Dallas Braden: Less Than Perfect?

Since throwing the 19th perfect game in MLB history, A’s starter Dallas Braden, has not looked as sharp as he did on May 9th. Braden, who has been effective for most of this season for Oakland, has been on quite a dry spell since his perfecto. Braden is 0-3 since his perfect game, and has allowed 15 runs over his past 30.1 innings (4.48 ERA). While it’s not entirely Braden’s fault for his current losing streak—the A’s have given Braden only eight runs of support in his last four starts—the A’s starter has not looked as good as he has during the early part of the season.

And with Brett Anderson out with yet another elbow-issue, the A’s will need to get the most out of all their starters. Braden’s current slide should end soon, and the team seems to have all the confidence in the world that Braden will turn things around sooner than later. The A’s pitching staff has pitched well collectively, and Braden has been a big part of the staff’s early success—which is why I am not overly concerned with Braden’s recent struggles (if you want to call it that).

Overall, the A’s should be thrilled to see Braden pitching, especially after the injury scare in Baltimore that must’ve had the A’s front office wondering what it would take to keep the team healthy for an entire season. The A’s starter will face off agains the Halos this week, and the A’s will need to play the Angels especially well since the Halos have been turning things around as of late. The A’s and Angels will square off tonight, as Ben Sheets takes the mound for Oakland in game one of the four game series in Oak-town.