Pre-Game Notes Following Yesterday's "Doubleheader"

Roster moves and other tidbits are coming down through Susan Slusser's Twitter and other sources...

- Dan Otero has been called up, with Hideki Okajima -- not Jesse Chavez -- sent to AAA. As Slusser notes in one of her canary-like tweets, Billy Beane says not only did the A's not want to lose Chavez for 10 days but they also want to reinforce to him that he is a big leaguer.

I know Okajima's contract said he had to be called up by June 1st or he could opt out of his contract. I would assume, but don't know definitively, that this applies to his being optioned after June 1st. If the A's lose Okajima, I'm fine with it as he really looked like he has no weapons other than to hope batters chase bad balls. At 85MPH, Okajima's fastball doesn't keep hitters honest and his offspeed stuff just isn't that deceptive.

- Josh Donaldson gets the day off following the "tight hamstring" that took him out of yesterday's game. I think it's a great time to give him a day off, since he has started nearly every single game (all but one) and was due for a day off anyway. He might be available to pinch hit today and hopes to play tomorrow.

- Coco Crisp is not in the lineup but Yoenis Cespedes is DHing. Given that he was able to pinch hit, and play CF, yesterday it appears Coco is at worst in a day-to-day situation, so the trio of Crisp, Cespedes, and Donaldson appear to be no worse off than "touch and go" each day right now. That's good.

- The bullpen is not in bad shape today or this weekend. Otero is fresh, and Sean Doolittle is available. While Grant Balfour is likely not available today he should be good to go tomorrow, and for tonight the A's could likely go to Ryan Cook, Jerry Blevins, and Pat Neshek, as needed, as each pitched an inning or less yesterday. Plus, Tommy Milone is starting and in his 13 starts so far this season Milone has gone at least 6.2 IP in 9 of them, 6 IP in another start, and 5 IP in the other 3.

Here's an early look at the lineups, courtesy of Baseball Press: