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Oakland Athletics starter Brett Anderson left his start against the Tampa Bay Rays after the first inning with a sprained right ankle. Evan Scribner replaced Anderson in the second inning of the game, which Oakland lost 8-3 to Tampa Bay.
Manager Bob Melvin told the media that Anderson hurt his ankle on the second to last pitch of the inning. The southpaw struggled during the entire first inning against the Rays, allowing four runs on four hits during the the 36-pitch inning. Anderson walked two batters during the inning and struck out one.
The oft-injured pitcher pitched extremely well in his first two starts of the season, allowing two runs in 13 innings while striking out 16 batters. The Detroit Tigers battered Anderson in his most recent start, as he surrendered seven runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings. The Tigers smacked three home runs against Anderson, as the lefty walked three and only struck out two.
Matt Harrison to undergo back surgery
The Texas Rangers starer is expected to be out of the rotation until the All Star break
Anderson has a long injury history, as he has not made more than 19 starts in any of the past three seasons. Most recently, Anderson left a start against the Arizona Diamondbacks during Spring Training after straining a muscle in his upper back. The lefty missed most of the 2012 season recovering from Tommy John surgery.
When Anderson is able to pitch, the starter is quite effective. Anderson owns a career ERA of 3.60, as the lefty does a great job forcing hitters to hit groundballs.
