Brugman debuts, but can’t stem tide

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Another potential piece of Oakland’s long-term future arrived Friday when the team called up Jaycob Brugman and put the outfielder in the starting lineup.

Brugman’s big-league debut was one of few feel-good moments for the A’s, who resumed their awful ways on the road in a 13-4 loss to the Rays. Starter Andrew Triggs gave up three homers, including a three-run shot by Steven Souza Jr. in the first inning, and allowed eight runs, a career high, in 32⁄3 innings.

“Everything was just up,” Triggs said. “I can really only pinpoint a handful of pitches I was really happy with the execution . ... Across the board, just embarrassing.”

In his first eight starts, Triggs went 5-2 with a 2.12 ERA and allowed two homers. Over his past four starts, Triggs has given up 26 runs, 20 earned, and seven homers in 242⁄3 innings. The right-hander hadn’t been a full-time starter until this year, but he said that’s not a factor. “From pitch one to pitch however many I threw, location was just horrendous,” he said.

Zach Neal worked 41⁄3 innings and allowed two homers and five runs.

The A’s didn’t score against Alex Cobb until the sixth, when Jed Lowrie doubled with two outs and Khris Davis sent him in with a single. Stephen Vogt added a solo homer in the seventh, and Adam Rosales an RBI double in the eighth.

Brugman, 25, started in left and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. He found out he was getting called up to the big leagues for the first time after Triple-A Nashville’s no-hitter at Omaha on Wednesday. Coach Eric Martins had told Brugman to come to a hitters’ meeting after the game. It was a setup — manager Ryan Christenson walked in to tell Brugman he was joining the A’s. “I was in shock,” Brugman said.

Brugman is from Phoenix and many of his family members made the trip to Florida. On hand Friday were Brugman’s dad, Jay, and his mom, Jaylene, high school sweethearts who just happen to both have names that start with Jay. Thus, the kids’ names: Jaycob’s siblings are sisters Jayna and Jaymee and brothers Jayson and Jayden.

Jayson was in attendance, as was Jaycob Brugman’s wife, Ali, his daughter, Millie, 3, and his son, Beck, who is 8 months old. Beck was born two months premature, weighing just 3 pounds, 4 ounces, so he spent his first month in the hospital.

Friday, Beck Brugman was attending his first game.

“I always said my debut would be his debut,” his dad said.

Minor-league instructor Steve Scarsone was Brugman’s manager at Nashville last year and said Brugman’s impact was felt gradually.

“It wasn’t anything immediate, ‘Oh, yeah, this guy!’ a la Ryon Healy, who made a huge impact quickly,” Scarsone said. “With Jaycob, it was a little more like, ‘Oh, here he is up again in this situation and he gets the job done.’ It was getting guys over, getting them in, playing the game correctly, taking advantage of opportunities.

“And he solidified the outfield. His ability to stop runs was as important as his ability to create runs. Eventually you look up and say, ‘This guy is doing so much for us.’ He really became our MVP, contributed in every aspect of the game, just outstanding.”

Other prospects who could come up to make debuts soon include infielders Matt Chapman and Franklin Barreto.

The A’s are 8-21 away from the Coliseum. “We play pretty pretty well at home,” manager Bob Melvin said. “We’ve got to find a way to play better on the road.”