The Athletics’ latest stumble came with a familiar shape to it: a rough series opener, a drained bullpen, and a finish that left them staring at a sweep.
After back-to-back wins to take the Twins series, the A’s dropped the opener against Baltimore and then lost again in the series decider on Saturday. The postseason is already off the table, so the results themselves don’t change much in the standings. But the larger concern is whether the same patterns keep showing up next year, when the Athletics could be in the thick of a playoff race at this point on the calendar.
One of the biggest themes is how often the Athletics have failed to get out of the gate in a series. Through 44 series, they’ve won the opener only 14 times, a 31.8% clip. Their last series-opening win came on Aug. 14 against the Rangers, and since then they’ve opened series with losses to the Astros, Royals, Twins and Orioles.
There’s another wrinkle in the numbers, too. When the Athletics finish their previous series with a win, they’ve won just 23.5% of the next series openers.
That last happened on June 25 and 26 against the Giants and Angels. This time around, they had a real chance to break that run against Baltimore with their second-half ace on the mound, an offense that was rolling and a bullpen that had been trending upward.
It’s fair to wonder whether some of this is just the natural result of a team that has been bad enough to pile up losses in every direction. Still, the inability to consistently win the first game of a series can feed directly into the inconsistency that has defined the Athletics.
The bullpen usage only added to the problem. By the time Game 3 arrived, the Athletics had already gone through seven different relief pitchers.
That kind of workload can be unavoidable at times, but it didn’t make much sense in this series. Luis Medina, for instance, worked just one inning, needed only 10 pitches and struck out two.
Looking ahead to the finale, the Athletics were clearly short on fresh arms to support Jeffrey Springs.
In the opener, the A’s used four relievers, and both Hogan Harris and Medina allowed only one baserunner apiece. Since both have handled one-inning work all season, there was an argument for letting either one extend his outing instead of cutting the inning short and turning to Brady Basso, who wound up taking the loss.
That leaves Mark Kotsay’s bullpen management under the microscope, because it put the Athletics in a tough spot with what was arguably their weakest starter set to take the ball in the series finale. With little fresh help available, a win felt unlikely, and a sweep after two straight series wins became the looming result.
In Other News...
As Let Another Winnable Game Slip Away In Baltimore
The As had enough chances in Baltimore to make this one interesting, but too many early mistakes left them playing catch-up again in a game that felt there for the taking. Jack Perkins had trouble finding the strike zone and then compounded the pressure with a fielding miscue, and Oaklands offense could not do much against Shane Baz, who worked five scoreless innings to keep the Orioles in control.
Oakland did make a late push and briefly tightened the margin, the kind of comeback attempt that can change the mood of a road trip. But the bigger inning had already slipped away, and the As were left staring at another missed opportunity in a 5-3 loss, with the middle innings once again deciding a game they needed to grab. [Read more 🡒]
Athletics Face A Pitching Squeeze With Sweep Avoidance On The Line
Runs have been hard to come by for the Athletics early in this series, and that has turned every inning into a stress test for the pitching staff. With the offense leaving too much on the table, the burden has shifted quickly to a bullpen that has already been asked to cover a lot of ground against the Orioles.
Seven relievers have already been used, including Luis Medina in both losses, and that leaves little margin if Oakland is going to avoid a sweep. Jeffrey Springs is lined up for the next start, but if he is unable to work deep into the game, the Athletics may need someone else to soak up important innings and keep the lineup close enough to mount a late push. [Read more 🡒]
As Hitters Are Drifting From The Identity Fans Expected
The Athletics keep looking like a lineup built to do damage, but the results have not matched the reputation. A closer look at the plate discipline numbers points to a group that is often too eager, too willing to expand the zone and too quick to let opposing starters settle in and work deep into games. The end result has been a middling offense that does not always play to the patient, on-base-minded identity fans thought it would have.
Nick Kurtz has been a bright spot in the walk column, but he has not been enough to change the overall shape of the group. The bigger question is whether the organization is getting what it says it wants from its hitters, and whether the coaching staff is truly emphasizing patience and on-base percentage in a way that shows up once players reach Oakland. [Read more 🡒]