What We Learned During Athletics Ugly Two-Game Skid
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The Athletics would lose the series opener in the worst way possible.
After back-to-back wins to steal the Twins series, the Athletics stumbled and fell in the series opener against Baltimore, along with the series decider on Saturday. With the playoffs already out of the picture, losses like this really don’t matter. But what matters is whether the themes and habits we saw in these games will be present next season, when the Athletics could easily be fighting for a playoff spot around this time.
Don't Count on the Athletics in Game 1
The Athletics simply cannot get past themselves in any series opener, for the most part. In the 44 series they have played, the Athletics have won the series opener just 14 times, giving them a 31.8% winning percentage in the series opener. The last time the A's accomplished this was on Aug. 14 vs. the Rangers; since then, they have lost the series opener to the Astros, Royals, Twins, and now the Orioles.
Another interesting find was that the Athletics have won 23.5% of series openers when they end their last series on a win. The last time the Athletics did this was on June 25 and 26 vs. the Giants and Angels. Keep in mind, as well, that this was a great opportunity for the Athletics to snap that streak vs. the Orioles, as they would have their second-half ace on the mound, along with a sizzling offense and an improving bullpen.
Some may say this is just a case of the Athletics getting unlucky, as they have been a pretty bad team this season, so more losses will be in the data regardless. But if you shift the perspective the other way, the inability to win series openers consistently could contribute to the Athletics' overall inconsistency.
Kotsay Loves Using Relievers...Too Many
The Athletics, entering Game 3, have already used seven different relief pitchers. While this might be necessary in some cases, it simply does not make that much sense in this series. For example, Luis Medina would pitch a single inning, throwing only 10 pitches while striking out two. Looking to Game 3, it is clear that the Athletics will not have many fresh arms left to help Jeffrey Springs.
Keep in mind, as well, that in the series opener, the Athletics used four relief pitchers, with both Hogan Harris and Medina allowing only a single baserunner. While both pitchers have proven to be one-inning guys all season, it may have been more beneficial to give them an extra inning rather than halt the momentum and go to Brady Basso, who would end up losing the game for the Athletics.
The bottom line is that Mark Kotsay's mismanagement in the bullpen has backed the Athletics into a wall with arguably their worst starter on the mound in the series finale. With no reliable arms fresh, the Athletics are unlikely to salvage a win, which could mean getting swept following back-to-back series wins.
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Andrew Ferguson is the beat writer at Athletics On SI. He is currently pursuing his sports journalism degree from UNLV, striving to turn his lifelong passion for sports into his career.
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