A's call up INF Allen from minors

Infielder Brandon Allen had been called up from the minors and immediately inserted into the Athletics' starting lineup. Allen was acquired from Arizona for reliever Brad Ziegler on July 31. He was penciled in sixth in the A's batting order for Saturday's game against first-place Texas. A career .213 hitter over parts of three seasons in the majors, Allen hit just .172 with three home runs and seven RBIs in 11 games for the Diamondbacks. He was batting .250 for Oakland's Triple-A team in Sacramento. The A's also recalled right-hander Bruce Billings from Sacramento. Billings was part of the June 30 trade with Colorado that sent second baseman Mark Ellis to the Rockies. Oakland optioned infielder Adam Rosales and left-hander Jordan Norberto to Sacramento.