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DETROIT -- A's starting Brett Anderson left the game in the top of the third inning with a right oblique strain. While his performance on the mound was ending, his night had just begun. He was sent to a local hospital to undergo an MRI and was stuck in there for over two hours. Anderson, 24, doesn't have the results of the MRI yet, but was able to describe the injury and how it occurred shortly after returning to Comerica Park around 12:21 a.m. on Thursday morning. "Its pretty disheartening the way Ive been throwing," Anderson said. "To come back after surgery and six starts into it have some other kind of fluke injury that I dont really know how it happened." Anderson missed 14 months after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his left elbow. He was 4-1 since returning from the elbow injury entering Wednesday, but was saddled with his second loss of the season against the Tigers. "The only injury I've had is Tommy John, so I don't have any experience with this one," Anderson said. "We'll see what happens when the results come back from the MRI." Anderson said the injury happened over the course of 10 minutes and that is wasn't just one pitch that hurt him. He left the game after falling forward in his follow-through on a 2-2 pitch. He had already allowed two runs, and a third run was charged to him. The first two runners in the inning reached base on back-to-back bunt singles.
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"It wasn't the bunts or the fall," Anderson said. "The second inning I felt it it, I thought it was a cramp. I went out and it got progressively worse and worse, and I thought it's not going to do anyone any good if I'm not getting anyone out. I didn't want to put us in a hole."He says the oblique is sore to the touch, and he experiences some discomfort when sitting down. When he went to throw he said it felt like someone was jabbing him in the side. He maintains hope he can return quickly but won't know much until the results come back and he gauges how he feels after a night of sleep.
"Obviously I haven't tried to throw or play catch I've been sitting in this expletive MRI tube for a couple of hours," Anderson explained clearly frustrated.In addition to Anderson, the A's starting staff has been forced to absorb the losses of opening day starter Brandon McCarthy, and veteran Bartolo Colon, who was suspended 50 games for violating MLB's performance-enhancing drug policy. After Wednesday's 6-2 loss A's manager Bob Melvin announced that Travis Blackley would be starting on Saturday in New York against the Yankees, and that Dan Straily would be taking Anderson's turn in the rotation. Blackley has been pitching predominantly out the the bullpen lately, but is 4-3 with a 3.97 ERA in 12 starting assignments for the A's this season.
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