The Oakland A's have battled injuries all year in their pitching staff, such as Huston Street, Esteban Loaiza, and Rich Harden. Fortunately, the depth and stamina of the A's bullpen has saved them...literally.

Two bullpen pitchers have already been appointed to starters (Brad Halsey, Kirk Saarloos), and the A's have a total of 9 saves. This number is definetely small on paper, but the pitching staff has taken care of business. Reliever Kirk Calero averages 10.45 strikeouts per nine innings, and has a save. Joe Kennedy has 6 strikeouts on ten innings, and Chad Guadin has only allowed 1 earned run and 4 hits. But, throughout these players, the A's bullpen relies heavily on two players: Justin Duchscherer and Huston Street. Huston Street has produced only 4 saves, but has been injured due to a strained muscle. Fortunately, he pitched an inning against the Rangers on Tuesday. Justin Duchscherer has been relied heavily upon due to Street's absence. Last year, he was the only representative of the A's in the All Star Game. He has produced 2 saves, and struck out 15 batters on 14.1 innings.

For the starters, the pitching rotation has a combined record of 11-10. This is also another reason the A's rely heavily on their bullpen. Out of the starters, the pitcher with the best record is Rich Harden (3-0). Unfortunately, he is currently injured. Now, the A's best starter is 2002 Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito (2-2). Although he doesn't have the best record of the remaining pitchers (Joe Blanton, 3-2), he is probably the most relied on. Zito has allowed 25 hits, struck out 27 batters, all on 35 innings. Joe Blanton has allowed 37 hits, struck out 19 batters, on 29.1 innings pitched.

Although the A's do not have the most experienced bullpen, they have loads of potential. In fact, the oldest active player in the A's pitching rotation is Barry Zito (27).