by ldh2013 » Wed Jul 06, 2016 8:14 am
OAKLAND, Calif. . -- The Oakland Athletics have agreed to a one-year contract with left-hander Dallas Braden. The team announced the move Tuesday. Braden made three starts last season before being sidelined by a shoulder injury. He was 1-1 with a 3.00 earned-run average before going on the disabled list April 18. He had surgery to a repair a torn capsule in his left shoulder May 17. The 28-year-old Braden is 26-36 with a 4.16 ERA in 94 career appearances during five seasons with Oakland. He pitched a perfect game against Tampa Bay on May 9, 2010. The As have five players who remain eligible for arbitration: pitchers Andrew Bailey, Joey Devine, Gio Gonzalez and Brandon McCarthy; and outfielder Ryan Sweeney. .com) - The Chicago White Sox and outfielder Melky Cabrera have reportedly agreed to a three-year contract. .J. -- Michael Vick took off on third down, eluded a few tackle attempts and picked up 15 yards for a first down. . He missed a few fairways, putted off a green and made a handful of bogeys.TORONTO - The Toronto Blue Jays homestand doesnt get any easier tonight with the arrival of the AL Central-leading Detroit Tigers to begin a three-game weekend series. R.A. Dickey faces Anibal Sanchez in the opener. Toronto was looking to gain ground on AL East-leading Baltimore to kick off the week, but lost two of three to the Orioles. That left the Blue Jays five games out of first place heading into tonights action. The Jays were bested 2-1 in Thursdays rubber match, with Anthony Gose homering and J.A. Happ giving up a two-run blast to Caleb Joseph in the fourth inning that was the difference in the clubs fifth loss in six games. Happ yielded five hits and struck out a career-high 12 over eight innings. "Our lineup is what it is right now," said Blue Jays manager John Gibbons. "Some nights youre going to get that big hit, some nights youre not." On the same day that Toronto placed third baseman Brett Lawrie on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left oblique, designated hitter Melky Cabrera was hit on the right elbow by a pitch in the first inning on Thursday. He tried to remain in the game, but exited in the third and is day-to-day after x-rays came back negative. The Blue Jays swept a three-game series in Detroit from June 3-5 after losing five of seven to the Tigers a season ago. The Tiger are coming off losing three of four against the Yankees in New York, despite running out three former Cy Young Award winners -- including David Price in his Detroit debut -- and a 13-game winner in Rick Porcello. Porcello took the 1-0 loss in Thursdays finale despite scattering nine hits over seven innings of one-run ball. His offense did little to help, going 0- for-4 with runners in scoring position one game after an 0-for-7 showing in such situatiions in Wednesdays setback. . "Our guys pitched great, but as well as we pitched and played defense, our offense didnt match up," Tigers catcher Alex Avila remarked. Detroit saw its lead atop the American League Central over the Kansas City Royals trimmed to 2 1/2 games and will pin its hopes tonight on Sanchez. The right-hander has split his last six starts, going 3-3 with a 4.93 earned run average, but is coming off a dominating 4-0 win over Colorado on Sunday. Sanchez hurled seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball while striking out a season-high 12 batters without issuing a walk. Sanchez became the first Tigers pitcher to fan 12 or more without a walk since Max Scherzer on June 17, 2012 against the Rockies. "He used his fastball perfectly," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "He threw it in, he threw it out and as a result, all of his other pitches were much more effective." The 30-year-old Sanchez is 8-5 on the year with a 3.37 ERA and did not get a decision versus Toronto on June 3 despite seven scoreless innings. He also gave up just two hits in that one, striking out five to no walks. Sanchez is 2-2 in his career with a 4.20 ERA versus Toronto, which counters with its own former Cy Young winner in Dickey. However, the knuckleball specialist is just 9-11 with a 4.03 ERA this year after getting denied a third straight winning start on Saturday. Dickey instead lost an 8-2 decision in Houston, charged with five runs on nine hits over seven-plus innings. The 39-year-old righty is 6-2 with a save and 3.84 ERA in 16 previous meetings, including nine starts, versus Detroit. That includes a win on June 4 as he yielded two runs -- on solo homers to Miguel Cabrera and Ian Kinsler -- seven hits and four walks over just five innings. ' ' '
