Christmas came early for Giants and A’s fans this season, in two fairly different forms.The Giants’ gift to their wildly fortunate fan base was straightforward. And as far as gifts go, it was pretty inexpensive.It was the gift of continuity, in the form of bringing back virtually every meaningful piece of the team that gave its city a second world title in three years. Read More

A’s pitcher Brandon McCarthy, who had surgery to repair a fractured skull and other injuries after being hit in the head with a line drive last week, was released from the hospital on Tuesday, the team announced. McCarthy indicated in his statement that he plans to return to baseball at some point, though this season appears to be unlikely. Read More

Three games left to play in the first half and the A’s are only a game under .500. They’ve scored the third-fewest runs in baseball and six everyday position players have missed games because of injury. Opening Day starter Brandon McCarthy is in the midst of his second trip to the disabled list and neither Dallas Braden nor Brett Anderson have thrown a pitch in a game this season. Read More