Oakland A’s: Sean Manaea has a chance at redemption
Sean Manaea’s first postseason outing was one to forget. The Oakland A’s pitcher has a chance for redemption in a crucial Game Two.
At long last, Sean Manaea is getting his chance at redemption for the Oakland A’s.
He had been handed the ball for the Oakland A’s in their Wild Card matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019. Although he had missed most of the season due to shoulder surgery, Manaea had dominated over the final month, allowing just four runs on 16 hits and seven walks over his 29.2 innings, striking out 30 batters. It was a risk, as he had just five starts, but a worthwhile gamble for the A’s.
Instead, he was rocked in his outing against the Rays. He allowed four runs on four hits, three of which were homers, in his two innings of work. The A’s would go on to lose that game, leaving Manaea to wait for his chance to make up for that outing.
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That time did not come in the first round. The A’s opted to use Jesus Luzardo, Chris Bassitt, and Mike Fiers in the three game series against the White Sox. Manaea, although he had a strong end to the regular season, did not see any action at all, although he could have presumably served as a long reliever.
Now his time has come. The A’s are in what is essentially a must win Game Two against the Astros, and Manaea is taking the ball. They need him to build off of his final 34 innings of 2020, when he allowed 12 runs, ten earned, on 30 hits and three walks, striking out 27 batters.
For Manaea, this is the perfect chance to make amends. A strong start in Game Two could keep the A’s in the driver’s seat, evening the series and potentially putting some doubt in the Astros’ minds. And he did shut down the Astros in his start against them this season, allowing just one run on two hits over seven innings, striking out four.
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Sean Manaea has his chance to redeem himself after a disastrous playoff debut for the Oakland A’s in 2019. They need him to dominate once again to pull even in their series.