Dunshee, Romero get opportunity to show their stuff
PHOENIX, ARIZ. » The A’s had a grand total of two runs on four hits in a 2-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday at American Family Fields.
A slow game got a little dicey in the bottom of the seventh inning when pitcher Zach Jackson walked three batters and nearly gave up a walk-off grand slam — but the Arizona breeze knocked it into a glove to cap off another Cactus League win, pushing the A’s spring record to 2-1. Here are some takeaways.
Where are the regulars?
It’s early in spring training, so we’re seeing a lot of prospects get their time to shine and show the progress they made since spring training shut down nearly a year ago. Many haven’t played in front of coaches or in any organized games with box scores since 2019.
We’ve seen some regulars in the lineup: Ramón Laureano had a triple Tuesday and scored the A’s first run. Mark Canha drew a walk.
Tony Kemp made his case as a candidate to lead off, knocking a single and stealing second base to start the game. He’ll be in the second base conversation as well as a left-handed-hitting option in the outfield.
“My game is pretty impactful,” Kemp said Tuesday. “No matter what happens when I’m up at the dish, anything can happen whether I’m laying down a bunt, hit a single, steal second, apply pressure to the defense.”
We’ve yet to see any projected
regular pitchers, though. Manager Bob Melvin said a lot of the regulars are getting work in behind the scenes, away from the small crowds on the back fields. Sean Manaea threw threeups Tuesday, Jesús Luzardo threw three-ups Monday, as did closer Trevor Rosenthal.
That’s also where some starters are getting reps in. Trainer Nick Paparesta has not yet cleared Jed Lowrie to play in games, but he’s getting plenty of at-bats in practice, Melvin said. PARKER DUNSHEE HAS HIS MOMENT » Dunshee, one of the A’s many top pitching prospects, dealt two scoreless, hitless innings with one walk allowed on Tuesday. Against a lineup that featured most of the Brewers regulars — former MVP Christian Yelich, Kolten Wong, Avisail Garcia, Orlando Arcia and Keston Hiura — Dunshee was pleased with the results.
“It was pretty much their starting lineup, facing guys that are pretty established,” Dunshee said after his outing. “It was good to compete against those guys.”
Those two innings were Dunshee’s first game action since 2019, a season in which he held a 4.36 ERA in 130 innings with Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas. Since baseball shut down last March, Dunshee pored over film of his delivery and reworked it. He noticed he’d gotten into some bad habits and worked on exercises with pylo balls to correct himself. With the adjustments, his arm path changed. Coaches at the alternate site in San Jose over summer worked with him to not overthrow the ball with his new delivery. He’s felt more himself since.
“I got back to what makes me a successful pitcher, and that’s attacking the zone with any pitch at any time,” Dunshee, 26, said. “Attacking the zone at both sides of the plate.”
This spring, Dunshee has been in Chris Bassitt, Sean Manaea and Mike Fiers’ ear for advice. Those three have similar pitching styles, so he’s looking for any advice he can incorporate into his routine and mentality against hitters.
Tuesday was a positive step for Dunshee heading into the minor league season — where he will most likely be in the Las Vegas rotation.
MIGUEL ROMERO IMPRESSES » Romero, 26, threw heat in his one-inning outing on Tuesday, collecting three strikeouts with a hit batter. Romero has back-end reliever stuff and could be in line for a big league job in the near future. Over the offseason, Romero added a changeup to his repertoire that feature a high-90s fastball and wipeout slider. BUDDY REED STRIKES AGAIN » Reed is maintaining his highlight-per-game average. Tuesday, he kept pace by hitting his second home run of spring training — this one an opposite-field jack hit from the left side of the plate that carried just over the left field fence.
Reed now has two home runs and two outfield assists in three games.
“I was a little disappointed he didn’t get an assist,” Melvin joked after the game.