A's Anderson clears major hurdle in rehab

OAKLAND -- The loud pop of a catcher's mitt echoed through the empty Coliseum. You hear that sound daily out here, but this noise was particularly noticeable because of who was throwing the ball. As Brett Anderson warmed up in the bullpen, the sound emanating from the catcher's mitt grew louder and louder. Anderson, who underwent "Tommy John" surgery on July 14, 2011, walked from the bullpen to the pitcher's mound. Outfielder Collin Cowgill stepped to the plate, and the left-handed pitcher started throwing.Anderson faced live hitters for the first time since being temporarily shutdown on May 19. As he pitched to Cowgill, then Brandon Moss, and Chris Carter, he effectively cleared a major hurdle. "He threw 25 pitches, all of his pitches. Breaking balls, the whole bit," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "He'll throw a bullpen here on Sunday and then the next step is to go to Arizona and do two innings."Anderson looked solid against Cowgill, and Hicks. Carter smashed a ball off the center field wall, and homer over the BBQ terrace in left field on Anderson's last pitch. Carter said after the session that he knew which pitches were coming, so he had an unfair advantage. "He looked good to me," Carter said. "I haven't seen too much of him, but to me he looked pretty healthy and almost ready." Anderson looks to be on track to re-join the A's rotation at some point this season. He could provide a spark for a young starting pitching staff that already leads the American League with a 3.64 ERA. Threw a live bp today...felt good. Carter hit a home run off me but it's ok because I told him what I was throwing. anyonecoulddoit Brett Anderson (@BrettAnderson49) July 7, 2012