A’S BULLPEN COULD BE HUGE ADVANTAGE IN POSTSEASON
If you’re looking for an edge the A’s might have in a postseason series, look no further than their pitching staff.
“The starting staff is awesome, and the bullpen is as good as they come,” catcher Sean Murphy said.
As the numbers show, pitchers’ roles shift in the postseason. While five years ago starters were responsible for 40 percent of high-leverage at-bats, the number fell to 28.5 percent last season. In other words, playoff clubs see the advantage of lightening a starter’s load in mustwin games and spreading the responsibilities across a more diverse collection of arms.
What better way to keep hitters on their toes than offering a new look as often as possible?
This isn’t to take away from the starter’s impact. It’s merely a magnification of a strategy most teams have already adopted to varying degrees across baseball as the lines between “starter” and “reliever” blur more as each season passes.
The Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers normalized heavier bullpen usage by bringing it full-throttle to a national audience in the 2017 World Series. Then-Houston manager A.J. Hinch pulling Lance McCullers Jr. with one out in the third inning in Game 7 was so out of the ordinary that it felt disorienting, but the four relievers who followed allowed one run collectively as the Astros won.
The 2017 Astros might not
be the best example, but the instance underscores the point.
Which brings us back to the A’s. All the concern over Sean Manaea getting through lineups a third time this season might be moot in the context of postseason strategy. Unless someone is dealing, the A’s may have all their starters on a short leash. Case in point:
The opposing batting average against Manaea jumps from .233 in the first through third innings
to .322 in the fourth through sixth innings.
Jesús Luzardo’s opponents’ average jumps from .212 in innings 1-3 to .297 in innings 4- 6.
Chris Bassitt is the least impacted by lineup churn, his 1-3, 4- 6 inning leap goes from .235 to .244. Mike Fiers jumps from .248 to .290.
Mind you, the A’s starting staff has the talent to go deep into games. But it might not be worth the risk, given the effectiveness of the bullpen, which has a collective 3.1 wins above replacement. The Oakland relievers lead baseball with a 2.43 ERA and a 12- 4 record.
Closer Liam Hendriks arguably has been the team’s most valuable player, boasting a 1.17 ERA and 14 saves with 33 strikeouts. But others have been nails, too.
Jake Diekman allowed his first run of the entire season courtesy of Dodgers’ left- handed hitter Edwin Rios’ home run Wednesday.
“The way he’s been, you figure with so few games left in the season, he had a chance,” manager Bob Melvin said about a season-long 0.00 ER A. “It was almost a shock. Especially with the lefty. He gets righties out equally as well, but a home run against a lefty is something you don’t expect.”
Suffice to say, the lefthanded reliever lowers heart rates when he’s on the mound in tight games.
Joakim Soria has managed one of his best seasons with the A’s. In 21 innings, Soria has a 2.95 ERA and only one batter has barreled up one of his pitches.
J. B. Wendelken was placed on the IL without explanation. The A’s should hope is he can return before Tuesday; has been a force of consistency and could be key. He’s good for more than three outs if need be. He has a 1.80 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 25 innings. Of course, we know Yusmeiro Petit, in his third career postseason, can go multiple innings and take on nearly any leveraged situation thrown his way, too. He has a 1.83 ERA.