It wasn’t too long ago when the Oakland Athletics had a record of 17-17, games within of the lead in the AL West division. Fast forward a few weeks, and we’re right back to where we expect them to be.
Sunday’s game was a great example that the A’s are still not ready to contend. Yes, the roster is fun. Yes, it would have been nice to see these guys have a better record and surprise the world. It’s still relatively early. But, the A’s are back to looking like the team we expected heading into the season.
Since their 20-4 win over the Miami Marlins on May 4th, Oakland is 5-16. This included an eight-game losing streak that saw them get swept by the Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals. Though they did take two out of three from the Rockies recently, the Astros came into Oakland and showed their dominance once again by winning another series over the Green & Gold.
In the end, the A’s may have a better record than last year. But, it’s clear they’re still not ready to compete at any sort of capacity.
Injuries To The Pitching Staff Has Taken A Toll
The rotation of Paul Blackburn, JP Sears, Alex Wood, Ross Stripling, and Joe Boyle wasn’t great but good enough to help the A’s rack up the amount of wins they have. But, injuries have slowly reared their ugly head on this team. Four of the five aforementioned guys are currently on the injured list, and the starting rotation at the moment looks completely different.
- JP Sears
- Aaron Brooks
- Mitch Spence
- Joey Estes
*Ross Stripling is listed to make his next start, on May 30th, but is currently on the IL.
Though Sears has been solid this year, the same cannot be said for the others. Spence has struggled to throw more than five innings, sitting with an 0-2 record and a 4.09 ERA. As for Estes, he has allowed 12 earned runs in his past two starts and currently has a 7.47 ERA. Brooks has been sort of a surprise, with a 3.63 ERA but stands at 0-2.
Yes, Wood and Stripling weren’t great either when they were healthy and starting. You could argue you would rather see guys like Brooks and Estes at the major league level compared to those two. But, they’re major league guys that are more equipped to compete at this level compared to their replacements.
Expecting Wood and Stripling to figure themselves out is a bit of a pipe dream when they come back. But, for the A’s, it hurts to see most of your starting rotation get injured slowly but surely.
Home Runs? Yes, But The Offense Is Still Struggling.
The Oakland Athletics rank fourth in the league in home runs, hitting 66 of balls out of the park. This trails just the Yankees, Orioles, and Dodgers. But, they are still 11 games under .500?
Here’s the thing. Home runs are great. But, the numbers say that the A’s hit a lot of solo home runs. Oakland has just 196 RBIs, which is the seventh-least in MLB. In terms of batting average, their .224 team average is fourth-worst in the league.
Pitchers usually feast on the A’s, as they strike out a lot. Their 524 team strikeouts is the second-most in MLB, which shows their undisciplined and struggles to make contact.
Brent Rooker currently leads the team with a .286 BA and tied for the most home runs with 11. But, he has struck out 57 times, which also leads the team.
In the end, this offense knows how to smash the ball out of the park. But, it’s a matter of getting guys on base and then hitting home runs that will make the difference compared to just solo home runs.
There’s Still Time
This article could mean absolutely nothing if the A’s go on a surprise winning streak and get back to .500. We can’t be all negative, especially when guys like Mason Miller continue to play like all-stars. But, this team is 11 games under .500. There is still plenty of time to get things together and have a respectable record.
We can hope that once the rotation is fully healthy that they can be one of the top 15 pitching staffs in the league. Can the offense not just hit home runs but also bring guys in consistently? We will have to see.
In the end, the A’s are not ready to compete in the AL. Maybe getting a better record than last year is the only accomplishment they may check off their list.
Up next for the Athletics are the Rays and the Braves on the schedule. They’ll be back in Oakland on June 4th.
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Featured Image: Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
