WEST SACRAMENTO - Jack Perkins doesn’t sound like a pitcher trying to survive the rest of the season. He sounds like a guy already picturing himself in the A’s rotation in 2027.
That was the message Perkins delivered after Saturday’s 8-6 loss to the Tigers, when he said he believes he’s shown enough to be part of the club’s long-term plans.
“Absolutely,” Perkins said. “I think I continue to show that I keep getting better and better.
A lot of it is just experience. This is one of those seasons that I have to take with a grain of salt, and what can I learn from it, how can I get better and improve.
“But I think I’ve proven with my stuff and the way I compete that I’m definitely a starter in this league and for this organization. I feel fully confident in that.”
It was a night that showed both sides of Perkins in a hurry. Kevin McGonigle jumped him on the third pitch of the game with a homer, and four of Detroit’s first five hitters reached safely on hits. Colt Keith then drove in a run with a single to make it 2-0.
After that rough opening, Perkins settled in and retired 11 of the next 13 batters he faced. But the Tigers kept finding the big swing. McGonigle opened the fifth with a single, Gleyber Torres followed with a two-run shot, and Max Clark added another homer in the sixth - his first major league home run after making his debut Friday night.
“With the at-bat he gives up the home run, that’s an at-bat where he attacked down a few times, then the pitch that was hit out was down in the zone,” Kotsay said. “It’s just a learning curve for these young starters. They get in that moment, whether it’s lack of execution or a pitch selection.”
Perkins still came away with a career-high nine strikeouts, another sign of why the A’s see starter potential even with the ugly line: 2-7, 6.57 ERA in 27 games, nine starts.
The home runs were the damage, not a barrage of crushed balls. And that made this outing feel a lot like the one Perkins had Monday, when he carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the red-hot Red Sox.
“This is another outing that he can build on,” Kotsay said. “Just maturing and understanding when you’re setting hitters up, how to finish off hitters.
He’s done it. But that’s the challenge for him.”
Perkins wasn’t hiding from the result, but he also wasn’t backing off the belief in what he’s becoming. He said he thought he threw the ball well, and that the difference would look a lot better if the three homers were erased.
“I thought I threw the ball great,” he said. “Tough because if you take away those homers ... it’s a different story. Just sucks from the team aspect, especially seeing the way the offense rallied late.”
He added that he sees himself as a strikeout arm with real swing-and-miss stuff, but said the job of a starter is bigger than missing bats. It’s about giving the team a chance every time out.
“I’m always going to be a guy with great stuff, great swing-and-miss,” Perkins said. “I always have high strikeout numbers, and that’s great.
But any successful team, the starting pitcher gives their team a chance to win day in and day out. For me, over the rest of the season [my goal] is just trying to instill that confidence not only in my teammates, but in Kots as well.”
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As Rotation Plans May Depend On One Royals Deadline Decision
With Shea Langeliers and Brent Rooker now expected to miss the rest of the season, the Athletics are already looking past the immediate pain and into how they can build a sturdier roster for next year. Pitching is a clear part of that conversation, and the Royals have become a team Oakland has to watch closely as the deadline approaches. Kansas City has already moved Lane Thomas, a sign it may be willing to keep reshaping the roster rather than standing pat.
One path for the A's could open if the Royals decide to push their retooling further, because the market for available arms often shifts quickly once a team starts dealing from the top of its staff. Oakland has shown interest in pitchers such as Kris Bubic and Seth Lugo, which puts it on the lookout for rotation help whenever a seller or a semi-seller gets serious. For a club trying to recover from a brutal stretch of injuries, the next move in Kansas City could end up mattering more than it first appears. [Read more 🡒]