WEST SACRAMENTO -- When a team is scuffling through a prolonged losing skid, there comes a point where changes need to be made. For the Athletics, that day came on Friday.
Before Friday’s 4-3 loss to the Phillies at Sutter Health Park, the A’s, who entered the day on a nine-game losing streak, revamped their Major League roster with a flurry of moves. Here’s the full breakdown:
- OF Denzel Clarke (A’s No. 5 prospect), LHP Jacob Lopez, INF CJ Alexander recalled, INF/OF Logan Davidson (No. 30 prospect) and C Willie MacIver selected from Triple-A Las Vegas
- OF JJ Bleday, C Jhonny Pereda, RHP Carlos Duran optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas
- 3B Gio Urshela (left hamstring strain) placed on the 10-day injured list
- OF/1B Seth Brown designated for assignment
- 2B Zack Gelof (ribs) transferred to the 60-day injured list
There is obviously a lot to unpack there, which was why A’s general manager David Forst decided to make himself available to the media for questions on Friday morning. Some of the roster moves were based on needs created through injury, while others were performance-based.
Bottom line, after a stretch that has seen the A’s go from a 22-20 record and only a game and a half back of first place in the American League West beginning on May 14, to starting out Friday now seven games back with a record of 22-29, change felt necessary.
“Ultimately, we’re in a stretch right now where we’re not finding ways to win,” Forst said. “We’re trying to make some changes where we can. Defense is where we’re looking to get better.”
If defense is what the A’s seek, there is no better option in the entire organization than Clarke. The 25-year-old brings elite traits in center field, possessing a strong arm and impressive range that has led many scouts to label his defense as Gold Glove-caliber. Getting that type of glovework in center would be a plus for the A’s, as Bleday statistically ranked as one of the worst center fielders in MLB with -5 outs above average and -5 runs prevented.
It didn’t take long for Clarke to show off his defensive prowess. During the first inning of his Major League debut on Friday night, Clarke raced over from his spot in center field to make a fantastic catch on a liner hit to left-center by Nick Castellanos with a 35% catch probability.
“You saw him at his top speed,” manager Mark Kotsay said of Clarke. “You saw an excellent jump. … A great night for him out there defensively.”
At the plate, Clarke has also made strides. He’s always had an impressive combination of speed and power, but a lack of making consistent quality contact and swing-and-miss concerns were evident.
In 31 games at Las Vegas this season, Clarke hit .286/.436/.419 with 23 walks and 29 strikeouts in 133 plate appearances.
“Denzel’s done a really nice job this year in his first extended look at Triple-A,” Forst said. “His strike-zone judgment has been excellent. He’s taken walks. He’s used his legs to get some hits, and he’s played really good center field, which is obviously the priority for his time here. I know [Kotsay] will get him in there as much as possible.”
More things are going wrong for the A’s these days than just defense, though. Since May 5, a stretch in which the A’s have gone 3-13, the bullpen has posted a 9.19 ERA (63 earned runs in 61 2/3 innings), including an 8.00 ERA from the seventh inning on. Offensively, they have failed to add on late in key posts, going 11-for-76 (.145) with runners in scoring position during their nine-game losing streak.
So, while injecting new life with Clarke, Davidson (.303 batting average, .880 OPS), MacIver (.389 AVG, 1.017 OPS) and Alexander (.252 AVG, .857 OPS) is a hopeful solution, it is largely on the current group of players already in place to get this season back on track.
“Offensively, we had 20-plus runners [Thursday] and we just didn’t push enough runs through,” Forst said. “We’ve made some changes in the bullpen over the last couple of weeks and still searching for the right combination there. We’ve got some guys here who have had some success and are looking for them to step it up, but we will continue to look both from a position player and pitching standpoint for places where we can make improvements and get back to the kind of baseball we were playing before this stretch started.
“I think we’re better than we’ve shown the last 10 days. I think we’re closer to the team that started out this season and where we were before this losing streak began. It’s just a matter of getting back to playing that kind of baseball.”