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Bartolo Colon Suspended 50 Games

Oakland Athletics pitcher Bartolo Colon has been suspended for 50 games, for testing positive for testosterone.

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Colon has been spectacular for the A's, with a 10-9 record to go along with a 3.43 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. Colon has only walked 23 batters in 152 and 1/3 innings of work on the season.

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As you may know, the A's are one of baseball's surprise stories this year, and are firmly in wild card contention -- and on the outskirts of contention in the AL West. Colon has arguably been Oakland's best pitcher this year, and has made a team-high 24 starts to date so far.

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It's certainly not a dagger in Oakland's playoff hopes, but losing Colon for the duration of the season (unless Oakland plays deep into the playoffs) is certainly a blow to their playoff chances.

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If Rangers fans were worried about Oakland catching them, which would have been an unfounded fear, they should breathe a little bit easier. The Angels, Rays, Tigers and Orioles all have to feel a little more confident today, too, as they battle with Oakland for the two wild card spots.

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Photographs by jamesbrandon, jdtornow, phlezk, flygraphix, mcdlttx, tomasland, and literalbarrage used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.