--OF Ryan Sweeney was activated from the disabled list and went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run, lifting his average to a team-high .291. Sweeney went on the DL on Aug. 13 with a sprained right thumb, and he had played in only one rehab game. But with the A's lacking offense, he was recalled when he became pain-free and was able to swing a bat freely.
--OF Carlos Gonzalez, with two hits in his previous 39 at-bats, was sent down to Class AAA Sacramento to make room for OF Ryan Sweeney. Gonzalez, obtained in the Dan Haren deal with Arizona, is one of the A's most high-profile rookies, but he was batting .176 in August. It is unclear if the A's will bring him up when rosters expand Sept. 1 or if they will wait until Sacramento is finished in the playoffs. --2B Mark Ellis missed his fifth start with right shoulder soreness, but he said he continues to improve. It is possible he will miss the four-game series with the Twins.
--SS Bobby Crosby recorded his 500th career hit with a two-out single in the third. Crosby went 2-for-4 on the night. He is batting .249 and has 10 hits in his past 51 at-bats. He is a .167 career hitter against the Twins.
--1B Daric Barton has a seven-game hitting streak during which he is 10-for-23. In his previous 12 games, he'd been 4-for-40. The rookie is batting .217, no longer the lowest mark in the majors. San Diego's Khalil Greene is hitting .213.
BY THE NUMBERS: 721 -- Player games missed this year, through Aug. 24, as the A's had to use the disabled list an Oakland-record 23 times. The team had seven men on the DL through the weekend.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's a beautiful thing, ain't it? Kind of an alien invasion." -- A's left-handed reliever Alan Embree on Oakland's all left-handed rotation of Dallas Braden, Gio Gonzalez, Greg Smith, Dan Meyer and Dana Eveland.
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