Tag: Daulton Jeffries

Capable Yet Culpable: A’s lead briefly, but lose 4-3 to the Twins, their ninth, straight loss

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By Morris Phillips

The A’s went from virtually no offense on Saturday to a key lineup addition and a little bit of offense on Sunday, but it wasn’t enough. The struggling ballclub still dropped its ninth straight, losing to the Twins 4-3.

If you’re concerned, grab a bat. This club needs all the help it can get apparently.

The A’s enjoyed a brief, 3-1 lead over the Twins and starter Chris Paddack in the third, but Paddack apparently wasn’t right, and after motioning to the Twins’ dugout, Paddack departed with what was later described as elbow discomfort. The injury was disturbing news for the hosts. It also was a clear moment of changing momentum as well.

The Twins answered with three runs in the bottom of the third, first on Jose Miranda’s RBI double, then Jorge Polanco’s two-run single off Daulton Jeffries. Jeffries went seven, but suffered the loss, allowing four runs on seven hits. After winning his first decision this season, Cal alum Jeffries has dropped five, consecutive decisions, and continues to struggle with opponent’s high, on-base percentage which translates to heavy traffic on the bases.

The A’s welcomed back Ramon Laureano from his lengthy, PED suspension, but were without Stephen Piscotty, Jed Lowrie and starting pitcher Cole Irvin. The absences have hurt a club desperate for talent and experience, which is reflected in the length of losing streak, and their statistics which have them last in on-base percentage and hitting just .170 as a team over their previous 13 games combined.

The Twins have 11 players currently on the injured list, but the effect on their play isn’t as noticeable. The Twins won Sunday for the ninth, consecutive time at Target Field. Their most notable absence prior to the game’s start was Byron Buxton, the hard hitting outfielder who shelved due to a “low-level” hip strain.

The A’s struck first–in the first– in a manner unlikely for a team that has scratched together the bare minimum offensively the last two weeks with three, consecutive base hits with two outs. Chad Pinder delivered the third single, scoring Sean Murphy. In the third, Seth Brown knocked in a pair of runs with a base hit that preceded Paddack’s exit.

The A’s haven’t won since splitting the two-game series with the Giants. Since then they’ve been swept by the Guardians, Rays and now the Twins. The A’s open a series with the Tigers in Detroit on Monday with Paul Blackburn getting the start, opposed by the Tigers’ Michael Pineda.

“We’ve just got to keep swinging it and it will fall come the next couple series,” Jeffries said.

Kotsay Collects First Win: A’s victorious in Philadelphia, 4-1 over the Phillies

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By Morris Phillips

One after another–youthful A’s with limited Major League experience, and even less big league success–stepped up and made an impact on Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Ballpark.

The totality of their contributions was a cleanly-executed 4-1 win over the Phillies, the first of the season for the A’s, and the first-ever for new manager Mark Kotsay. With so many player’s imprints on the victory, the immediate attention post-game turned to the manager, doused in beer, and filled with positivity as usual.

“The biggest story here is Kots’ first win,” said veteran Tony Kemp. “I can tell he’s gonna be a great manager. There’s no panic in him.”

With all the notable players leaving Oakland in the previous weeks, followed by two, competitive losses to start the season, Kotsay has stood as the only force to negate the constant stream of dour predictions. All along, Kotsay has maintained that he had a group that would embrace the challenge of proving everyone wrong, and he would be the one to guide them through the darkest moments.

If Sunday’s series finale was the first of those moments, the A’s proved themselves capable of handling them, with starting pitcher Daulton Jeffries stepping up first.

Jeffries, in just his third Major League start, and his first interleague experience, dealt, breezing through five plus innings, allowing two hits, two walks and no runs while expending just 48 pitches. The third youngest Athletic, but scheduled to turn 27 during this season, typifies a team that’s inexperienced, but not rushed. Jeffries benefitted from some well-struck balls being caught, and departed early, against common wisdom, the first of Kotsay’s prudent decisions.

“Early in the season, you try to build pitch count,” Kotsay explained. “But at this point, the opportunity to get Sam (Moll) lined up against Schwarber and the lefties, we felt that gave us the best chance to win.”

Moll was on point, striking out Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper with his unique combo of slower-than-slow sliders and low-90’s sinkers. And the 30-year old Moll’s level of experience entering this big spot? Just 17 innings of low-leverage appearances for the A’s in 2017 and 2021.

Domingo Acevedo, 28 and Kirby Snead, 27 would follow Moll, acing the seventh and eighth innings. Not surprisingly, that pair offered less big league experience than Moll with just 20 appearances between them, but like Moll, they succeeded, getting the A’s to Lou Trivino and the ninth inning with the A’s lead intact.

