DJ hit a homerun last night. I know that he's been terrible. I know it's best for the team to have someone else in the lineup if DJ continues to struggle, but I don't want to lose him. I'm afraid if he gets sent down, we'll never see Scott Jr. again. I suppose it could be argued that we stopped seeing him in August of last year, but you guys know what I mean.

Before the game, A's manager Ken Macha strongly hinted his patience with Johnson was near its end.

"Dan Johnson's our best defensive first baseman," Macha said. "I like defense, but that's an area where you've got to have production."

I want someone to ask Wash when he gets back. No, I want someone to ask Forst and Zaidi.

"In all likelihood" Harden will start on Sunday. And Loaiza...

Probably the most encouraging thing for Loaiza was he said the radar gun clocked him in the 89-91 mph range, a significant improvement over the low-80s readings he had while going 0-3 with an 8.35 ERA in April." Macha said that Loaiza threw 6 pitches clocked at 90 mph.

Bradley may have suffered another setback.

Outfielder Milton Bradley took early batting practice and reported some discomfort hitting from the left side. Macha said that the team's training staff felt it was more a lack-of-use issue than a full-blown setback, and that Bradley is scheduled for another BP session today. "It would have been better if he'd said, 'I feel great, I'm ready to go,' but I prefer him to be honest and for it to be the end of the line as far as that injury is concerned," Macha said. It doesn't seem too serious, but that rehab assignment might be put on hold. Reliever Jay Witasick is expected to throw another rehab stint, this time with Sacramento, either today or Saturday. "I'm feeling real good," said Witasick, who went two innings with Class A Stockton on Tuesday. "I'm looking forward to going out and doing it again." Huston Street needs to give the A's his best, because I'm still not confident in that bullpen without Duke. The idea of being without him until mid-July makes me sick.

DJ, please snap out of it.

Melhuse described a potential switch to first base, even on a temporary basis, as being "a drastic move."

Even so, if Macha asked Melhuse to play first -- where he's made six appearances in his major league career so far -- Melhuse said, "I'd feel comfortable enough to not embarrass myself."