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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Colon gets suspension

Associated Press

Make it two 50-game suspensions in exactly one week — both starters for contending teams from the Bay Area, both for testosterone.

Former Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon of the Oakland Athletics was suspended for 50 games Wednesday after a positive test, joining San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera on the suspended list for the rest of the regular season.

Major League Baseball made the announcement of Colon’s penalty a week after All-Star game MVP Cabrera received his 50-game suspension.

“I apologize to the fans, to my teammates and to the Oakland A’s,” Colon said in a statement released by the players’ association. “I accept responsibility for my actions and I will serve my suspension as required by the joint drug program.”

He will miss the final 40 games of the regular season and the first 10 games of the postseason if Oakland advances that far. Any remainder of the suspension would be served in a future season, if Colon signs another major league contract.

Oakland, which hasn’t made the playoffs since 2006, began Wednesday a half-game out in the AL wild-card race.

General manager Billy Beane received word from MLB earlier Wednesday and began searching for a starter to take Colon’s turn in the rotation today at Tampa Bay. Tyson Ross will be called up from Triple-A Sacramento.

Beane addressed the A’s in the clubhouse before the team took the field for pregame warmups.

“Listen, it’s disappointing. From a baseball standpoint, we’re scrambling,” Beane said. “We’re all disappointed, not just for the Giants and the A’s, but for baseball.”

The 39-year-old Colon is 10-9 with a 3.43 ERA in 24 starts this season, his first with the A’s.

Clearing the bases

Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson says Stephen Strasburg could miss his final two or three turns in the rotation during the regular season. In his first full season following elbow ligament replacement surgery, Strasburg is 15-5 with a 2.85 ERA and a National League-leading 183 strikeouts. The 24-year-old right-hander has thrown 145 1/3 innings, and the Nationals are thought to have given him a limit of 160-180 innings. … Mets ace Johan Santana is headed to the disabled list and not expected to pitch again this season.