Barnett will get chance to show adjustments down the stretch for A's

CLEVELAND -- Athletics pitcher Mason Barnett threw his first professional complete game in his last start for Triple-A Las Vegas, allowing two runs and six hits against Sacramento on Sept. 12.

The right-hander rode that positive momentum for three scoreless innings in his return to the Majors, but couldn’t maintain it in the fourth as the Guardians scored three times on their way to a 5-3 victory on Friday night at Progressive Field.

Barnett didn’t figure in the decision after being chased by José Ramírez’s game-tying single, which was Cleveland’s fourth hit in the frame. All three runs were earned, the result of allowing seven hits and four walks, with four strikeouts, in 3 1/3 innings.

“Location obviously was a problem for Mason,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “He struggled all night and it eventually caught up with him in the fourth. José Ramírez hasn’t necessarily been José this season [due to injuries], but he’s a great player and he had a couple of big hits.”

The Guardians loaded the bases in the first and second, but Barnett savvily escaped both jams. He coerced an inning-ending double play out of All-Star Travis Bazzana in the opening frame, and struck out Ramírez to end the second threat.

With the help of catcher Jonah Heim, Barnett also found the strike zone after throwing 13 balls in his first 22 pitches. He finished the evening with 45 strikes on 79 total pitches, 36 of them in his final 57 deliveries.

“His stuff was sharp and it looked good,” Heim said. “With all our young guys, being part of games like this is huge. It gives them the chance to see how much fun it can be playing for something in September. That means everything to a player.”

A former top prospect, Barnett was recalled from the Aviators for the fifth time this season. He moved into the rotation spot of Gage Jump, who went on the injured list Tuesday with a left shoulder impingement.

The 6-foot, 218-pounder learned Wednesday that he would start at the Guardians, who are in first place in the American League Central and had a sellout crowd of 35,391 on hand for the series opener.

“It was awesome,” said Barnett. “I had a couple of days to prepare, and I was excited. All of these environments are very good to pitch in against really good teams.”

His most recent Minor League stint lasted one month, ending with the nine-inning, 3-2 win over Sacramento that saw Barnett equal his professional career high with 102 pitches. The 25-year-old admitted he felt some fatigue against Cleveland.

“Maybe a little, but not as far as my arm goes,” he said. “My body was a little tired the longer I went. In the fourth, they put some good swings on some balls and put some good swings on some good pitches.”

A third-round pick by the Royals in 2022, Barnett pitched exclusively out of the bullpen for the Athletics this year until July 30. His season statistics over 19 appearances (five starts) show a 1-4 record and a 7.16 ERA.

But the start against the Guardians represented a step forward. Barnett’s three starts in August were all losses with a combined 13.09 ERA, allowing 16 earned runs in 11 innings.

While Jump’s injury was unfortunate for his development, it did afford Barnett two more chances to impress the A’s front office before heading into the uncertainty of the offseason.

“Mason has been up and down,” Kotsay said. “We’ve seen him good and we’ve seen him bad. The key for him is to throw strikes.”