A hefty dose of Daniels

Patrons at the Coliseum on Saturday get two Daniels for the price of one. The A’s doubleheader against the Astros features starters Daniel Gossett and Daniel Mengden.

“Double-barreled Dan,” Mengden said with a smile.

Mengden, called up Tuesday, will be making his second start of the season for Oakland and first since May 29. He spent much of the interim out with a stress reaction in his rib cage.

“I was down three, four weeks of no throwing, just treatment and rest and then had to pick it all up again, get back into shape,” he said. “A month down, a month and a half getting healthy.”

Mengden spent the early part of the season rehabbing after surgery to repair a fracture in his right foot, and it’s possible the stress reaction in his rib cage was the result of trying to come back a little bit too quickly from the foot injury.

First a foot fracture, then a stress reaction? Does Mengden need to up his calcium intake? “Trust me, people keep telling me that,” Mengden said. “I don’t what the deal is. I take all my vitamins. I do everything I’m supposed to do.”

Mengden went 0-2 with a 7.63 ERA in three starts against the Astros, his former team, last year. Mengden is from Houston, and he said his family came through the recent flooding well — unlike some of his friends, whose house was filled by 6 feet of water.

Gossett and Mengden will be the first A’s pitchers with the same first name to start a doubleheader since Mike Norris and Mike Torrez on April 24, 1977. Jim “Catfish” Hunter and Jim Nash started doubleheaders for Oakland on April 20 and July 8, 1969.

Wahl well: Bobby Wahl, who had thoracic outlet surgery last month, said he feels so much better, “it’s like night and day.” Wahl said a shoulder muscle slipped and was pressing on nerves. The muscle was shaved and his first rib removed. He is a full go for spring training.