By Morris Phillips

The A’s tried to control their story with final roster moves on Saturday, but the weather and the plumbing at the Coliseum had other ideas.

The third installment of the Bay Bridge Series was rained out—after two hours of uncertainty—when very little suggested that the game could be played. Water cascaded through the outfield turf anytime a groundskeeper ran a rake through and that just meant the wet stuff just ended up somewhere closer to the outfield fence.

And the purpose of the infield tarp? It keeps the infield dry… and as soon as you try to move it the water on top ends up somewhere else on the field, usually in a ring around the shallow part of the outfield.

So with healthy players needing to stay healthy, the game was called. The A’s open the regular season on Monday night with Sonny Gray on the mound, and that kicks off a stretch of seven home games in seven days to start the season. So with all that on the A’s plate, it was a no brainer that they not play on Saturday in such unstable conditions.

Plus, the team had its old sewage problems crop up again in the coaches’ dressing room showers. About an hour before the scheduled first pitch, crews were attempting to keep sewage from backing up. In terms of Coliseum sewage outbreaks, this one was mild, but well-timed.

The A’s announced roster moves during the delay with Daric Barton, Drew Pomeranz and Sam Fuld grabbing opening day roster spots. Barton’s been back and forth so many times, but he’s poised to stick this time as a defensive-leaning first basemen with a knack for getting on base… just as he used to do for the A’s back in 2010, 2011.   Barton hit .273 and drew 12 walks this spring.

Pomeranz struck out 20 batters this spring, and with Ryan Cook on the mend, he’ll begin the season in the A’s bullpen.   Cook should return within a week, so Pomeranz should eventually end up in Sacramento where the A’s envision him developing the stamina to start games at some point.

Fuld, the Stanford product, is well-known for his incredible diving catch at Chicago’s Comiskey Park as a Tampa Bay Ray a few years back. His versatility—he can play all three outfield spots—made him a keeper after a solid spring.

Outfielder Michael Taylor was designated for assignment, and Stephen Vogt, despite a solid spring, will start the season in Sacramento.   Eric Berger, a minor league pitching prospect, was acquired from the Astros.