Bassitt makes most of opportunity
Recalled for fifth time this season, he throws six scoreless innings in front of friends, family
DETROIT >> Chris Bassitt has had to deal with his ups and downs this season, but this was about as good a feeling as he’ll probably have all year.
Pitching about an hour away from his hometown of Toledo, Ohio, Bassitt gave the A’s exactly what they needed with six scoreless innings in Wednesday’s 3-0 victory over the Tigers.
A large group of Bassitt’s friends and family made the trek to Comerica Park from nearby Ohio and were making noise from the time Bassitt’s name was announced during the starting lineups. Perched about 20 rows behind home plate, the “C-Bass!” chants only got louder as each inning went along.
“I don’t know how many there were, but I know there was a lot,” Bassitt said. “I hope
no one got in trouble. They’re a loud, rambunctious group.”
Bassitt gave them plenty to cheer about. Aside from a third inning in which he walked three batters to load the bases, still managing to escape without allowing a run, Bassitt utilized a nice variation in velocity to keep the Tigers (36-45) in check.
Featuring a 94 mph sinking fastball mixed with a 70 mph looping curveball, Bassitt was able to rack up five strikeouts through his six scoreless innings before handing it over to the A’s lights-out bullpen. Sensing it was probably his last inning at 102 pitches, the group of Bassitt supporters exploded with elation after the right-hander retired Grayson Greiner on a groundout to end the sixth.
Bassitt’s walk back to the dugout was particularly slower than usual, as if he was soaking it all in, before he was greeted by A’s manger Bob Melvin with a handshake and high-fives all around from his teammates.
“That was terrific,” Melvin said. “We had several guys down in the bullpen and needed at least five from him today to stay within shouting distance, and all he does is give us six shutout innings.”
Bassitt had arrived Tuesday night after a long two days of traveling as he was called up from Triple-A Nashville to take the roster spot of the injured Daniel Mengden. It’s something Bassitt has grown used to this year, now recalled from the minors for the fifth time this season.
Having spent the previous two days in Nashville, St. Louis, Oklahoma City, and Minnesota before arriving in Detroit, Bassitt joked that Southwest Airlines was going to owe him
some money after racking up so many frequent flyer miles.
Considering the rigorous travel, Bassitt figured his command would not be all the way there, which showed with his five walks allowed.
“I’ve been on a flight for basically two straight days,” Bassitt said. “Spent all day yesterday in an airport and travel is not good, but when you do as much as I have been doing it’s a recipe for disaster that we kind of averted by timely outs today.”
It’s a process that can get a little frustrating for any player, especially a case like Bassitt’s, in which he’s only made three starts combined in those previous four call ups. Two of those callups only lasted one day each, with Bassitt spending almost as much time on the plane rides as he actually did with the big league club.
“It’s a difficult thing to do. Every time you go up and down like that, you feel like you’re pitching for your life — I have to do well, or I’m going to get sent down,” Melvin said. “A little bit different circumstances with us right now, but he knows he has to pitch well, and it’s not an easy thing to do when you’re not in your routine, you certainly aren’t in the same city for more than three or four days at a time.”
But Bassitt has remained positive through it all, happy to get a shot to contribute to the team as it currently deals with seven starting pitchers on the disabled list. He earned his first win of the year, now 1-3 with a 2.82 ERA in four starts with the A’s.
“Whatever this team really needs, I know this team needs starters right now, so it is what it is,” Bassitt said. “It’s kind of what I expected from the jump. I expected to be in this role. I’m glad it’s kind of settling down and not really slowing down the way that I envisioned it. I didn’t really expect five or six starters to go down and get a chance like this, but that’s baseball I guess.”
The A’s (43-38) major league record for consecutive road games with a home run ended at 27, but Jed Lowrie continued his hot-hitting ways by going 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles and a walk. His double in the fourth drove home Matt Joyce for the first run of the game.
A pair of doubles by Josh Phegley and Dustin Fowler in the ninth drove in two more runs to increase the A’s lead to three runs, making it 105 runs scored in the eighth inning or later this season, most in the majors.
The win was the A’s eighth consecutive victory over the Tigers, their longest win streak against Detroit since moving to Oakland in 1968.