So, just a quick update before the Detroit series starts in a couple of hours. Firstly, a quick bit of cross promotion – I wrote an article about Wednesday’s cross-Bay double header for our sister site at proball.us. Have a read of it here.

As for the A’s, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that reliever Santiago Casilla has been activated from the fifteen day disabled list, and outfielder Aaron Cunningham has been called up from AAA affiliate the Sacramento Rivercats. In order to make room for them on the twenty five man roster, relievers Jeff Grey and Jerry Blevins, who has been struggling for form of late, have been sent back down.

Whilst the Casilla move is a no brainer, on the face of it, bringing up Aaron Cunningham is a bit of a head scratcher. The A’s are already carrying four outfielders, plus Jack Cust, so it would seem that Cunningham’s playing time might be quite limited. The A’s are obviously quite high on him, but he’s been playing left field at Sacramento, and he’s obviously not going to shift Matt Holliday from the team. It also seems unlikely that Rajai Davis will be designated for assignment, as he’s the primary backup, and indeed, the only one on the roster apart from Ryan Sweeney who can play center field. Travis Buck doesn’t seem to have the chops to do it. One possibility is that the A’s Cunningham as cover for a few days for Matt Holliday, who picked up something of an oblique strain the other night against the Kansas City Royals.

The other possibility is that Bob Geren has lost faith in Travis Buck, who is batting a paltry .200. However, he’s only had sixty five at bats, and not anything like consistent playing time, so it’d seem a little harsh to dispense of him. Nevertheless, this might be the move that is made. A decision is likely to come next week when Nomar Garciaparra is activated from the disabled list. Whoever it is, though, expect to see them again at some stage of the season – it is the A’s, after all, and injuries are the name of the game.

Looking forward to the three game series against the Tigers, tonight’s pitching matchup pits Athletics ace Dallas Braden against Edwin Jackson. Should both perform as they have been doing, it could well be a low scoring affair; both have similar ERAs (2.79 and 2.60, respectively). On the weekend, the A’s will have youngsters Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill going up against Rick Porcello and Armando Galarraga, who has one of the most fun names to say in the whole of major league baseball. The A’s are hoping that their hitting will continue to improve, and that their newly rested bullpen will continue to be the strength that is has been thus far.

***3pm update - it's going to be Anderson tonight, and Braden tomorrow. So there we go***

One final thing – Sunday’s game is at 10am PST; there’s almost nothing better than baseball with your breakfast, I reckon. Enjoy the games, check back in on Sunday…