Welcome back, Carter! "Oh! Oh! Oh! Mr. Car-TAIR!!!!!" Not only is the docile slugger back with the A's but he's in the starting lineup tonight. Apparently going 2 for 21 with 10 Ks is hazardous to your playing time, even if your name is Brandon. Carter was batting .279/.367/.486 with 12 HRs for the Rivercats.
How much of a chance will Carter get? That might depend on how many LHPs the A's face between now and the All-Star break along with how Moss fares in his upcoming game or two as he weathers a Brandon Allen-esque slump that has followed his Brandon Allen-esque arrival.
Meanwhile Tyson Ross has pitched his way back to AAA, leaving with an unsightly 6.35 ERA. Ross has not one, not two, but three shortcomings as a starting pitcher right now. One is that he lacks a good offspeed pitch, rendering his fastball/slider combination insufficient against big league hitters. Another is that Ross does not have great control, prone to walking hitters and falling behind in the count far too frequently. The third is that within the strike zone, Ross lacks consistent command, often leaving fastballs or sliders belt high rather than at the knees. Those get hit very hard muchly often a lot.
Three shortcomings is a lot for a pitcher to overcome, as evidenced by Ross' rather ghastly 2012 numbers. Wouldn't it make more sense, at this point, to put Ross in the bullpen first -- where his stuff might play a lot better for now -- and then return him to the rotation only if and when he makes progress in some of these three areas?
AJ Griffin has probably already promised the entire dugout exactly what he'll do against Matt Harrison tonight at 5:05pm. Tune in later this afternoon to find out what that promise holds.
