The Oakland Athletics return to action this Friday following postponements of six of the last eight games and one of the most interesting trade deadlines in baseball history. These series They will be facing some of the toughest opposition for the remainder of this 60-game season. Starting on Friday, the first place A’s will play a three game weekend series against the talk of the baseball world, the San Diego Padres. This will be followed by a four-game series against the second place Houston Astros.
The A’s had five straight off days due to a member of the organization testing positive for COVID. The hope is that the team has had enough time to rest and figure out the nuts and bolts of their postseason chase.
The Padres team they are facing are hot, going 7-3 in the past 10 games. With the acquisitions of ace pitcher Mike Clevinger and star reliever Trevor Rosenthal, the Padres were by far the most productive team at the trade deadline, adding to what has already looked like a playoff-built squad. The Padres are sick and tired of how they have missed the postseason every year since 2006. Their anger has shown in their bats, as they rank in the top five as a team in key offensive categories including batting average, home runs, runs, slugging, and on-base + slugging (OPS).
The only two games the A’s got to play this weekend were doubleheader games on Saturday where they got swept by the Astros. In both losses, A’s starters gave up three runs in the bottom of the first. With the A’s going a lackluster 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position, this would be enough for Astros victories. The A’s will need stronger starting pitching against the Padres than the past couple of games, in order to be able to face off against a pick-your-poison lineup, fielding the likes of Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Trent Grisham, Wil Myers, among other dangerous bats.
What did the A’s do on Monday’s trade deadline? Go out and get another struggling starter in Mike Minor from the Texas Rangers. Well, struggling this year on paper that is. When looking beyond his 0-5 record and 5.60 ERA this year, he is starting to show slow signs of a return back to last year’s All-Star form, where he went 14-10 with a 3.59 ERA and 200 strikeouts. This resurgence became apparent in his most recent start, where he held a star-studded Los Angeles Dodgers lineup scoreless over six innings, striking out six. Can’t ask for a much better performance then that. Maybe a change of scenery by going from a dismal 13-22 Rangers squad to a first place 22-12 A’s squad will be just what the veteran needs. The team is in dire need of whatever pitching arms they can get as they are playing an unprecedented 16 games in just the span of 13 games due to the doubleheader makeups. Having an arm like Minor could also be a valuable bullpen asset to have during the stretch.
The A’s have had a trend over the past couple of seasons of veterans coming over mid-season and making a positive difference in their quest for the postseason. In 2018 Mike Fiers came over midseason and has propelled the A’s starting rotation ever since. Last season veterans Homer Bailey and Tanner Roark came in and gave the A’s valuable starts.
Following the Padres, the four-game series against the Astros will not make matters any easier for the green and gold. They are a team that still exhibits playoff form despite countless injuries. Just look at how the Astros frustrated the A’s in the aforementioned doubleheader.
The A’s will also need to start finding more consistency in their bats. The A’s rank near the bottom in most key offensive stats, yet they have continuously found ways to win games. Playing good fundamental baseball and taking advantage of opposing teams’ little mistakes to gain that winning edge can only take them so far. With good team’s having likely overcome initial rustiness, the A’s must unleash their full arsenal in order to beat the two powerhouses.
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