A's still reeling from 19-inning marathon

Wow, that 19-inning win was something. There was pie, there was a horrific game by Josh Hamilton, and there was the fun of seeing Jerry Blevins swing a bat.

However, there were also injuries. The A's lost outfielders Coco Crisp and Chris Young that night. While Young could be back after he's eligible to be reinstated from the disabled list Wednesday, San Francisco Chronicle beat writer Susan Slusser writes that it might take some more time for Crisp.

It seems, however, as if Crisp is not close to returning from the DL. He's eligible to come back Wednesday - and another outfielder, Chris Young, is likely to return from a quad strain that day - but Crisp has not yet started running again with that hamstring strain incurred during the A's 19-inning game.

Manager Bob Melvin said that Crisp might start running in the next few days, but that there is no timetable yet for his return. He believes once Crisp is begins to really rehab, his return could be quite quick, and that Crisp might not necessarily need a rehab assignment, or want one.

Since that game April 29, the A's have struggled mightily, going 3-7. They're in danger of falling to third place today, if they lose to the Mariners.

Other than Adam Rosales, the A's offense has largely struggled in May. Jed Lowrie's bat has cooled so far this month, as he's hitting a scant .188 in May after starting the season with a .333 average (but he has only struck out in 5 percent of his at-bats). Derek Norris has whiffed in 40.7 percent of his 27 at-bats this month.

While Tommy Milone and A.J. Griffin have each turned in 2 solid starts in May (with a 1-3 combined record to show for it), other starters would like to turn back the clock a bit. Dan Straily and Bartolo Colon have been knocked around recently. Straily has allowed 9 earned runs in 10.1 innings in his last two starts, walking 7. Colon has given up the same (but with no walks) in just 9.1 innings over his last two appearances. Both Colon and Jarrod Parker have allowed a team-high 4 runs in May.

The A's could definitely use a wake-up call before they find themselves in third place. Parker faces Mariners rookie Brandon Maurer at 6:05 p.m.