @oaklandace75 and for more A’s related analysis, stories, and opinions, follow us on twitter @FS_SwinginAs or like us on Facebook.