Well, the Kendall fast worked, and now the Loaiza fast, where I would not watch Loaiza until he threw five consecutive shutout innings, is over. Esteban Loaiza came off the DL today and pitched brilliantly, throwing only 77 pitches in seven innings, allowing just one run, a seventh inning solo homer by Ben Broussard. The A's won, 4-1.

Since this fasting idea seems to be working pretty well, I think it should continue. Which A's player is currently annoying me the most? Probably Joe Blanton. His inconsistency from start to start is maddening. One start he throws a shutout, the next he gives up more runs than innings pitched.

So I shall now begin a Joe Blanton fast. I'm not going to watch Blanton again until he runs off three consecutive quality starts.

Here's hoping he can end this fast quite quickly. If Rich Harden needs Tommy John surgery (not in the immediate cards, but since he has a "high-grade strain of the UCL" according to A's trainer Larry Davis, you have to imagine it could happen), the A's will need both Loaiza and Blanton to find their grooves ASAP.

You gotta wonder...if Rick Peterson were still here, would the A's have had all these pitching injuries?