The Athletics aren’t struggling to score runs. That’s never been the issue. They’ve got guys who can hit throughout the lineup, making contact and driving in runs when they need to.
But here’s where things get tricky – their pitching staff is falling apart at the seams.
Oakland added Aaron Civale during the offseason, which seemed like a smart move to shore up the rotation. Problem is, he’s currently on the 15-day IL. And he’s not alone.
Luis Severino is also sidelined and won’t even be re-evaluated until July. That’s forced the front office to start calling up young arms who weren’t necessarily ready for this level of competition.
The A’s would be in real trouble right now if it weren’t for J.T. Ginn. He’s been the one reliable starter they can count on, turning in quality starts and keeping hitters off balance. But one guy can’t carry an entire rotation.
Maybe rookies Gage Jump and Kade Morris can provide some help, but that’s still a big question mark. With all these uncertainties, Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter dropped them from No. 20 to No. 22 in his latest power rankings.
“Only the Colorado Rockies, Washington Nationals, and San Diego Padres have fewer quality starts than the 14 logged by the Athletics staff so far this year. Four of those have come from J.T. Ginn over the span of his last six starts, and he has a 1.49 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in 36.1 innings during that impressive stretch.”
The pitching situation becomes even more critical with their upcoming series against a team that’s ranked in the top six for team batting average. If Oakland can’t find a way to get quality innings from their starters, they’ll need to take advantage of their weekend series against the Rockies.
Otherwise, they could keep sliding down these rankings, and that offensive firepower won’t matter much if they can’t keep the other team from scoring.
