Buchter impresses early
It took two pitchers, Jesse Hahn and Heath Fillmyer, plus $5 million (in Brandon Moss’ salary) to pry reliever Ryan Buchter from the Royals in late January.
Buchter looked awful all spring, putting up a 9.82 ERA and allowing opponents a .378 average. Then the season started — and Buchter looks terrific.
“He really didn’t have a good outing in the spring,” manager Bob Melvin said. “And once the lights came on, since the bell rang, he’s pitched really well.”
The left-hander has worked in three games and hasn’t allowed a run in 32⁄3 innings. Opponents are batting .214 against him.
On Monday, he threw 36 pitches, second most in his career, and allowed a hit and a walk in 12⁄3 innings, striking out three.
“To go two innings is always a task for me,” Buchter said, adding of pitching coach Scott Emerson, “I was joking around with Emo — because I haven’t had one since a back-field game during spring training, it was real risky to put me back out there after a clean inning. I’m happy to show I could do that and help the team.”
So what’s the difference from spring training? Buchter said that he was working too low in the zone, and that’s not him. He was falling behind, then trying to throw more low strikes and was getting hit.
“The last couple of times out, I’ve thrown up in the zone effectively, even behind the count, used the hitters’ aggression against them,” he said. “That’s not my game at all, to throw down in the zone . ... I threw a bullpen that was basically all high fastballs and came out feeling confident.”
Melvin called Buchter a major key to Monday night’s win.
“He’s not just a lefty-lefty,” Melvin said. “We can let him roll, and with 11 straight games, it’s a chess match every day.” Blackburn update: Melvin said that right-hander Paul Blackburn is not progressing as well as hoped in his return from forearm tightness, and he had another MRI exam this week that showed the same result as last month: no sign of structural damage. Forearm tightness can be a precursor to elbow trouble, so the A’s will be cautious with Blackburn, who is likely to miss more than a month. Briefly: Triple-A Nashville has set its rotation: right-hander James Naile will start Thursday, right-hander Frankie Montas on Friday, righty Trevor Cahill on Saturday, lefthander Eric Jokisch on Sunday, and lefty Brett Anderson on Monday . ... The A’s “pick your price” Community Impact Wednesdays debut this week; fans can determine the amount they pay in section 322, with $1 minimum required. The team has sold 100 tickets for Wednesday, raising $150 for the A’s Community Fund . ... Oakland’s game Sunday, Shohei Ohtani’s first start, drew a 1.64 rating, the A’s highest since April 4, 2016.