The A's beat the Orioles today in Dallas Braden's major league debut. Braden threw six innings and gave up just one run, which is enough for me to start calling for a trade of either Joe Kennedy or Esteban Loaiza right now.

Unfortunately, that was overshadowed by Nick Swisher straining his left hammy and rolling his right ankle in the first inning while running the bases. With Milton Bradley DL'd, Mark Kotsay DL'd, Travis Buck nursing sore wrists, and Bobby Kielty out with a hurt calf, this left the A's with precisely two outfielders: Shannon Stewart and Danny Putnam. Marco Scutaro came in for Swisher and played right, with Putnam moving to center. Putnam has apparently played center in Instructional League, but it's not clear whether he's ever played there in normal baseball.

But it's really just one on top of the other, though, isn't it? Looking down at the minors ... well, it ain't pretty. Hell, there's a reason the A's went with Putnam when Bradley went down, isn't there? Charles Thomas is at AAA, but he's not on the 40-man.

Maybe this is all no worry, because Swisher says he's fine ("no wheelchair"), but do we really want a guy with a tender hammy running around center field? Swisher's not exactly silky smooth out there as it is, so one certainly worries about the range that a hobbled version will have.