Brett Anderson injury update: A's LHP Aiming for Friday return

Oakland Athletics left-hander Brett Anderson threw a successful bullpen session yesterday afternoon and is optimistic that he’ll be able to start on Friday for what could be the club’s playoff opener, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle:

Brett Anderson threw a bullpen session this afternoon, two ups-and-downs with a simulated inning break in between, and he told me afterward that everything felt good and he is optimistic that he will be able to start on Friday if he comes out of today’s session well.

Anderson threw 50 pitches yesterday; 30 during warm-ups and another 20 after sitting down for a simulated half-inning break. The 24-year-old was able to throw all of his pitches, and he told Slusser that his arm feels terrific. Because he hasn’t been sidelined for an extensive period of time, the southpaw believes his pitch count should be up around 100 for his return.

The A’s clinched a playoff berth with their victory over the Texas Rangers last night. What’s still left to be determined is if they’ll enter the postseason as one of the Wild Card teams or if they’ll be able to rally and overtake the Rangers for an American League West title.