Some A's Are Better Than Others

 

There are gonna be some truly dismal stretches discussed this year, mostly pertaining to the Colorado Rockies, but I do think the A's run from May 6th to June 4th will definitely be remembered. In that time, the A's went 3-24, including two losing streaks, a 9-game one and an 11-game one. Even after a 20-16 start, and a very respectable one, this team hit an absolute wall that they're only now beginning to pick up from. It's not certain what happened, as there were no big personnel losses in that time, but considering that this stretch included series' against the Yankees, Dodgers, Giants, Phillies, Astros and Twins, perhaps it was just a rough run of scheduling.

And it does illuminate the fact that, while the A's are a better team, fundamentally there's a lot that's keeping them from being a great team.

For instance, this pitching staff. It's not a good sign that J.T. Ginn and Connor Hoglund, not long after getting called up, both suffered arm issues and are now hurt for the foreseeable future. You can't keep cooking your young arms. It's a wonder Jeffrey Springs is still healthy, though seeing as he's got a 4.64 ERA after years of minuscule ERAs with Tampa, maybe all those years of injuries have dulled his appeal. They're going with Mitch Spence as a starter now, which, judging by the fact that all the remaining starters have ERAs over 4, can't be much of a downgrade. Even Mason Miller has a 4.63 ERA, despite his 100mph work and his 13 saves. The pitching, even if the right people are on board essentially, just isn't cutting it, and in May especially let this team down. Obviously Luis Severino, J.P. Sears and Mason Miller are good pitchers, but they've had very bad luck recently.

Yet even still, the hitting persisted. Tyler Soderstrom has 14 homers and 44 RBIs, and has been a very trustworthy power bat. Jacob Wilson is hitting .366 with 93 hits, 38 RBIs and 8 homers, already a favorite for both an ASG spot and some Rookie of the Year votes. Lawrence Butler finally heated up, he's hitting .268 with 9 homers and 29 RBIs. And now Brent Rooker's hitting, with 13 homers and 37 RBIs. The core of this lineup is lethal, formidable and functional, regardless of the quality of the team itself. You can now say that there's several A's players who you can expect to get up there day-in and day-out and hit, especially for power. The other end of that is that you're now seeing upticks in defense. Max Schuemann is still a major upgrade as an infielder, and now you've got Denzel Clarke leaping over fences and making incredible catches. This team is coming together, even as the losing streaks still loom.

I think making the playoffs is irrelevant at this point. If the A's finish over .500 after all that May nonsense, it'll all be worth it, and while it's looking tricky at the moment, June and July could be a lot better for this team, especially considering what happened last year.

Coming Tonight: A third-baseman trying everything in the book to get the hell off his current team.