by Jerry Feitelberg

davisenterprise.com file photo: Oakland A’s catcher Stephen Vogt gave it his all for the team during the first half of the season explaining why he’s the A’s representative at the All-Star game

OAKLAND–The A’s and manager Bob Melvin have had nothing but problems with the 2016 pitching staff. The A’s envisioned a rotation of Sonny Gray, Felix Dubrount, Chris Bassitt, Rich Hill, and Jesse Hahn. Gray has not been himself this season. Gray, the ace of the staff, was 3-1 on April 22nd. He has not recorded a win since that time, and he had to go on the disabled list with a sore trapezius muscle. Gray has pitched better, for the most part since coming off the DL but has not been the Sonny of old. The A’s were hoping that Jarrod Parker, who help the A’s to the Western Division crown in 2012, would recover from his injuries. Parker suffered another injury to his elbow, and his future with the club remains in doubt. Felix Dubrount counted on to be a starter, underwent Tommy John surgery and is out for the year. Henderson Alvarez, an All-Star with Miami in 2014, hoped to recover from his shoulder problems but every time it appeared he would be ready, he suffered a setback, and it doesn’t look like he will pitch for Oakland this year. Another starter, Chris Bassitt, also underwent Tommy John surgery and is gone for the year.

The A’s Kendall Graveman, who figured to a starter, did not pitch well early in the year, and there were comments that Graveman might be sent to Nashville. Graveman, however, has pitched well in his last seven or eight starts and is 4-0 in that stretch and has improved dramatically. The A’s recalled Sean Manaea from Nashville and the big Samoan struggled a bit when he came up. Manaea, too, spent time on the DL. Manaea has pitched well recently and his last start against Houston, he was superb. The A’s also recalled Daniel Mengden from Triple-A Nashville to join the rotation. Mengden’s record is 1-4, but he has pitched well and would have a better record if he had some run support from his teammates. They A’s signed the veteran Rich Hill to a one-yes six million dollar contract. Hil has pitched very well and has been the best pitcher on the team with a record of 9-3. Unfortunately, Hill had a groin injury that landed him on the DL.The A’s used Eric Surkamp in the rotation but he was a disaster and the A’s designated him for assignment.

The A’s bullpen, on the other hand, has performed relatively well, but it has not been exempt from injury. The team has two relievers currently on the DL. Sean Doolittle and Fernando Rodriguez are out with shoulder injuries. Liam Hendriks was on the DL earlier in the year. John Axford, the former closer for the Milwaukee Brewers, has been used a setup man, and he did well earlier in the year. Axford hit a rough stretch a couple of weeks ago, but he righted the ship in his last three outings. Ryan Madson, who was former closer for the Philadelphia Phillies and recorded 36 saves in 2011, has been good for most of the year. Madson has seventeen saves this year, but he has blown five and two of those blown saves came in the last three games against the Houston Astros. Madson did not pitch in 2012, 13 or 14 but made a comeback with the Kansas City Royals last year and earned a World Series ring. Ryan Dull is a rising star in the bullpen. Dull has been dominant all year. He was able to keep thirty-six inherited runners from scoring until last Saturday’s game against Houston. He did earn his first save of the year in that game. Many people think that he might be the closer of the future for Oakland.

The A’s rotation, as it stands now, appears to be getting better as the season progresses. Bob Melvin has to be pleased with the progress made by Manaea, Graveman, and Mengden. They have shown that they can pitch in the big leagues and are gaining confidence as they continue to pitch effectively. Rumors are swirling about the status of Sonny Gray and Rich Hill. The A’s have stated that Gray is not on the trade market, but Hill is being scouted by several teams that are desperate for a starter. The Orioles and Red Sox are two teams that need pitching and are in the market for starters. The A’s bullpen is good, but Melvin has had to use them extensively so far, and the hope is that they pitchers don’t wear down in the second half of the season. The bullpen should be better when Rodriguez and Doolittle return.

The A’s have had a tough season due to the problems with the pitching staff. They are 37-51 at the All-Star break. There is no doubt that the injuries to the starters have affected the performance of the team. Will the A’s be sellers at the trade deadline? Looks that way to many observers. Will the A’s continue their pattern of trading their assets for prospects? That has been their Modus Operandi for years, and they probably will continue that tradition. Stay tuned, fans. Should be an interesting second half of the season.