There was little doubt that Joey Devine would require surgery on his right elbow. The question was what kind and how long he might be out.
On Tuesday, Devine had surgery in Birmingham, Ala., performed by Dr. James Andrews, and it was a worst-case scenario. Devine had an elbow ligament replacement, also known as Tommy John surgery, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, which confirmed the procedure with Devine's agent. Before Tuesday's game with the Yankees, the A's announced only that Devine had had surgery on his right elbow but did not provide specifics. That means that the A's co-closer will be out a minimum of a year, and potentially two seasons. This is a blow for the club: Many assumed that Devine would be the team's solo closer before long, because he throws hard and has the stuff to finish games, while fellow closer Brad Ziegler, a submarine-style pitcher, might be best suited to a setup role.
Now Ziegler is the closer, but the team has other options should Ziegler shift to setup at some point. Santiago Casilla is a hard thrower, and Russ Springer is a veteran who has experience finishing games.
Another possibility -- and possibly sooner rather than later -- is rookie Andrew Bailey, who has been sensational so far, with 8 1/3 scoreless innings until Johnny Damon's solo homer off him in the sixth inning Tuesday.
YANKEES 5, A'S 3: Kurt Suzuki had four hits in his first game at the new Yankee Stadium, but the Yankees' four-run second inning against Dana Eveland decided things. A decision to play the infield in wound up backfiring, as Brett Gardner sneaked a one-out single just past diving 2B Mark Ellis to send in two runs.
