The A’s have placed Kiko Calero on the 15-day disabled list with a inflamed right shoulder. Maybe the injured shoulder explains his awful performance so far this season. In 31 games this season, Calero is 1-4 with a 6.39 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. He has thrown 25.1 innings and he’s allowed 26 hits, walked 9 batters and whiffed 21.

The Oakland A’s had agreed to a trade with the Royals for Milton Bradley that was voided when the Royals learned during a physical exam that Bradley had injured an oblique muscle in his last game with the A’s. This is bad news for the A’s who only have about another week to trade or release Bradley. Also, the Royals were going to pay the rest of Bradley’s salary and give the A’s Leo Nunez who is a decent relief prospect.

The Oakland A’s have activated Rich Harden who will work out of the bullpen until he rebuilds his arm strength. Harden started 3 games for the A’s so far this season and he’s 1-1 with a 1.42 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He has tossed 19 innings and he’s only allowed 13 hits, walked 6 batters and whiffed 20. The A’s will likely use Harden late in games and maybe they will convert him to the closer position.

The Oakland A’s have designated Milton Bradley for assignment. Bradley was caught in a numbers game as the A’s don’t have enough atbats available to make him happy. The A’s know how he acts when things aren’t going his way so they’ve decided to move him. Bradley played in 19 games for the A’s this season and he was 19 for 65 (.292 avg, .819 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 2 homers, 7 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. The A’s now have 10 days to trade or release Bradley, but they will likely find a trade partner because Bradley is still a good player when he’s healthy.

Four of the A’s that were slumping lately have all been on fire for the last week. Mark Ellis, Jack Cust, Jason Kendall and Mark Kotsay are all ripping the baseball the last week. Over his last 7 games, Mark Ellis is 9 for 30 (.300 avg, .982 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 2 homers, 10 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Jason Kendall had been mired in a season long slump but he’s picking it up big time lately. In his last 6 games, Kendall is 12 for 26 (.462 avg, 1.150 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 1 homer and 5 RBIs. Mark Kotsay got off to a rough start after his return from the DL but he’s on fire right now with the bat. In his last 6 games, Kotsay is 10 for 28 (.357 avg, .874 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 1 homer and 5 RBIs. Pitchers started to figure out that Jack Cust couldn’t hit a curveball but it seems as if he has re-adjusted to the pitchers. In his last 7 games, Cust is 11 for 25 (.440 avg, 1.213 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 1 homer and 3 RBIs. If these 4 guys keep hitting like this the A’s are going to score a lot of runs.

The A’s have signed Jorge Piedra to provide depth in their organization. He’s 28 years old and he bats lefthanded. Over his 3 year career, Piedra has played in 142 major league games and he’s 72 for 262 (.275 avg, .816 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 12 homers and 36 RBIs.Â

The A’s have claimed 27 year old righty reliever Ruddy Lugo off of waivers from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. In 11 games for the D-Rays, Lugo was 2-0 with a 9.28 ERA and a 2.81 WHIP. In 10.2 innings, Lugo allowed 17 hits, walked 13 batters and whiffed 8. This was a good pickup by the A’s as long as they get him to throw strikes. He has now thrown 75 games in the majors over his career and he’s 4-4 with a 4.42 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP.

Travis Buck has been swinging the bat well lately and the A’s surely need that. In his last 5 games, Buck is 9 for 21 (.429 avg, 1.026 OPS) with 1 run scored and 3 RBIs. His batting average has risen to .277 on the season and he will be a serious threat to the playing time of some of the A’s injured players when they return as long as he continues to play like he is right now.

The Oakland Athletics are 10-3 the last two weeks as they have outscored their opponents 41-23. The last couple of weeks the A’s pitching has been awesome as they still aren’t hitting the baseball too well as a team. The A’s enter this week with a 34-28 record which has them in 3rd place in the American League West, 5 games behind the Angels.

Milton Bradley has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right calf. This is the 3rd time this season that he’s been gimpy. They should just leave him on the DL until he’s 100% so that this doesn’t go on all season long. In 18 games this season, Bradley is 19 for 62 (.306 avg, .848 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 2 homers, 7 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.