Elephant Rumblings: Stephen Piscotty’s Mother Passes, Graveman, Pagan, Luzardo All Pitch Well on Farm

A’s Coverage:

• Game #34: A’s Set Franchise Record, Sweep Orioles...
• ESPN: Gretchen Piscotty, mother of Oakland Athletics’ Stephen Piscotty, dies at 55...
• A’s Farm: Franklin Barreto hit two HRs on Sunday as Graveman, Pagan, Luzardo all pitch well...
• Shea: Recalling Catfish Hunter’s historic day through a 15-year-old’s eyes...
• MLB: Would it surprise you to know Matt Olson is the A’s longest tenured player?

MLB News:

• Brisbee’s Weekend Recap: Albert Pujols has 3,000 hits, the Dodgers have a combined no-hitter, and Yangervis Solarte slid on his face
• Anderson: ‘Overly cautious’ Mets place Jacob deGrom on disabled list...
• Anderson: Dodgers place Clayton Kershaw on the DL, giving them a full rotation of injured starters...
• AP: Cards catcher Yadier Molina out one month after surgery...
• ESPN: CC Sabathia likely to retire if Yankees win World Series this season...

Baseball Interest Stories:

• Baumann: Albert Pujols and the Backward March Toward 3,000 Hits...
• Ring: Matt Harvey Is Now a Reclamation Project...
• Rogers: Cubs’ Willson Contreras ties knot after waiting out two rain delays...

Today in Baseball History:

• 2005 - Julio Franco of the Atlanta Braves goes 3 for 4, including his first home run of the season, in a 4 - 1 victory over the Houston Astros. Franco, who turns 47 on August 23rd, becomes the second-oldest player in major league history to homer at 46 years, 257 days. Jack Quinn, a pitcher who accomplished the feat when he was 100 days older, hit a home run for the Philadelphia Athletics on June 27, 1930; Franco will eventually pass him as well.
• 2009 - The Dodgers’ star outfielder, Manny Ramirez, is suspended for 50 games for testing positive for a banned substance. He is the most prominent player yet caught under Major League Baseball’s PED policy implemented in 2005.
• 2009 - Arizona fires manager Bob Melvin after losing, 4 - 3, to the Padres in 10 innings. The D-Backs have started the year 12-17 and are already 8 1/2 games back of Los Angeles.

Best of Twitter:

• Did you expect this on opening day?

• I don’t love his contract, but yesterday did make me wish we’d signed Cobb...