Seems like it’s, here’s the good news, here’s the bad news, coming from of the A’s each day.

Friday ws no exception.

Do you want the good news or the bad news first?Let’s start with the good news. Mark Mulder made it through five innings looking like the 21 game winner of one year ago.

Mulder threw 84 pitches. Most were very effective until he hit the wall in the fifth inning and then the Blue Jays hit the ball even harder than Mulder hitting the proverbial wall.

Mulder’s body language looked very good. He threw the ball with ease. He hit 92-94 MPH on the gun. Unfortunately, he hung a changeup to Shannon Stewart who promptly hit it over the wall with two runners on base effectively ending the game for the A’s in the fifth.

Try to picture Mulder being in week three of spring training. Around this time, pitchers are building up their arms to go nine in the regular season.

That’s about where he is right now, which is a heckuva lot better than where he was last Monday.

Too bad this is May and the season is one fourth gone.

A’s fans can rejoice with Mulder’s encouraging performance, despite receiving more bad news before the game last night.

The A’s need Mulder right now more than Cory Lidle who went on the DL.

Lidle has struggled in his last few starts. Pitching pundits thought he was reverting back to his stubborn ways of 2001, when he would eschew the game plan and throw whatever he wanted to in a given situation, usually getting pounded in the process.

Once, Lidle agreed to follow the plan, things turned around for the righty and he finished the year with a flourish, earning a multi year million dollar contract.

Cut to 2002. Lidle now has a sore right shoulder, he says caused by overthrowing the ball like he did last year, during the dark times.

Lidle will miss two turns, ostensibly coming back after the minimum 15 day stay on the DL.

I wouldn’t be so sure.

Sore shoulders don’t sound too good to me. Pitchers are fine tuned athletes. Pitchers tend to be very concerned about injuries to their arms, especially the one they throw with.

Lidle has had surgery in the past on his elbow. Lidle has struggled to get to the big leagues. He even played in an Independent League before being signed by a major league organization.

Lidle is in no rush to leave the big leagues for good with a bad shoulder. He will take all the time he needs to feel 100% before going out to the mound again.

You can count on it.

Get used to seeing Mike Fyhrie, today’s emergency starter, regularly over the next month.

The A’s took one major step forward with the healthy return of Mark Mulder, and one moderate step back with Lidle’s injury.

I’ll take the trade.

Other news:

Jason Giambi not only won the game with a grand slam last night in extra innings, but won the fans over in the Big Apple. With the Yankees down to their last out, down by three runs, and the bases loaded. Giambi went deep to right center, winning the game 13-12 in the 14th inning.

I did a show with former Tiger Alan Trammell who accomplished the same feat in 1987 against the Yankees. He considerd the slam one of the biggest hits of his illustrious major league career. The Tigers, down by three, loaded the bases as Trammell strode to the plate to face Cecilio Guante.

Trammell knocked the pitch into the seats and the Tigers won the game. Hitting a grand slam, with your team down by three in the ninth or later to end the game, has only been accomplished 21 times in the history of the game.

The last time it occurred, Chris Hoiles hit one off Norm Charlton as the Orioles beat the Mariners in Camden Yards. I saw it on TV and it was an exciting moment.

The New York fans won’t forget this one.

Jason you are now a New Yawker.

How about this contrast today in St.Louis.

Tough hard throwing Matt Morris against 37 year old Jose Rijo. Rijo won’t throw the ball over the plate, always aiming for the corners. If he does catch the big part of the dish, the batters crush the ball. Morris on the other hand, will challenge the best hitters with his slider, and is back to being one of the power pitchers in the league.

James Baldwin versus Pedro Martinez, Mariners against Boston. Pedro turned it loose last Sunday night in Seattle, dominating the Mariners. He doesn’t throw as hard as often, but when he needs to, watch out.

The Red Sox have had a very difficult time hitting lefthanded pitchers. Baldwin is a righty. The folks in Boston aren’t worried today.

The batters are starting to get loose. Take one look at Erubiel Durazo who made his season debut last night for Arizona, hitting three homers, driving in nine runs.

Who needs spring training. Mark Grace should get comfortable on the bench for the Diamondbacks. Durazo is in the lineup to stay.

Have a nice Saturday.