The Oakland A’s lost their final game of the season to the Miami Marlins, 12-3, ending their six-game winning streak. Large right-hander Joe Boyle started that game but was lifted with a lower back ailment after a fruitless inning.According to MLB.com’s Sonja Chen, he will have an MRI on Monday to find out how serious the injury is. With seven starts under his belt this season, Boyle has an ERA of 7.16, and Oakland may decide to adjust the rotation based on the results of the MRI.The A’s will also need to call up a player to fill in as their 27th man because they have a doubleheader against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday. That player will most likely be a pitcher who either starts one of the two games or has the ability to relieve Kyle Muller or Mitch Spence for a few innings as a test run in the rotation. Three of the A’s 40-man roster’s pitchers are presently in Triple-A Las Vegas, according to the roster. The first is Hogan Harris, who is most likely not the pitcher because he has a 1.95 WHIP and a 9.00 ERA through six starts. That would leave Osvaldo Bido, an offseason signing with MLB experience, or Joey Estes, who made his debut with Oakland at the end of the previous season. Bido is the one who can answer out of those two players. In addition to pitching far better (2.59 ERA against 6.04 for Estes), he is better positioned to pitch on Wednesday, having made his last start on May 2. If the A’s elect to delay him until Wednesday’s game, that would give him five days off between starts.During his previous outing, Bido pitched seven innings without allowing any runs, walking one and striking out eight. This week, the 28-year-old will probably make his A’s debut in one form or another. Maybe the team will keep him around for a short period if he throws well.
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