A’s fall: Cotton pitches well, but ’pen can’t hold off Astros.
Even in a loss, the A’s have plenty to feel positive about right now when it comes to their young players.
Jharel Cotton, obtained from the Dodgers in the Josh Reddick-Rich Hill deal on Aug. 1, continued to wildly impress and rookies Ryon Healy and Bruce Maxwell homered Monday night in Oakland’s 4-2 loss to the Astros.
Cotton has made three starts for the A’s and has allowed only one earned run in each of them. He’s one of five Oakland pitchers to give up no more than one earned run in each of his first three career starts, joining Alan Wirth, Mike Norris, John Henry Johnson and Rich Harden.
On Monday, he gave up two hits in six innings, and struck out six while walking none. Slick performance for anyone, much less such a newbie.
No walks is a key for him; Cotton said his girlfriend, Emma Supanich, gets on his case when he walks batters. “So I’ve been trying to keep those down and pound the strike zone,” he said.
In 18 innings, Cotton has allowed 11 hits and three earned runs; he has 11 strikeouts and three walks. “Every time out, he looks like the same guy,” manager Bob Melvin said. “He’s locating all his pitches . ... Pitched great.”
Maxwell’s homer, an opposite-field shot in the second, was the first of his big-league career, and he twice chased down foul balls in front of the Astros’ dugout. “Maxwell did a good job behind the plate and made two great plays. It was pretty cool,” Cotton said.
Over his past 10 games, Maxwell is batting .406, and he has 11 RBIs in his past 14 games. “His offense is really coming around,” Melvin said.
Healy might start getting some Rookie of the Year notice despite getting called up after the All-Star break: He is batting .312 and has hit 11 homers in 60 games. Monday, Healy extended his hitting streak to 10 games and he’s leading the league in batting average this month with a .382 mark.
Cotton left after 75 pitches because the A’s are trying to lighten the workload for some of the young starters they anticipate leaning on next season. Ryan Dull worked the seventh, and Daniel Coulombe began the eighth. He was charged with a run when reliever Zach Neal gave up an RBI double to pinch-hitter Tyler White.
The team’s oldest player, reliever Ryan Madson (36), then turned in a terrific play with two outs and men at the corners: He got Yuli Gurriel to hit a tapper to the left of the mound. Madson raced toward third, grabbed the ball barehanded, wheeled and threw to get Gurriel and end the inning, preserving the tie.
In the ninth, though, Madson allowed a leadoff single by Jose Altuve, and a hit-and-run single by Carlos Correa put men at the corners. After an intentional walk to Evan Gattis — whose second-inning homer was the lone run off Cotton — Marwin Gonzalez bounced a hit up the middle with the infield in.
The A’s returned to the Coliseum after a 6-1 road trip energized, and despite Monday night’s loss, there is a fun vibe in the clubhouse with so many young players contributing.
Melvin mentioned the play of rookies Healy and Joey Wendle in particular, saying “It’s really refreshing to have guys like this come in with no agenda and just trying to play baseball and win for their team, more than anything, the name on the front of the jersey. That’s what we’re striving for . ... All around, there’s a different energy right now. You don’t expect to win six of seven on every road trip, but it sets a nice tone.”
“They’re stepping up and playing well,” outfielder Khris Davis said of the promising rookies. “They’re bringing it.”