The A’s established that lead with Elvis Andrus’ double followed by Seth Brown’s run-scoring single in the sixth, and Billy McKinney’s solo shot in the seventh.

The A’s added insurance in the ninth with Kemp’s two-run single that chased home Christian Pache and Austin Allen.

The A’s lengthy season-starting road trip continues in Tampa on Monday with Paul Blackburn getting the start opposite the Rays’ Luis Patino.

NOTES: Manager Joe Girardi elected to sit catcher J.T. Realmuto and shortstop Didi Gregorius in deference to getting backups Johan Camargo and Garrett Stubbs some playing time. Bryson Stott, 24, made his second-ever Major League appearance as the Philadelphia starting shortstop. Jean Segura homered in the ninth to register the Phillies’ only run.

The A’s failed to breakthrough against Zach Elfin, who pitched just four innings. They fared much better against three relievers, who surrendered seven hits and all four A’s runs. The first of those relievers, Bailey Falter took the loss.

Where’s the Help? Gomes, Marte and Harrison answer the call for the A’s in 8-3 win over the Angels

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By Morris Phillips

Veterans making their debut with a new club are more likely to go well than a rookie getting his MLB debut in the face of a powerful, above average big league offense.

That in a nutshell was the story of the A’s-Angels series finale in Anaheim that went to the A’s 8-3 on Sunday.

The A’s trio of trade deadline acquisitions–Yan Gomes, Josh Harrison and Starling Marte–combined for six hits and three stolen bases. Reid Detmers, 22, the Angels highly touted pitching prospect with just 13 professional appearances under his belt, allowed two homers and six earned runs in taking the loss in his big league debut.

“Obviously, I’ve been dreaming of that moment since I was a little kid,” Detmers said. “Obviously, it didn’t go as planned. But that’s baseball. Just got to bounce back. I’m looking forward to my next start. I’m just enjoying the moment right now.”

Detmers struggled with his fastball command, couldn’t get the proper touch on his offspeed pitches, and saw his entire afternoon blow up in the third inning when Matt Olson hit a three-run homer followed by Gomes’ two-run shot. That wiped out a 3-0 Angels lead and sent the home team, desperate to change the tenor of the division rivalry, to a 12th loss to the A’s in 16 meetings in 2021.

“The slider and the curveball kind of became moot,” manager Joe Maddon said. “He just could not land them where he wanted to and then it put them in good hitting counts, and they got him.”

The A’s early rally allowed Daulton Jeffries to ditch the jitters, expected as the A’s No. 4 prospect was making just his second major league appearance with the first coming last season in a COVID-protect environment, which translated was an empty stadium without opposing fans looking to throw you off your stride. Veteran catcher Gomes did the trick there as well, settling Jeffries.

“Yan came up to me and said, ‘Hey, your stuff is good. Just take a little more time between pitches and breathe,’” Jeffries said. “My mind was relaxed but my body was ready to go, so I just had to create a little balance.”

Jeffries retired eight of the final 10 hitters he faced, and a quartet of A’s relievers took it from there. Yusmeiro Petit, Jake Diekman, newly acquired Andrew Chafina and Sergio Romo each handled an inning, combing to allow the Angels just two hits, and no more than one baserunner at any juncture, ideal for stopping a team intent on a comeback dead in its tracks.

Meanwhile, the A’s added on with Gomes’ RBI single in the fifth, and Jed Lowrie’s single in the seventh that knocked in two runs. If Gomes, acquired from the Nationals, sounds like the second coming of “Crash” Davis from Bull Durham from his multifaceted contributions on Sunday, he’s not. But the 34-year old catcher with his fourth club in his 10th major league season is having a resurgent season, clubbing 10 home runs and batting .274 in 63 games with the Nats, and one game with the A’s. Gomes has now hit double-digit homers in seven of his 10 seasons, and will likely be a quality backup to Sean Murphy behind the plate.

Marte provided three hits–and three stolen bases–just what an offense that’s capable but has been prone to droughts needs. The A’s are below average in batting average, and prone to strikeouts without being overly capable of drawing walks. Marte helps in all those areas, currently hitting .306 with 32 walks drawn in 63 games.

Harrison contributed a hit, but wowed at second base where he turned a pair of double plays on balls hit by Shohei Ohtani. That marked the first time Ohtani’s been doubled up twice in a game this season, and caught the eye of manager Bob Melvin.

“Those are pretty good double plays, you don’t see Ohtani hit into too many double plays,” Melvin said.

The A’s return to the Coliseum on Tuesday for a meeting with the Padres, and a glut of off-days in the upcoming 10 days will determine whether Jeffries gets another turn in the rotation or James Kaprelian’s health improves enough for him to reassume his position in the rotation.