The A’s have shut down righty starting pitchers Brett Tomko and Vin Mazzaro for the remainder of the season. The 36-year old Tomko has some nerve damage in his pitching arm. That’s a shame as he has looked sharp for the A’s this season. He started 6 games for the A’s and he was 4-1 with a 2.95 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. The A’s might re-sign Tomko if the price is right. 22-year old Vin Mazzaro has been shut down with a tired shoulder. Mazzaro started 17 games for the A’s this season and he was 4-9 with a 5.32 ERA and a 1.74 WHIP. The rookie allowed 120 hits (12 homers) in only 91 1/3 innings for the A’s so he must learn soon on how to start missing some bats.

Cliff Pennington took over as the starting shortstop for the A’s after they traded Orlando Cabrera to the Twins. Pennington is proving that he can handle the job. He has played in 42 games for the A’s this season and he is 42 for 146 (.288 avg, .792 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 4 homers, 13 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. If Pennington finishes the season strong he will likely be the starting shortstop for the A’s when the 2010 season begins.

Scott Hairston had the look of a “Moneyball” player with the Padres and that’s why the A’s traded for him. But, Hairston is looking like nothing more than a backup outfielder with the A’s so far. Hairston has played in 54 games for the A’s this season and he is 51 for 215 (.237 avg, .661 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 7 homers, 32 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. If he doesn’t finish the season strong the A’s won’t be able to depend on him for the 2010 season.

The A’s have claimed 25-year old righty reliever Jon Meloan off waivers from the Pirates. Meloan has pitched in 41 games (2 starts) in AAA-ball this season and he was 0-0 with a 4.57 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. He has whiffed 60 batters in the minors this season in 65 innings showing that he has a good arm. Meloan was the Indians’ #18 rated prospect heading into this season according to Baseball America. Meloan has also pitched in 7 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 0-0 with a 8.68 ERA and a 1.82 WHIP. He has appeared a tad nervous in the majors walking 9 batters in 9 1/3 innings, but he has struck out 9 batters too. This was a good low risk gamble by the A’s as Meloan does have a nice upside.