Axford seeks his groove
Many scouts have turned out to check out the back end of Oakland’s bullpen before the trade deadline at the end of the month, and while Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle are sure to garner interest, John Axford probably would be a long shot for contenders at this point.
Axford has a 5.95 ERA, highest among the regulars in the A’s bullpen, and he has allowed at least one run in three consecutive outings. Monday, he walked four batters and threw more balls (18) than strikes (15).
“He’s not throwing the ball where he wants to, you see the ball-strike ratio and walking guys,” manager Bob Melvin said. “For a veteran guy who’s done this a while, he’s always walked a few guys but maybe a few more so now and putting himself in some tough spots. It would be one thing if he was throwing 90 mph instead of 96. The strikeouts with the breaking ball ... they’re sharp when he throws them well, it just hasn’t been consistent for him.”
The four walks Monday were a career high.
“I don’t know what to say, in all honesty,” Axford said. “It would be great to get my ERA under 5.00 at some point this year. It’s just a matter of finding that groove and staying there.” Injury updates: Infielder Ryon Healy said the back spasms that sidelined him Monday have subsided; he hit in the batting cage Tuesday, but Melvin said he was not available off the bench . ... Rehabbing shortstop Marcus Semien batted second in Triple-A Nashville’s 9-8 loss at Colorado Springs. He went 2-for-5 with a solo homer . ... Outfielder Jake Smolinski, who had shoulder surgery in March, is doing sock throws and said he’s scheduled to begin throwing a baseball after the All-Star break . ... Righthander Andrew Triggs has played catch each of the past two days and said his activity level is being increased to see how his injured left hip responds. Surgery remains an option; should he need the torn labrum repaired, Triggs hopes to be ready for spring training. ... Right-hander Bobby Wahl is throwing long toss, but he is not yet throwing off the mound; he hopes to do so next week.