A's Slow Start Not Pretty, But Not Unheard Of

Most of Oakland starting pitchers have done well enough, and the Athletics are playing with some familiar faces being held out because of minor injury issues

So, four games in the Cactus League season, the A’s are winless.

Actually, it goes deeper than that. Other than a 5-3 loss to the Giants in Mesa, Ariz., in a split-squad game Sunday, the games mostly have not been close. The A’s have been outscored 38-12.

The good news is that things can only get better. It’s only the Cactus League, and only the first week of spring training play at the. Regular players haven’t played much.

Much of the damage the A’s pitchers have endured has come after the starters left the game. A.J. Puk, Mike Fiers and Chris Bassitt have combined to allow just two runs. Sean Manaea had a scoreless first inning Monday, then was rocked for six runs while getting just two outs in the second inning of a 14-4 loss that didn’t pretend to be close.

Things should start to get better over the next week, when Khris Davis, Stephen Piscotty and Sean Murphy all should be back in action in the coming days.

Davis should be back Tuesday after sitting out four games to make sure a minor calf injury didn’t become a major calf injury.

Piscotty hasn’t played yet either, and the time for his return is uncertain. He had a rib cage injury cropped up shortly after he reported to camp last week. He’s been going through the regular non-game workouts, including batting practice and defensive work.

But the A’s aren’t ready to unleash him in a game until the club is sure he’s ready.

“He’s still trying to get through it,” manager Bob Melvin said before Monday’s game while addressing the media scrum. “The last thing you want to do is reinjure something in your rib cage. He’s had good days and other days when he’s sore. Sometimes it’s difficult to differentiate between the soreness in there and what is pain. Whether it’s a couple more days or whatever, we’ll see.”

And then there is Murphy, the rookie who stands to be the A’s regular catcher. Knee troubles landed him on the disabled list twice in 2019, and after the season was over, he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery about a week after the season ended.

Murphy says he is healthy again, adding that the has “no complaints” about his knee and that he’ll be “good to go, no question.” Even so the A’s aren’t going to play him in a game until March 2, if then.