Moss back with A's as wife remains in labor

HOUSTON -- Brandon Moss was back with the A's in Houston on Saturday, but still on high alert with his wife, Allison, expecting to deliver their second son in the Bay Area at a moment's notice.

"It's moving very slowly," Moss said. "[On Thursday], doctors said things were going pretty quick, and then it just stopped. She's still in labor, but we're kind of on hold. He said it could be four hours or four days."

So, Moss took his wife home from the hospital on Friday evening and boarded a flight to Houston on Saturday, just in time to be put in the lineup at first base for the team's second game of a three-game series.

"I kissed her goodbye and told her, 'I love you, but just stay pregnant!'" Moss said, smiling. "She wasn't laughing, though."

"You want to be there, obviously, to support your wife, but here he is," manager Bob Melvin said.

On Friday, the A's had Shane Peterson on hand in the event Moss was placed on the paternity leave list, and he'll likely remain on speed dial until the baby, to be named Brody, does come.

Moss and the A's fortunately return to California on Sunday night, in preparation for a three-game series with the Angels in Anaheim that begins Tuesday, putting Moss within an hour plane ride of his wife, whose due date is April 28. Moss' grandparents and sister are keeping her company for the time being.

"It's best to just come here, and then when everything starts up again, go back," Moss said. "They sent her home to relax, but she started doing laps up and down the stairs to try to speed things up.

"On the way to hospital, I was saying, 'Wow, what a good kid. I didn't have to get on a plane and then get called back,'" Moss said. "But, man, we spoke too soon. He's going to be just like his dad, so stubborn."