A's, Rangers Starters on Thursday Looking to Bounce Back in Second Outings
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The A's aren't off to the best start in spring training, holding an 0-4 record in the early going. They've also been outscored, 33-4 in that span. On the bright side, it's not even March yet, and there are still weeks until games actually mean anything for the green and gold.
On Thursday against the Texas Rangers, right-hander Jack Perkins will be looking for a bit of redemption after a shaky first outing in the A's first spring game. They are keeping him strictly on schedule, having him pitch on the fifth day, as they're looking to see if he'll be a fit for the Opening Day rotation, or if he could serve the club better in a relief role.
Mark Kotsay said last week that the plan is to get his pitch count up to a comfortable level after three starts, and then they'll have a good idea of which direction they can head with him. Depending on how firm they plan on being with that three start figure, that would leave just Thursday against Texas, and then potentially a start against Brazil on March 3 as his two shots in the rotation.
In his first outing, Perkins lasted just 2/3 of an inning, throwing 26 pitches, giving up two hits and two walks which led to two earned runs crossing the plate. He also struck out one in that outing.
According to his Statcast data, Perkins was also working in a new sinker as well, throwing it four times, getting one called strike, one swing-and-miss, and one foul ball. The other was a ball in the dirt.
With Perkins looking to cement his name as a member of the rotation to open the season, all eyes will be on him this afternoon in Mesa. There will also be plenty of other intriguing names to keep an eye on for the A's, too, including an A's debut.
A's probable pitchers against Texas
In addition to Perkins, who is expected to start the game, the A's will also be using (in some order) LHP Wei-En Lin, RHP Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang, RHP Mark Leiter, Jr., RHP Joel Kuhnel, RHP Nick Hernandez, RHP Brooks Kriske and RHP Wander Suero.
Lin made his spring debut last week, and similarly struggled, giving up three hits in his inning of work, which led to two earned runs. He also struck out a batter in his lone outing. He, as well as Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang, who is also scheduled to pitch today, will both be departing shortly to join up with Chinese Taipei for the World Baseball Classic.
Mark Leiter Jr., one of the A's larger free agent signings, will be making his spring debut with the A's. While his stats weren't sterling last year, his advanced metrics have led to some optimism that he can limit hard contact and be an effective reliever outside of baseball's largest market. He is also cousins with Jack Leiter of the Rangers, so perhaps we get a mini family reunion.
The rest of the relievers are non-roster guys that are hoping to make an impression on the coaching staff this spring in order to get a look in Sacramento later in the year.
Texas Rangers probable pitcher
The Rangers are playing their pitchers a little more close to the vest, only announcing one probable pitcher for this game, Cal Quantrill. We also know that Kumar Rocker won't be pitching in this one, as he'll be starting a split-squad game across the desert in Surprise.
Quantrill was signed to a minor-league deal by the Rangers at the beginning of the month after holding a cumulative 6.04 ERA across 117 2/3 innings of work last season. He's been in the big leagues each year since 2019, and has racked up at least 100 innings of work in five of those seven seasons. One of those that he missed the mark was in 2020, when nobody reached 100 frames.
Quantrill's first spring outing wasn't the best either, with the veteran righty going 1 1/3 innings, giving up four hits and two walks, leading to an earned run. While the one run allowed isn't the worst, the six baserunners in the span of four outs wasn't great.
Both Perkins and Quantrill will be looking to solidify their own spots on their team's rosters on Thursday afternoon in Mesa, Arizona.
Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
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