Reddick's tooth turmoil nearing an end

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OAKLAND -- A serious dental procedure would sideline most mere mortals. Most people would be forced to spend a day or two on the couch with an ice pack and under the influence of prescribed pain pills to ease the pain and swelling.That remedy is a luxury ill-afforded when you are a Major League Baseball player, a lesson Josh Reddick is being forced to learn the hard way. After being scratched on Wednesday, switched to DH last minute Thursday, and sent to the dentist office for yet another visit on Friday, the A's hope the tooth extraction from hell has run its course.
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"We were just there for a check up and ended up having to be re-cleaned and re-scraped, so that didn't feel too good," Reddick said after Friday's game. "Just got to wait for it to heal itself." Reddick didn't make it to the ballpark until the end of batting practice. He later entered the game as a pinch hitter and collected a single that loaded the bases. The fact he entered the game is a good sign."It took about an hour after I left the dentist office to start feeling pretty good," Reddick said. "I didn't feel anything for around three hours and then in the seventh inning it started to come up a little bit."Reddick says that his mouth felt much better than it has been feeling lately. He will check in with his dentist with a phone call in the morning and hopes to be good to return to right field on Saturday. PRATT: Indians grand slam sparks A's in 6-4 win
A's manager Bob Melvin said he wasn't apprehensive to use him in that eighth-inning-pinch-hitting situation. "I wasn't really asking how he's feeling at that time," Melvin said. "He was out there, he had his spikes on, and he wants to play."Melvin noted before the game that Reddick has played through some pain in the past this season. He says that Reddick is tough and wants to be in the lineup daily. If Reddick feels he can go then expect Melvin to oblige and place him back in the lineup. "I think there is a better chance he is out there tomorrow," Melvin said.

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