With injuries to key guys in the Oakland A’s starting pitching rotation, guys like Jarrod Parker (5-4, 2.86) and A.J. Griffin (o-o, 1.50) have stepped in and have not only held things down, but have made a case that they deserve to pitch every fifth day.
Can They Count On It?
Not only would one have to think about how long the A’s can count on these guys to continue to pitch well while guys like team ace Brandon McCarthy gets healthy; you also have to wonder how deep the A’s pitching pool is.
The A’s have now run out of options and if the team is in need of another arm, they would have to go back to a Tyson Ross or Graham Godfrey, right? Maybe not.
Both pitchers played with the big club before being sent back down to work things out in Sacramento.
Ross (3-1, 2.17) and Godfrey (8-0, 2.88) are pitching well in Sacramento. This article is in no way trying to diminish what both players have done in an effort to get back to Oakland.
New Kid in Town
It’s time fans start to hear about right handed pitcher Daniel Straily, that’s all. 
Straily started the season in double-A ball with the Midland Rockhounds. While only boasting a 3-4 record, his 3.38 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 85 plus innings pitched were enough to earn him a promotion to Triple-A Sacramento.
He has shined for the River Cats so far with a 3-1 record and a minuscule 1.04 ERA. Averaging over six innings a game, the 6′ 2″ right hander has struck out 33 batters.
Straily has a 92 mph fastball and a nasty slider and change up that he uses as off- speed pitches.
Where Did He Come From?
Talk about a needle in a hay stack. Billy Beane and company drafted Straily with 723rd overall pick in the 24th round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft.
The Standard
So once again the A’s seem to have plenty in reserve during a two-season span in which injuries have tried their best to ruin any chances the A’s have at climbing out of the hole of mediocrity.
As with most years in Oakland, the success or lack there of starts with pitching, and if Straily keeps pitching like he is, he just might find himself in position where he can be a part of things in the “Show”.
