The A's suffered their eighth shutout loss of the season Sunday as they were swept by the Yankees. They are currently suffering through a season-high five-game losing streak. When will the suffering end? Perhaps soon. It is no secret the A's biggest problem is their offense. They have scored an American League-worst 158 runs. After Sunday's 2-0 defeat, their ninth-straight loss to the Yankees, a welcomed face appeared in the clubhouse -- former All-Star third baseman Brandon Inge.
RECAP: Pratt's Instant Replay -- Yankees 2, A's 0
Inge will be activated by the A's on Monday. He is fresh off a two-game rehab stint with the Sacramento River Cats in which he went 6 for 7, with two homers, and eight RBIs. Hopefully for Oakland he packed his bats. "It's not like I'm a savior or anything like that," Inge said while laughing. "I'm about a career .220 hitter, I'm not giving anyone tips, they need to have fun and relax. Hitting is hard enough as it is." Inge will be the first of three A's hitters to return on their upcoming road trip. He will be followed by Manny Ramirez, who is eligible to return from his 50-game drug suspension on May 30 -- which is coincidentally his 40th birthday. And according to Manager Bob Melvin, Yoenis Cespedes could return June 1."It's always a plus when you get guys of their caliber to come back and join your ballclub," Coco Crisp said. "I believe everybody from inside the clubhouse, to the fans are looking forward to Manny being Manny, Cespedes coming back, and definitely Inge. He did a fantastic job when he was here."Previously Melvin said he would take a wait-and-see approach on Manny Ramirez's return. But based on the A's recent struggles, he is likely licking his chops at the thought of how Ramirez -- who has 555 career home runs -- might impact the lineup. "We'd like to see the at-bats get better, we'd like to see him drive some balls," Melvin said. "We had targeted that date for a reason, but based on the fact we aren't swinging the bats in the fashion that we would like, maybe that expedites a little bit." On Monday in Sacramento, A's fans will get a sneak peak at what the heart of the lineup could soon look like. Yoenis Cespedes, who took batting batting practice with the team on Saturday and Sunday, is going to be in the River Cats lineup. Batting beside him will likely be Manny Ramirez. According to Melvin, Cespedes will play three games for the River Cats. If all goes according to plan, the team will use their off-day on May 31 to give Cespedes time to travel from Sacramento to Kansas City.
The big question is if the team will give Ramirez some extra at-bats in Sacramento, and have he and Cespedes travel together. It all depends on how desperate they feel offensively. Even a rusty Ramirez should help."His veteran presence in the lineup is going to make us more intimidating," Coco Crisp said. "He is one of the hardest workers I have ever played with." Aside from the injured players that are soon to return, the A's hitters are pressing at the plate. How else do you explain Sunday's eight-inning, four-hit shutout at the hands of Hiroki Kuroda?"I think we are beyond pressing at this point," Melvin said. "We've got to relax. We are trying too hard we've got to try easier.""Each guy is trying to hit a five-run home run, which is impossible," Inge said. "The more you press the worse you get, they got to go out there and have fun."What could be more fun than adding a guy with first-ballot Hall of Fame numbers, a guy that was on pace to win the Rookie of the Year award when he got hurt, and an all-star third baseman that had four homers and 16 RBIs in his first 11 games with the team? Yeah, the A's likely don't have to look too far for solutions. Help is on the way.
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