A's Beat Felix Hernandez as AJ Griffin Deals

The A's found a way to beat Felix Hernandez and the Mariners tonight and end their three game losing streak. Beating the Mariners in the second half of the season has not been the easiest tasks for most ball clubs let alone beating Felix Hernandez. AJ Griffin, the A's bullpen and George Kottaras provided all the fire power they needed.

The A's scored early on a error by Eric Thames that was pretty inexcusable especially with two outs. He let a single get by him allowing Seth Smith to score from first.

Seattle would tie it in the second on a Brendan Ryan single to Josh Reddick,  which would be the only run allowed by Griffin tonight. Griffin did a great job giving the A's another solid start. His ability to mix pitches and keep batters guessing will keep him in the majors for a long time to come. I'm guessing he will sleep easy tonight knowing he beat Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez.

The big turning point in the game came on a three run home run by George Kottaras. He's making a great push to be the everyday catcher just based on his ability to be the power catcher the A's have lacked for a few years. The A's would add a few more runs on a Josh Donaldson double and Stephen Drew single in the fifth.

A shout out to Cliff Pennington (4-4) and Stephen Drew (2-4) who are continuing to play like their career numbers say they should.

The A's played like the better team and this is something they will need to do the rest of the season in order to make it to the Playoffs.

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Report: A's Could Pursue Veteran Catcher

Kelley L Cox/US Presswire

John Shea is reporting that the A's could place a claim on a veteran catcher such as Ramon Hernandez or Yorvit Torrealba, who have both been placed on waivers.

The A's traded away Kurt Suzuki today to the Nationals today, leaving them with two unproven catchers in Derek Norris and George Kottaras.

Either Torrealba or Hernandez will provide the experience that the A's need behind the dish that is needed for their young pitching staff.

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A's Option Norris to Triple A to Make Room for Kottaras

The A's have optioned catcher Derek Norris to Triple A Sacramento in order to make room for George Kottaras, who they acquired in a trade from the Milwaukee Brewers.

In 21 games, Norris hit .205 with 3 home runs with the A's.

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A's Acquire Kottaras From Brewers for Minor Leaguer De Los Santos

UPDATE - 10:51 PM


The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that the A's will send Fautino De Los Santos to the Brewers in exchange for George Kottaras. De Los Santos appeared in 40 games with Oakland this season and had an ERA of 4.21.

Original Story - 12:44 PM

Reports are brewing that the A's are very close to acquiring catcher George Kottaras from the Milwaukee Brewers. Kottaras was DFAed on Thursday, so this will likely be a minor deal.

He is batting .209 with 3 home runs in 58 games this season with the Brewers, and has spent five seasons in the majors.

With the this acquisition, the A's will have three catchers on their roster - Kurt Suzuki, Derek Norris, and Kottaras. Casey Pratt of CSN reports that Suzuki could be moved in the near future.

Stay tuned for more updates as we inch closer to the trade deadline.

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Report: Kottaras Could be Traded Somewhere Else

The Oakland A's acquired catcher George Kottaras from the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday afternoon, but apparently don't plan on keeping him for long.

Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the Kottaras trade has not yet been made official because they are waiting on the A's to make another move, possibly involving Kottaras himself. 

#Brewers trade of C George Kottaras to Oakland might not be announced tonight. Apparently waiting for A's to do another move first.
— Tom (@Haudricourt) July 28, 2012

The A's are looking for help on the infield, so they could quite possibly be using Kottaras as an extra trade chip to land the player they are looking for.

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