WEST SACRAMENTO -- Jack Perkins was happy to start the sixth inning on the mound for the Athletics on Tuesday.
He just wished he could have finished it, too.
Perkins took a big step in his development as a starter in his club’s 6-5 loss to the Pirates on Tuesday at Sutter Health Park, even though his outing ended on a bit of a sour note.
Reaching the sixth for the first time in his three starts this season -- and for the first time as a starter since Aug. 9, 2025 -- Perkins saw his night come to an end after allowing a home run and a double to begin the frame.
It belied an impressive outing from the second-year pitcher, who struck out six across five innings as he continued to carve out a spot in the A’s rotation.
“I think it was a huge step in the right direction for me,” Perkins said.
It was easily Perkins’ best start since joining the rotation on June 5, as he went just four innings in each previous outing, allowing five runs in his first start and three in his second. When the man he left on second base with nobody out in the sixth came around to score on Tuesday, Perkins was charged with a third run, but his late falter didn’t undermine his strong start overall.
The 26-year-old showcased his full arsenal against Pittsburgh, notching three strikeouts on his sweeper and one apiece on his changeup, slider and four-seam fastball.
“He was able to, for five innings, really command the baseball, really do a nice job getting some swing-and-miss, some strikeouts,” manager Mark Kotsay said.
Through five innings, Perkins had thrown 82 pitches -- seven shy of his season high -- but Kotsay left him in the game to get a much-needed taste of pitching into the sixth inning. It was a sign that the A’s plan to keep Perkins in the rotation for the time being -- and perhaps for the long term.
“Hopefully now five innings is the norm and I can go out for the sixth, seventh and just keep going farther and deeper into games,” Perkins said.
Perkins’ season ERA sits at 6.15 after Tuesday’s outing, but he’s dealt with a fair bit of bad luck. Statcast projected Perkins for a 3.66 expected ERA (based on quality of contact allowed, strikeouts and walks) heading into the day, and he boasted some impressive numbers across the board. Of the 12 principal Statcast pitching categories, Perkins entered Tuesday below average in just three of them (average exit velocity, ground-ball rate and extension). His 37.5% chase rate entering the day ranked in the 97th percentile among pitchers.
The A’s have something in their fifth-round pick from the 2022 Draft, and they need whatever they can get. While right-hander J.T. Ginn and lefties Jeffrey Springs and Gage Jump appear to be fixtures in the rotation, two spots remain a bit more open. Righty Aaron Civale, who will return from the injured list to start Wednesday’s series finale, will occupy one, but the other has been a revolving door in the absence of Luis Severino (right shoulder strain), who has been out since the end of May.
Before Tuesday’s game, Kotsay declined to give a timeline for Severino’s return, simply saying the A’s are hopeful they’ll get the righty back at some point this season.
“Obviously, he’s got a ways to go here,” Kotsay said.
Several of the 11 starters the A’s have used in 2026 -- tied for the sixth most in MLB -- haven’t gotten the job done. Jacob Lopez was optioned to Triple-A after a 6.75 ERA in 12 games (10 starts), prospect Kade Morris was rocked for nine runs in his MLB debut and righty Joey Estes allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings in a spot start on Saturday in Las Vegas.
The A’s hope Perkins can follow a similar path to Ginn, who -- after a 4.85 ERA in his first two Major League seasons -- has been excellent this year with a 2.91 ERA in 77 1/3 innings.
“They’re never going to be perfect, obviously,” Kotsay said. “They’re going to have their obstacles in front of them that they have to overcome, but for Perk, this should be a big confidence builder for him.”
Tuesday’s start was just that for Perkins. But he has his sights set on more.
“I feel like for me, this needs to be my baseline,” he said. “This needs to be my normal.”