Another Setback for Duchscherer

A's ace right-hander Justin Duchscherer, a two-time All-Star and frequent visitor to the disabled list, suffered yet another setback today.

Duchscherer came out of a minor league game, his first competitive appearance of the spring, with elbow pain after 20 pitches, according to assistant GM David Forst.

"To the naked eye, it looked like it was bothering him on the last few pitches," Forst told FanHouse.

Forst said at this point there have not been any decisions about what is next for Duchscherer.

It's too early at the moment to tell just how serious of a setback this is for Duchscherer, but it is certainly not an encouraging development for him or the A's, who at the moment have a rotation with Dallas Braden as the Opening Day starter.

Duchscherer missed the end of last season with a hip problem, and he had elbow troubles almost from the start of spring training. There finally seemed to be a light at the end of his tunnel when he had a couple of successful (read: pain-free) bullpen sessions earlier in the week. That, combined with the ineffectiveness of the rest of the starting candidates, convinced the A's to save a rotation spot for Duchscherer, even if he was behind the other pitchers and could only go 70 pitches.

Now, all bets are off.