QUICK EXIT
Dodgers jump on Manaea early as he has shortest outing of the season
OAKLAND >> The final two months of the season in a playoff race are the times where you’re top players have to step up. Sean Manaea is the best pitcher on this A’s staff, but he will need to be better than this.
Manaea was out of sync from the beginning in what was his shortest outing of the season as the A’s fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 on Tuesday night in front of 33,654 fans at the Coliseum, snapping a six-game win streak.
The left-hander spotted the Dodgers a run before the A’s (6747) even had a chance to bat in the first inning and required 56 pitches to get through the first two innings. After allowing a two-out RBI single to Cody Bellinger in the third that put the Dodger ahead 3-0, A’s manager Bob Melvin had seen enough. Manaea’s night was done as he The top two wild-card teams face each other in a one-game playoff. The winner advances to the divisional round against the division champion with the best record. allowed three runs on five hits with three walks and a strikeout, throwing 77 pitches over just 2 2/3 innings.
Manaea fell behind early in the count to most hitters and just never seemed to have full control of his pitches, a recipe for disaster against a dangerous Dodgers lineup with thump up and down the order. It was his shortest outing since getting bounced in the first inning of a start against the Baltimore Orioles last August.
Khris Davis did his best to inject some life into the A’s offense
as he continued his absurd power streak. His two-run shot on a 1-2 fastball from Rich Hill went well up the bleachers in left-center in the sixth and cut the Dodgers (63-51) lead to just a run at the time. It was Davis’ 32nd home run of the season, third straight game with a home run, and 11th home run in the past 15 games.
That home run was the last pitch the A’s would see from Hill, the former A’s pitcher. Though Hill was tough on the A’s through 5 1/3 innings as he allowed just the two runs on three hits, the Dodgers bullpen was even more dominant as they held the A’s to just one hit the rest of the way.
• Over the past few seasons, getting traded to Oakland was seen as a bad thing for incoming players. The A’s were routinely bottom feeders in the American League West, and the final two months of the season could feel like two years for incoming players. But that’s changed.
Mike Fiers arrived to
the Oakland Coliseum not with a frown as may have been the case the last three years, but excited with a big smile on his face. And why wouldn’t he? The A’s are now in the thick of a surprising playoff race, leaders for the second AL wild card, and are making moves to only get stronger for this final stretch of games.
Fiers comes from the Tigers having put together a solid season at 7-6 with a 3.48 ERA in 21 starts, showing an ability to pitch deep into games on a consistent basis.
“I want to win. Everyone’s goal at the start of the season is to make the playoffs, and this team is giving me the opportunity to pitch for a winning ball club,” Fiers said. “I’m honored to be a part of it and just gonna try to do my job here.”
The right-hander’s first official day of work comes tonight against the Los Angeles Dodgers opposite ace Clayton Kershaw. It’s a good warmup for these final two months of the season, where every game Fiers pitches in will be important as the A’s look to hold onto their playoff spot
and reach the postseason for the first time since 2014. It’s a new home for Fiers, but there are familiar faces in the clubhouse. Fiers played with Jonathan Lucroy and Khris Davis while a member of the Milwaukee Brewers and Jed Lowrie with the Houston Astros. The already established relationship with Lucroy is of special importance, given that the two will work together as battery mates once again in Oakland.
Melvin described Fiers as a “gritty” pitcher, which would seem to fit right in with these A’s. They’re a scrappy bunch who have been able to position themselves as one of the best teams in baseball, entering Tuesday night with the fourth-best record in the majors, despite having gone through 12 different starting pitchers.
But having a guy like Fiers, who has consistently been able to turn in at least six innings per start in Detroit, should help for a dominant A’s bullpen that has been overworked at times, especially with a stretch of 20 games in a row coming up from Aug. 17-Sept. 4.