Coke resumes throwing program in Florida

OAKLAND -- While the Tigers prepared to try to continue their season, lefty reliever Phil Coke continued his throwing work in Florida, presenting the team with a potential option for later rounds in the postseason.

Coke, whose forearm flexor soreness has sidelined him since mid-September, has resumed throwing in the Tigers' Florida intstructional league. How soon he could be ready wasn't clear, but at the very least, it's progress from late September, when it was feared his injury could be something more serious.

With Coke injured, the Tigers added Jose Alvarez as a second lefty for the American League Division Series against the A's, but they used him as a long reliever rather than a specialist, saving lefty Drew Smyly and righty strikeout specialist Al Alburquerque for lefty matchups. A matchup with the Red Sox in the AL Championship Series would present similar decisions.