Camp Notes: Haren's Bat Silent; Arm Not

In this edition of Camp Notes, we discuss Dan Haren's outing on the mound (and at the plate) versus his good friend Noah Lowery, as well as a few injury notes..

A's pitchers aren't allowed to swing the bat during spring training games, but they can bunt if the situation calls for it. This is torture for Dan Haren, who batted cleanup for Pepperdine and still fashions himself a good hitter.

It's even more torture when the pitcher on the mound is his good friend and former Pepperdine teammate Noah Lowry or his good friend Kevin Correia -- which was the case Tuesday in the A's 6-4 win over the Giants.

Haren struck out looking, naturally, in his first at-bat and bunted into a double play his second time against Lowry, then struck out on three pitches against Correia in his last at-bat.

"I started walking back to the dugout before the ball even crossed the plate," Haren said, laughing.

The A's just want Haren to concentrate on pitching, which he did, going 5 1/3 innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits.

Haren was able to throw his curveball for the first time in two starts, as the gash on his thumb has healed, and he got some outs on changeups. He also had good pop on his fastball and located it well.

Tuesday’s Notebook

--CF Mark Kotsay played for the second straight game and showed no ill-effects from the back tightness that shelved him for three days. Kotsay made an outstanding running catch in deep center field near the 430-foot sign.

--RF Milton Bradley connected on his first home run of the spring and also doubled Tuesday.

--RHP Juan Cruz continued an impressive spring with a scoreless inning Tuesday, keeping his ERA at 0.00 in 7 1/3 innings. Cruz could be a player on the move the final week of spring training, as the A's have no place for him in their bullpen. Rumors had centered on the Chicago White Sox having interest in Cruz, but that interest has reportedly waned.

--RHP Esteban Loaiza makes his A's debut Wednesday. He missed three weeks while pitching for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic.

--DH Frank Thomas continued his work at the A's minor league complex Tuesday, going 3-for-8 with two doubles. Thomas might have had another hit, but it's tough to tell since Thomas doesn't run to first base.

--INF Keith Ginter (knee) and INF Marco Scutaro (left shoulder) are day-to-day after sustaining minor injuries in the last few days.