A’s Are Still Struggling At The Plate

At 17-17, the Oakland A’s are in third place in the American League West, two games behind the division leading Angels. Offensively, the A’s are having problems scoring runs, as they rank 28th in runs scored with 115. Their pitching staff, meanwhile, has been the one bright spot for an A’s team that has been extremely inconsistent through the season’s first month.

Kevin Kouzmanoff, Daric Barton, David DeJesus, and essentially everyone else in Oakland’s starting lineup have underperformed thus far. Kouzmanoff, 29, entered the season as the A’s starting third baseman, but his slow start may have costed him his job security. Through 28 games, Kouzmanoff is batting just .195/.233/.317 with two home runs and 10 RBIs. Andy LaRoche has been filling in for Kouzmanoff recently, which could suggest that the A’s may have run out of patience for Kouz’s slow start.

Barton, meanwhile, has also underperformed. In 32 games this season, Barton is hitting just .196/.326/.277 with six RBIs. Last year, Barton hit .273 with 10 HR and 57 RBIs. Oakland’s young player could also lose some playing time if his offensive woes do not improve soon.