The A’s are on a six-game winning streak and have won nine of their last 10 games, pulling into a tie with the Red Sox for the second AL wild card slot. While things are looking up in Oakland right now, the team could also get some reinforcements on the way as some of their many injured pitchers begin to return to the fold.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle has updates on several of the notable names on Oakland’s IL, including the status of star left-hander Sean Manaea. After undergoing shoulder surgery last September, Manaea has looked to be well ahead of his projected recovery timeline, and could be back with the A’s as early as July. In the latest step ni his rehab, he told Slusser that he’ll throw two bullpen sessions this week, and will begin to throw his slider during these bullpens. Provided all goes well, Manaea will move on to facing live batters the following week.
Both Jharel Cotton and A.J. Puk are on the mend after undergoing Tommy John surgeries in 2018, with Cotton currently on a rehab assignment and roughly targeted for a mid-June return to the majors, while Puk recently threw a simulated game and is looking like a potential return in July. Since both pitchers will be on innings limits, however, manager Bob Melvin told Slusser and other reporters that the Athletics haven’t ruled out using Cotton and Puk as relievers when they return.
Despite all of the injuries and second-string nature of its rotation, Oakland has received surprisingly solid contributions from its starting pitchers, both in the team’s run to the wild card game last season and thus far in 2019. Frankie Montas, Mike Fiers, and Brett Anderson have made the most starts for the A’s this year, with Chris Bassitt and Daniel Mengden looking okay in limited action, while Marco Estrada and Aaron Brooks have struggled. (Estrada is currently on the IL himself with a lower back strain, and said he hopes to begin playing catch next week.)
As much as this group looks in need of an upgrade that Cotton or Puk could provide, there isn’t any guarantee that either youngster would be able to pitch well as a starter in the wake of their long recovery; it isn’t uncommon, of course, for pitchers of any age to be ineffective in their first few months back from Tommy John surgery. Looking long-term, the A’s also obviously don’t want to overexert Cotton or Puk for risk of more injury, so strategic usage out of a bullpen would be a better way to both manage workload and potentially also keep both pitchers in the mix for high-leverage situations.
This assumes, however, that Cotton or Puk will be factors at the Major League level at all, since Melvin noted “We’re not just going to bring guys here just because they’re healthy. They have to perform. We have to think there’s a role for them.” Cotton has a 4.95 ERA over only 158 1/3 career MLB innings, though all of that action came as a starting pitcher. Puk has yet to pitch beyond even the Double-A level, so despite his lofty top-100 prospect status, he’ll need to make a big impact to work his way into Oakland’s late-season plans.
Strike Four
Nothing about Luzardo?
ChapmansVacuum
Last report I heard from the farm is he is getting ready to throw a bullpen soon and start a rehab in June. Kapperillian just pitched his first five innings since 2016.
RunDMC
According to Martín Gallegos, he threw BP on 5/25 hitting 96. OAK pitching coordinator reported that he should be in real games in late June (via @AthleticsFarm).
Trungdu07
A’s have won 9 straight!
ChapmansVacuum
Yes and no! They have won nine in a row with a tenth game on pause that they are leading that falls between game 3-4 of the nine. To bad they wont know if its a ten game streak or not till Sept.
Lefty Grove’s right hand
That game was so close to being finished. I believe they stopped play in the 7th inning. They should have just finished the 7th and give the W to the A’s.
ChapmansVacuum
7th with a 2 run lead yes but still not final, so its a secret win they cant count yet.
RootedInOakland
Bassitt has definitely been better than okay, I get that control has been an issue and his FIP is 4.50 but he pitches in Oakland and has a 10.9 K/9 so no reason to believe he won’t continue to be effective
JorgeMorales
Mid June I believe I read. Then off to Las Vegas to get his confidence crushed in the sandbox that is the PCL. Hopefully they just put him on 40 and bring him straight up.
ChapmansVacuum
That vegas stadium seems to be a total launching pad. Lots and lots of HR flying out of that place. I think they might need a ball humidifier there like AZ added last year. Could also be that AAA is using the MLB juiced balls starting this season as well. Thats why Fiers and Estrada are giving up so many jacks I think they cant pitch like they used to since HR that used to die on the warning track fly out now.
Screamer
Vegas is using a humidifier for the balls and they are using the MLB baseball’s as well
ChapmansVacuum
didnt know they had a humidifier, but yeah all of AAA is on the MLB ball
GeronimoJansen
ESPN’s MLB standings shows the A’s with a 9 game winning streak and MLB.com’s version says 6 games. I’ve never seen this happen before. espn.com/mlb/standings mlb.com/standings
Cat Mando
As ChapmansVacuum pointed out, their game last Sunday at Detroit was suspended. A T-storm rolled in, in the middles of the 7th with Oakland leading.
That means “The A’s are on a six-game winning streak and have won nine of their last 10 games” Mark phrased it”. “Game 10” will be decided later.
Strike Four
It’s going to be funny if they win 20 in a row, then lose, but then win that suspended game, breaking their record and making it 21 in a row, months after almost all the streak happened.
