Oakland Athletics’ Bullpen Showing Some Promise

The Oakland Athletics’ bullpen has been terrible this season. From numerous blown leads to having the third worst ERA in the American League, the bullpen is one of the main reason why the team has a losing record this year. It seemed as though things were going to get even worse after the trade deadline once Oakland traded away closer Tyler Clippard. However, the bullpen seems to have been slightly refreshed since the All-Star break and is keep opposing teams at bay a little more successfully than before.

One pitcher who has really turned things around is lefty reliever Fernando Abad. He was having major control issues during the first half of the season and had a 5.98 ERA for April and May. Additionally, Abad allowed 15 hits in 13.2 innings pitched in those first two months. Due to his lack of success, Abad did not get much time on the mound in June. However, during those few outings, he did show some improvement, which gave the Athletics hope for the future.

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Now, Abad seems to be back to his old dominating ways. In July, he had a 0.90 ERA and he has yet to allow any earned runs in August. He has only allowed two runs in his last 20 outings and has struck out 14 in 13.1 innings pitched. Abad is back to pitching like the true lefty specialist that he was back in 2014.

Like Abad, long reliever Drew Pomeranz was not so successful earlier this season. However, he began the season as a starter. In eight starts, Pomeranz had a 4.40 ERA and was wildly inconsistent. Additionally, he only made it past the fifth innings three times. However, when he was activated from the disabled list in early June after incurring an injury in mid-May, the Athletics put him in the bullpen and he has been thriving there ever since.

From his time as a relief pitcher, Pomeranz has a 2.20 ERA and has only allowed one home run in 26.1 innings pitched. Additionally, he leads the bullpen in Holds with ten under his belt. It is clear that Pomeranz is destined to be a long reliever, and the Athletics should plan to keep him in the bullpen if they want him to be successful on the mound.

Even one of the Athletics’ most recent acquisitions is doing quite well despite being designated for assignment by his previous team due to poor performances. Normally a starting pitcher, Felix Doubront came into the game as a long reliever on Thursday to take over for Aaron Brooks in the second and pitched 6.1 innings against his former team – the extremely hot Toronto Blue Jays. Even though Doubront allowed two earned runs, he was able to keep the Blue Jays’ power bats somewhat at bay and only walked one batter. With Doubront being able to come into the game and only allow two runs over 6.1 innings, he will be a great asset for the A’s in the future.

May 24, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Dan Otero (61) at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Lastly, Oakland has a handful of qualified relievers in Triple-A. Dan Otero returned for a short while after a stint in minors, and he showed more control and consistency in July and August than he had earlier this season. He was mainly sent back down to Triple-A not because he was performing poorly, but to make room for all of the other position players the Athletics acquired around the trade deadline who were out of options.

Then there is switch-pitcher Pat Venditte. Venditte had an amazing first half of the season in both Triple-A and in the MLB. He was probably Oakland’s most successful reliever. However, he landed on the disabled list in June and has just recently returned. Unfortunately, there was no room for Venditte in the bullpen in Oakland, so he is currently in Nashville.

Since returning from the DL, Venditte has a 1.39 ERA over six innings pitched. Additionally, he has only allowed three hits. Once the Athletics are able to make some room for another reliever in the bullpen, it is likely that Venditte will be brought back up to the Major Leagues.

The Oakland Athletics only need to add a few more quality pieces to their relief staff in order to have a successful bullpen once again. Additionally, the return of closer Sean Doolittle, who has been excelling during his rehab assignment, will help immensely. The 2015 season may be pretty much over for the A’s since they will not be making it to the postseason, but the future for the bullpen is looking bright.

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