Amid whirlwind after trade, Bailey set to start for Oakland

After spending almost his entire career in Cincinnati, Homer Bailey isn’t overly acquainted with the A’s, nor they with him.

A Cal connection, however, helped manager Bob Melvin; his longtime pitching coach and friend, Bryan Price, managed Bailey for fourplus years with the Reds, and he provided some scouting reports. Bailey, who was acquired Sunday from Kansas City and will make his first start for Oakland on Wednesday against Seattle, said Price had texted him “great reviews” about Melvin.

“He said he’d been around Bob a long time and spoke very highly of him.” Bailey said Tuesday at the Coliseum after landing in the Bay Area earlier in the afternoon.

Did Melvin check with Price about Bailey? “I did, and Bryan said he buried me to him,” Melvin joked. “But, yes, it’s nice to have a resource like Bryan, who knows him very well. They got pretty close over there, so to understand what the player is all about and know how to talk to him is a nice resource to have.”

Because Bailey had only one day to get acclimated, Melvin said, the team won’t throw too much at him initially; he’ll be relying on catcher Josh Phegley on Wednesday, but as Mel

vin noted, plenty of starters get traded and must adjust to new teammates and unfamiliar catchers.

“It’s more about the catchers acclimating to him and making him feel comfortable,” Melvin said. “On the fly, you kind of figure it out.”

The bigger issue might be that Bailey hasn’t pitched since July 4 — he was on his way out to start against Detroit on Sunday when Kansas City manager Ned Yost told him he’d been traded to Oakland for minorleague infielder Kevin Merrell. He’d wanted to throw Monday, but insurance issues kick in after trades and it was thought it would be best if he waited to get to Oakland rather than risk getting hurt somehow before arriving.

“I was just trying to do whatever I could to try to stay sharp with as little throwing as I’ve done,” Bailey said of his approach to his long layoff.

With 12 days off for Bailey, the A’s coaching staff “will feel it out,” Melvin said. “One of the things we’ll talk about is kind of how we do things here. … We’ll take a look at pitch counts and how long it’s been since he’s pitched and go from there.”

Bailey has been a little streaky this year, but he has been on his best roll recently, going 30 with a 2.83 ERA and .227 opponent batting average over his past six starts. He said he’s just pitching a little better, has had better preparation and game plans, but otherwise, he’s unsure why his numbers are improving. “Maybe lucky, I don’t know,” he said.

Kansas City is in fourth place in the AL Central, 251⁄2 games behind Minnesota, and Bailey arrived in Oakland on Tuesday to find Oakland in second place in the AL West and tied for the wildcard spot.

“The record glares out,” he said of the A’s 5341 mark before Tuesday’s game.

Also glaring: the footwear. Like many players dealt to Oakland, Bailey was a little in awe once he got his equipment. “I didn’t realize the shoes were this white,” he said.

Yes, he’s a baseball player named Homer, and yes, he has heard all the jokes. His given name is David, but no one calls him that; he has been Homer since birth, Bailey said, after a greatgrandfather.

“Just my dumb luck I became a pitcher,” he said. Piscotty’s progress: Right fielder Stephen Piscotty said he believes he’ll be back on the earlier side of estimates as he returns from a sprained right knee, so closer to four weeks than six weeks. “I’d like to think so,” Piscotty said.

That means the A’s right fielder could be back before the end of the month. He’s likely to go on a rehab assignment in about a week, he said. It would last no longer than a week, but he hopes he would need fewer games than that. Briefly: Sean Manaea said he will start for Class A Stockton on Thursday as he continues to work his way back from left shoulder surgery, and he’ll then continue his rehab assignment with TripleA Las Vegas. Manaea is likely to need at least three starts at Las Vegas . ... Shortstop Marcus Semien was named the A’s winner of the Heart and Hustle award, presented to one member of each team by the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association. “It’s right on time for that,” Melvin said. “He deserves it. The work ethic, what he does in the community, all the things that would add up to that award.” ... Jharel Cotton, who is coming back from Tommy John surgery, gave up two hits and two runs in one inning of relief for Las Vegas. Manager Bob Melvin said Cotton needs to get comfortable again before he is a consideration for Oakland. “It’s also going to be performance that gets him here,” Melvin said of Cotton, who has options remaining. “We’ll see.” ... Starter Jesús Luzardo (lat strain) is throwing long toss at a distance of 100 feet . ... Catcher Nick Hundley (back, knee) will join Stockton tomorrow.