A’s Luzardo shows ‘good stuff’ vs. Rangers
SURPRISE, ARIZ. » Jesus Luzardo had just delivered four magnificent innings in his spring debut on Thursday against the Texas Rangers, a key part of the A’s 6-0 victory in which the pitching staff allowed just one hit in seven innings.
However, the opportunity to reach out to a former teammate seemed equally exciting to the A’s 23-yearold left-handed pitcher. He was eager to talk to Khris Davis.
“I’ll probably shoot him a text
later on,” Luzardo said Thursday with an ear-toear smile. “We talk all the time.”
Davis spent the past five seasons in Oakland where he became a fixture in the lineup with his perennial .247 batting average and gaudy home run numbers that placed him at or near the top of the American League in that category for three straight years.
He became a clubhouse favorite, too. It’s what made the Feb. 6 trade that sent him and two minor leaguers to Texas in exchange for shortstop Elvis Andrus and catcher Aramis Garcia so difficult to digest.
“He’s one of my all-time favorites and for good reason,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said on Thursday morning. “Not just because of the performance but because of who he is as a person. They’re going to learn that over there.”
He hasn’t made too many appearances in a Rangers’ uniform, but the spring has not yet been kind to Davis, who owned a .091 batting average in five games and 12 plate appearances entering play on Thursday, figures that dwindled further when Luzardo got him to ground out and strike out in his two at-bats.
“Just seeing KD in the box, I definitely had to keep a straight face,” Luzardo said. “Friendly competition, for sure.”
Davis’ position in the opposing dugout was “really weird” for Melvin, who sang Davis’ praises on Thursday morning. The A’s manager anticipates that his former player will positively impact his new team, a prediction based on their close relationship.
“He’s not the most talkative guy in the world, and it takes a little while for his personality to come out,” Melvin said. “I’m guessing that’s the case right now over there, he hasn’t been there that long. He was instrumental
in our success here, and we wish him the best.” LUZARDO OFFERS ‘GOOD
STUFF’ IN SPRING DEBUT >> Judging by the outcome of his first batter faced of the spring, Luzardo’s outing on Thursday was going to be far from perfect. The lefthanded pitcher mustered up four four-seam fastballs that registered between 94 and 96 miles-per-hour. The trouble? Not one was
a strike.
“I forgot how to throw a fastball for a strike,” Luzardo said.
As it turned out, though, Luzardo’s four-pitch walk to start the game was one of the lone blemishes on a superb spring debut. He pitched four innings, did not allow a hit or a run, walked one more batter and struck out five.
“Other than walking the
first guy, pretty good,” Melvin said. “He was working on his breaking ball a little bit, fastball up in the zone as well. A lot of strikes, good stuff. He’s definitely capable of performing like that.”
Luzardo, owner of a 3.68 ERA in 71 innings, said he spent the offseason developing his offspeed pitches to offer new looks to hitters. Whether it was a sharper slider or curveball that he can throw anywhere between 65-80 mph, Luzardo said the work opened up his arsenal and put that on display against the Rangers.
He also debuted a 65 mph curve he said he learned from A’s minor league pitcher Brian Howard. Howard calls it “the Turkey-Sub.”
“I was kind of tentative to throw it,” Luzardo said of his new pitch. “When I first got into the big leagues, I didn’t know how it would work. This year I just found some confidence in it. I’m going to start throwing it.”
Luzardo wasn’t the only A’s pitcher who stood out Thursday. Right-handed
pitchers Jordan Weems, Christian Alvarado and Miguel Romero combined to throw 2 2/3 hitless innings before Romero allowed a single, the Rangers’ first and only hit of the day, in the bottom of the seventh.
• A’s utility player Tony Kemp was hit in the hip by the first pitch of the game and was subsequently removed after it “tightened up on him,” according to Melvin. Kemp has a scheduled day off Friday and could play on Saturday if his hip responds well to treatment. Melvin did not express any concern about Kemp’s longterm status.
• A’s outfielder Luis Barrera was the only Oakland player who recorded multiple hits on Thursday. The 6-foot, 195-pound native of the Dominican Republic knocked in two of his team’s six runs, an impressive performance as he had to enter the game unexpectedly for Kemp.
“He was sitting around doing nothing for a while,” Melvin said. “He can hit.”