The Oakland Athletics are on the top of the world…well, at least they were. CBS's Jon Heyman is reporting that starting pitching Bartolo Colon is facing a 50 game suspension by the league after failing a drug test. Colon's suspension comes just a week after Melky Cabrera of the Giants was nailed for 50 games for testosterone use, and used a fraudulent website to attempt to circumvent his suspension. Like Cabrera, Colon's issue was testerosterone usage.
With a 3.43 ERA in a team-leading 152 2/3 innings, Colon is having a fantastic year for the A's, surprisingly contending at ten games above .500 at the end of August. But in all honesty, despite Colon having a great year, the suspension actually comes at a good time for Oakland, if that's possible. Oakland ace Brett Anderson made his first start following Tommy John surgery last season on Tuesday, and he pitched extremely well in a 4-1 win over the Twins. Brandon McCarthy returned from the DL two weeks ago, and pitched well in two starts before getting creamed on Monday against Minnesota.
When you combine the returns of McCarthy and Anderson with the presence of impressive rookie Jarrod Parker, the dominant at home Tommy Milone, and the surprising minor league veteran Travis Blackley, the A's rotation isn't doomed with the loss of Colon, though his ability to eat innings will be missed. And hell, they just sent Dan Straily down to make room for Anderson, and will likely welcome him back to the majors once rosters expand in September.
The A's are in really good shape right now, and in the future, with or without Colon. If Oakland is going to make the playoffs though, they're going to have to do it the tough way. 26 of their final 40 games are against teams above .500, and of the 14 that aren't, six are against the red hot Mariners. It's a tough draw for Oakland down the stretch, and it'll be tough for them to stay afloat with or without the 39-year old Colon.
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