Hard-throwing A’s starter Luis Medina left Monday’s spring training game against Cincinnati with a sprained right knee, the severity of which may not be known for a couple of days.
Medina, who’s battling rookie Joe Boyle for the fifth spot in Oakland’s rotation, gingerly walked off the mound with manager Mark Kotsay and assistant trainer Brad LaRosa in the second inning of what would become a ghastly 15-8 loss to the Reds.
Medina exited with a 3-1 lead after striking out three batters in his 1 1/3 innings. On the bright side, he didn’t have to witness a fateful bottom of the fifth inning in Goodyear, Arizona that saw the Reds score 10 runs on just five hits. The A’s “helped” by walking five batters and committing two errors to go with a wild pitch, a hit batter and a passed ball.
A’s reliever Zach Jackson, pitching in his first game in nearly 10 months following flexor tendon surgery and an appendectomy, took the loss after giving up six runs (five earned) while getting just one out in the fifth.
Cincinnati’s attack had a decidedly East Bay flavor as former College Park High star Christian Encarnacion-Strand had three RBIs while belting a home run and a triple, and leadoff hitter TJ Friedl, the ex-Foothill High star, scored three times.
A’s rookie shortstop Darell Hernaiz and veteran utilityman Abraham Toro each had three of Oakland’s 16 hits, double Cincinnati’s total. Outfielder Lawrence Butler continued to impress – he had two hits, including a double, to go with a run, RBI and stolen base – as he now leads the A’s with a .412 batting average.
The A’s are off today and return to action Wednesday against the Angels.