Elephant Rumblings: Strong rotation leads A’s back to .500

A’s Coverage:

• Gallegos: Frankie Montas carries spring dominance to regular season in win over Angels...
• McWilliams: Frankie Montas’ breakthrough - How one text conversation changed everything for the A’s starter... ($)
• Gallegos: Lou Trivino has a new pitch that is making him “really unfair”...
• Shea: A’s Mark Canha proclaims it’s ‘bat-flipping season’...
• Haft: Melvin - Consistent ABs good for Canha...
• Gallegos: Eric Chavez talks Matt Chapman, managing future in return to Oakland...
• McWilliams: A rare bullpen slip-up highlights how much the A’s need to take advantage when their starters go deep... ($)
• Gallegos: A’s anniversary - The night the baseballs turned orange...
• Shea: What’s a hamate? From Jose Canseco to Matt Olson, treatment has come far...
• Sources: A’s to sign Daric Barton to major league deal in Olson’s absence...

Best of AN:

• Baker-Gillman: Game #6 - Montas Makes a Statement...
• Nico: Game 4 Offers Tough Lessons In Bullpen Management...
• Oakland A’s 2019 Community Prospect List #30: Miguel Romero is a bullpen sleeper...

MLB News:

• Rosenthal and Lin: Teams are circling on Keuchel and Kimbrel; the Padres are determined to add a starter... ($)
• Carig: ‘Ready to strike tomorrow’ - How one $20 toy belt captures the strife within a $10 billion industry... ($)
• Drellich: Red Sox, shortstop Xander Bogaerts nearing seven-year, $132 million extension...
• Bollinger: Angels outfielder Justin Upton to miss 8-12 weeks with toe injury...
• Haudricourt: Brewers reliever Corey Knebel has torn UCL; will undergo Tommy John Surgery and miss season...

Baseball Interest Stories:

• Jaffe: 10 Things I Look Forward to During the 2019 Season...
• Clemens: What’s an Opt-Out Worth?
• Stark: Astros lock in on a mission that has proved elusive for others... ($)
• Wilborn: Jameson Taillon and Chris Archer react to “The belt’ story...
• Wittenmyer: ‘Embarrassing’ report of MLB championship belt stirs more labor animosity...
• Harrigan: Greatest homer-robbing catches in MLB history...

Today in Baseball History:

• 1985 - Today’s issue of Sports Illustrated contains a fictitious article about a New York Mets pitching prospect named Sidd Finch, whose fastball has been timed at 168 miles per hour. Author George Plimpton offers bogus quotes from real-life members of the Mets, as well as several staged photos, and fools readers nationwide.
• 2012 - The Cardinals’ Lance Berkman plays an April Fools prank on teammate Adam Wainwright. Before the 3rd inning of a Grapefruit League game, Wainwright’s white Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck is driven on the warning track at Roger Dean Stadium as the public address announcer states that it will be given away to a lucky fan. A stunned Wainwright watches from the bench as the supposed prize winners, a father and his son, climb into the bed of the truck when it stops in front of the home dugout and Berkman, who is driving, pokes his head out of the window, waves to everyone, and drives away.
• 2014 - For an April Fools prank, the Frontier League announces that all batters will start a 1-1 count in the coming season as a move to speed up games.

Best of Twitter:

• Oakland’s rotation put up ridiculous numbers against the Angels over the weekend...

• I’m thinking Khris Davis’s new nickname should be Mr. March...

• An overlooked highlight from a weekend full of them, but this is a great story - from cerebral palsy to first pitch...