SEATTLE -- You hear the phrase “taxed bullpen” commonly used around baseball. The Athletics’ bullpen was the very definition of that heading into Saturday night.
The A’s took the first two games of this four-game series against the Mariners, but those wins came at a cost. Due to back-to-back short outings by their starters, the A’s had to utilize seven different relievers to cover 11 1/3 innings in those two victories. Five of those relievers went more than one inning, while Hogan Harris recorded the save in both to make it three straight days with an appearance.
Suffice to say, the A’s were in dire need of length, and that’s exactly what Jeffrey Springs provided by shutting down the Mariners across seven scoreless innings in Saturday’s 6-2 win over Seattle at T-Mobile Park.
You wouldn’t exactly have pegged Springs for this type of performance based on how this season has gone. The left-hander carried a 6.37 ERA that ranked third highest in the Majors (min. 100 innings pitched), and his 9.05 ERA over his previous 13 starts dating back to the beginning of June was the worst by any MLB pitcher (min. 50 IP) in that span by more than a run. He hadn’t earned a win since April 14, with his streak of 13 straight losses ranking sixth longest in A’s franchise history.
However, Springs does have a history of success against the Mariners, particularly at T-Mobile Park, where he held a 2.45 ERA in eight games (three starts) over his career entering Saturday. So, in some ways, Saturday was a throwback to those good times for Springs. He dominated the Mariners with an efficient 81 pitches through seven innings, allowing just two hits -- a pair of singles by Cal Raleigh -- and two walks.
Springs was backed by another strong night for the A’s offense, which got to Mariners starter George Kirby with four runs through the first four innings, including a solo shot by Max Muncy, who homered for a second consecutive day. Lawrence Butler added on later in the eighth with a booming two-run shot to left.