A's name three catchers, 11 pitchers to ALDS roster
Banged-up Freiman remains off, as Oakland carries six infielders, five outfielders
OAKLAND -- The A's will carry three catchers on their American League Division Series roster, as announced by manager Bob Melvin on Tuesday, and will have 11 pitchers in tow.
Oakland will start Bartolo Colon, Sonny Gray, Jarrod Parker and Dan Straily in the first four games against the Tigers, beginning Friday at 6:30 p.m. PT on TBS, and carry seven relievers: right-handers Grant Balfour, Ryan Cook, Dan Otero and Jesse Chavez, and lefties Sean Doolittle, Brett Anderson and Jerry Blevins.
A.J. Griffin, on the mend from elbow tendinitis, will be unavailable for the series, though he'll travel with the team, as will lefty Tommy Milone and infielder Nate Freiman.
By keeping catchers Derek Norris, Stephen Vogt and Kurt Suzuki on the roster, the A's were forced to leave Freiman, who was slowed by an abdominal strain in recent weeks, off the list. Daric Barton, rather, will be the second first-base option to Brandon Moss.
This was ultimately expected, no matter the health of Freiman, and mostly because the A's are set to face all right-handers, making Barton's left-handed bat more valuable.
"Freiman will not play," said Melvin. "We just didn't feel like physically we were able to get him here. I talked to him about it the last day in Seattle and told him it would probably be a stretch. I confirmed it with him today. He will travel with us. He is part of this.
"And with three catchers, it's easier to make in-game substitutions at that position. So that was part of the thinking when we went with the roster in this fashion."
Alberto Callaspo and Eric Sogard will share time at second base, though Melvin hasn't yet figured out who will start on which days, while shortstop Jed Lowrie and third baseman Josh Donaldson handle the left side of the infield.
The outfield will be manned by Yoenis Cespedes, Coco Crisp and Josh Reddick, with Seth Smith and Chris Young also on board.