A’S HENDRIKS ONE TO WATCH IN ALDS
Closer is among several key players who can lead Oakland past Houston
Every time it seemed like the Oakland A’s caught another bad break this week, Bob Melvin’s squad rallied to overcome adversity and continued to battle against a talented ChicagoWhite Sox club.
The A’s won their first postseason series since 2006 with a 6- 4 victory in Thursday’s winnertake-all wild card roundmatchup at the Coliseum and secured a highly anticipatedmatchup and a shot at revenge against the Houston Astros.
That Oakland was able to conquer the White Sox after a loss
in Game 1, with star third basemanMatt Chapman sidelined for the season anda poor outing from Game 3 starterMike Fiers is a testament to the A’s resilience and a sign that they should be considered a legitimate contender for the American League pennant.
The A’s dominated the Astros this season, winning seven of their 10 games as they ran away with a coveted AL West crown
andwill nowhave a chance to break their hearts in the postseason.
Who are the players that can lead them past Houston? Here are 10 quick thoughts on 10 A’s players.
Liam Hendriks turned in a masterful performance Thursday by striking out the side to close out the ninth inning a day after throwing 49 pitches in an unsettling outing. It wasn’t a surprise to see Melvin turn to Hendriks with the season on the line, but watching Hendriks throw 100 mile-perhour fastballs with wipeout sliders was jaw- dropping. There are potentially two or three other relievers in baseball who could have come back on no day’s rest and looked as dominant as Hendriks did on Thursday, which proves how valuable he is to this A’s team.
It feels like the A’s have been searching for solid production at second base for the last several years
and they finally have their man inmidseasontrade acquisition Tommy La Stella. La Stella was the perfect addition to this A’s lineup because he grinds out at-bats, rarely strikes out and frustrates pitchers with his elite contact skills and ability to spoil good pitches. La Stella is the rare player who can have an 0-for- 4 and look good at the plate.
Speaking of quality plate appearances, it’s possible no A’s position player is more underrated thanMark Canha, a versatile outfielder who appears to truly savor every moment he’s on the baseball field. Canha is a joy to watch and he’s always contributing something valuable. Whether itwas his running catch up against the wall that saved runs on Wednesday or his basesloaded walk on Thursday, he’s constantly involved in the action when things are going well for the A’s.
Hendriks will get credit for blowing the White Sox away in the ninth, but he doesn’t get that opportunity if veteran right-hander JoakimSoria doesn’t throw the pitchofhis career in the
eighth. The 13th-year veteran has had a spotty postseason track record and big struggles in big moments, but he induced a 6- 4-3 double play with MVP candidate José Abreu at the plate in the eighth inning in what turned out to be the most pivotal sequence of the series for an A’s pitcher.
The A’s didn’t have any true offensive standouts on Thursday, so it might be easy to forget it was substitute Chad Pinder
who delivered the goahead, two-run single that ultimately helped Oakland clinch the series. Pinder began the day on the bench, but came in during the third inning when Melvin went searching for a matchup advantage and ended up recording the season- saving hit. Since Matt Chapman was sidelined for the remainder of the year, the A’s have probably received about as much production as they
could hope for from Pinder and Jake Lamb.
It wasn’t a perfect postseason debut for A’s lefty Jesús Luzardo in Tuesday’s series- opener, but now that Oakland has advanced, it’s unlikely Luzardo will have any playoff jitters. Melvin and the A’s front office have shown immense confidence in Luzardo as they had him pitch in relief in last year’s wild card game and sent himto the mound in Game 1 against Chicago and while he wasn’t sharp, the odds are good he’ll be ready for a familiar Astros club in the ALDS.
If it’s hard for you to think of a pitcher who’s been more dominant over the last month than Chris Bassitt, stop trying. You’ll spend hours wasting your time. Bassitt has been remarkable for the A’s and he’ll be on regular rest if Oakland wants him to set the tone in Game 1 against Houston on Monday. His curveball is so eye- popping that it’s easy to forget the right- hander has six different pitches and he relies mostly on a fastball, cutter, sinker combination
that consistently misses barrels.
If the A’s are going to advance past Houston, it’ll take Bassitt, Luzardo and either Mike Fiers or Sean Manaea stepping up with strong showings against the Astros. Melvin could rely on his bullpen in Game 3 thanks to Bassitt’s Game 2 dominance, butmanagers don’t have those luxuries in best- of-five or best- of-seven series. With no off days separating games in the division series, starting pitching will be much more important this year and it’s up to Fiers or Manaea to give the A’s a lift.
For Oakland to play up to its full potential, the A’s will need a lot more out of first baseman Matt Olson. Contact has been a problem for Olson in his career and he went hitless against the White Sox this week, but he’s also the type of hitter who can barrel up two balls in a whole series and make a massive contribution. With Chapman out, the A’s will have a tough time winning the AL pennant unless Olson gives thema lotmore production.