ChapmansVacuum
I dont even know how they would handle this for those purposes.
rathman53
It’s a 9 game winning streak. Look at the schedule and tell me when the last time they lost was.
small_market_chub
It’s a 9 game winning streak, but ok. And and Bassitt has been way better than “ok”, he’s been excellent.
Yes, MLB.com has the streak at 6 for some reason, but shouldn’t a MLB news source such as MLBTR do their own fact checking?
Cat Mando
They did their checking and officially it’s a 6 game streak because last Sunday’s game was suspended and has to be completed at a later date. rathman53 is wrong.
baseball-reference.com/teams/OAK/2019-schedule-sco…
rathman53
It’s a 9 game winning streak. Look at the schedule and tell me when the last time they lost was
Cat Mando
They have won 9 of 10….3 in a row…1 suspended…and 6 in a row. It’s not rocket science.
rathman53
It’s a 9 game winning streak. Look at the schedule and tell me when the last time they lost was
Cat Mando
If dumb was dirt you could cover a few acres.
You cannot ignore the suspended game. When the game is resumed and if they win it officially will become a 10 game streak up to May 26. You can’t dispute that and you can’t dispute that it is officially a 6 game streak now. Just because you keep saying “It’s a 9 game winning streak”, all the while ignoring history and fact, does not make it so.
Since you can’t accept history, fact or logic so I’m done. Have a nice day.
rathman53
It’s a 9 game winning streak. Take a look at the schedule and tell me when the last time they lost was?
athleticsnchill
So would games that are postponed for a later date count against a win streak then?
Cat Mando
athleticsnchill
It’s very simple really. Officially, as far as MLB is concerned, the A’s have a a 3 game streak, a suspended game to be completed in Sept. and a 6 game streak.
The game was suspended because of a huge thunder/lightening storm before The Tigers had a chance to hit in the bottom of the 7th. If the Tigers rally and win then the A’s have a 6 game streak as of yesterday. If the A’s win it’s officially a 10 game streak as of yesterday. Until that game is finished the official win streak is at 6 games. There are no two ways about it despite others opinions.
PurpleLemon
Wow, Sean Manaea is what passes as a “star” now? A career FIP over 4 and 7 k/9?
southpaw2153
The writers on this site like to call everyone a star using obscure sabr stats. Typical line is something like, ” Such and such stat suggests this player is better than his #s “.
For this article, the author seems to overlook Manaea’s 105 ERA+ – which suggests he is slightly above league average – yet chooses to refer to him as a ” star lefty “.
arc89
If he played in NY they would be calling him a HOF pitcher.
Strike Four
K rates don’t mean anything though? There’s plenty of terrible pitchers with high K rates.
Pitching is an art, merely “hard throwing” a baseball isn’t going to lead to success if you don’t understand the game isn’t about striking hitters out, and Manaea looked to have mastered that aspect last year. Walk rates are better indicators than K/9 tbh.
athleticsnchill
And Manaea hasn’t been healthy in years. That shoulder was sapping a lot of his potential. Going to be interesting to see how he comes back from shoulder surgery. He had to learn how to pitch without the power, now it’s time to see if that power comes back, because if it does he could very well be a star.
ChapmansVacuum
Pitched a NO NO last year after tweaking his CH a little I believe and he was lights out till his shoulder took him out so yeah based on recent performance he was at a star level last year before he was hurt. He would have for sure started the wild card game if healthy.
athleticsnchill
That shoulder has bugged him every year of his major league career.
Lefty Grove’s right hand
It will be interesting to see what the A’s do at the trade deadline if they’re definitely in the mix for the wild card. Hopefully just some bullpen reinforcements. I would hate to see them go all in and lose the wild card game again.
Strike Four
I really want to see Marcus Stroman’s groundball rate with Chapman, Semien and Olson behind him. His ERA would probably be under 1.00 haha
Lefty Grove’s right hand
Stroman would be an excellent trade target for the A’s. Getting a true ace for the playoffs is tantalizing, but they’ll have to trade Puk or Murphy. I would maybe maybe be ok a trade involving Puk but certainly not Murphy.
Asfan0780
Trading puk for 1 plus seasons of stroman would be a terrible trade.
Lefty Grove’s right hand
It would but that’s what it would take. With all the young starting pitchers the A’s have, I think Puk is a possible trade candidate if the A’s get crazy at the deadline.
Strike Four
Stroman is absolutely not bringing back Puk or Murphy in a trade. Howard and Fowler probably gets it done.
athleticsnchill
I would prefer the A’s not trade for Stroman. He’s a primadonna, and I’d rather they take their chances with Puk and Luzardo regardless of track record.
And trading 7 years of an elite prospect for 2 years of a #2 isn’t all that great a personnel move.
athleticsnchill
Aw, I like Howard.
athleticsnchill
In regards to getting crazy at the deadline, no. Definitely not. The last thing Billy and David want to do is make a trade for 2 years of a pitcher with a bad attitude. They want sustained success, not just bursts here and there.
They aren’t going to overtake Houston if they start trading their top pitching prospects for guys like Stroman. It helps us now, but it doesn’t help us in 3 years when we absolutely need to be winning.
not alkaline
Its a winning streak. Not a non losing streak.
Strike Four
Last loss was May 14, that’s quite a long time!