The Oakland Athletics’ closer Sean Doolittle made his second appearance of the 2016 season on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays. After spending nearly the entire season on the disabled list, fans gave Doolittle an extended standing ovation when he took the mound in the seventh inning. Unfortunately, Doolittle was less than impressive.
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Doolittle came on to relieve Kendall Graveman, who was actually pitching quite well, but left the game with a strained left oblique. Graveman had only allowed three hits and one walk over the six innings he pitched. Nonetheless, Doolittle came in and promptly walked the first batter. He was not off to a good start.
Doolittle did draw one ground out, but he also allowed two earned runs and one more walk in a total of 23 pitches. It showed that he could not hit the strike zone and his velocity was slightly below his typical speed. After his two outings this season, Doolittle’s ERA currently resides at 10.80.
It must be noted that Doolittle only had two weeks for his rehab assignment before being reinstated from the disabled list. Even though Doolittle had been resting and rebuilding his strength prior to the official start of his rehab assignment, two weeks is still not enough time for a reliever to be completely ready to pitch in a Major League game – especially one who has been on the disabled list for the majority of the season.
When compared to spring training, the players have a little over a month to prepare for the upcoming season. So, just two weeks is not an adequate amount of time for Doolittle. Since the Oakland Athletics are out of postseason contention, they should have allowed Doolittle to take a little extra time in the Minor Leagues in order to regain his velocity and precision. It was clear on Sunday that Doolittle was not pitching his best and needs more time before being put into a save situation.
Melvin was not going to put Doolittle back in the closer role until he felt that as though Doolittle was ready to take on the pressure of that position. After this outing, it is clear that Doolittle may need a little bit more time before resuming his closer duties. It would be beneficial for him and the team to work out of the bullpen as the seventh or eighth inning setup man for a few more games while he reacquaints himself with what it takes to be a quality reliever in the MLB.
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