Paul Blackburn walked into the A’s clubhouse Friday afternoon, and no one knew who he was. He is Saturday’ starting pitcher, as he was recalled from Triple-A Nashville to step in for the injured Jharel Cotton and start against the Braves.
Cotton has a lingering blister on his finger, and for now, manager Bob Melvin said the A’s are just pushing his start back a few days.
Blackburn, 23, is from Antioch and went to high school in Brentwood and said he will have a large group of family members and friends on hand for one of the biggest days of his life.