Elephant Rumblings: Brett Anderson Recalled, Will Start Tonight

A’s Coverage:

• Game #29: Triggs Surrenders Four Runs, A’s Collect Four Hits, Lose...
• Johns: Anderson to get call-up, start today...
• Oakland Clubhouse’s Oakland Athletics Minor League Player of the Month: April...
• Shea: A’s open next season in Japan, and Sean Manaea loves the idea...

MLB News:

• ESPN: Giants’ Johnny Cueto placed on 10-day DL, but Madison Bumgarner cleared to start throwing...
• AP: Bud Norris replacing Greg Holland as Cardinals’ closer for now...
• Snyder: Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer insinuates there’s something fishy going on with Astros pitchers and MLB rules...

Baseball Interest Stories:

• Sawchik: Adam Ottavino had to go somewhere special to save his career. He may have found it between a Dollar Tree and Chuck E. Cheese’s...
• Sam Miller’s Radical Ideas Series: What if MLB players were paid on commission?
• Baumann: Gerrit Cole Was Always Supposed to Be the Best Pitcher in Baseball...
• Romano: The Nationals have been historically unlucky to start 2018...

Today in Baseball History:

• 1939 - Lou Gehrig voluntarily benches himself for the good of the team. His consecutive-game string stops at 2,130. Babe Dahlgren, his replacement, has a home run and double as the Yankees rout Detroit 22-2.
• 1972 - The long holdout of Oakland Athletics All-Star pitcher Vida Blue comes to an end. Blue, who won both the American League MVP and Cy Young awards in 1971, agrees to a contract for $63,000, after balking at owner Charlie Finley’s previous offers. Perhaps affected by the long layoff, Blue will win only six games this year but will pitch well in the postseason.
• 2000 - The Kansas City Royals score three runs in the 10th inning to defeat the Oakland Athletics, 8 - 7. Oakland closer Jason Isringhausen, who was 14 for 14 in career saves, is two outs away from tying the major league mark for consecutive saves to start a career before blowing the lead.

Best of Twitter:

• Not great indeed...

• It’s hard to tire of this GIF...

• On a less happy note, Ken Giles took last night’s frustration out on...himself?

• While at least not self-inflicted, Pedro Alvarez might as well be a brick wall. Scary scene...