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Liam Hendriks: Winning the battle to potentially lose the war

By David Hill

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 07: Liam Hendriks #16 of the Oakland Athletics reacts to striking out Josh Reddick #22 of the Houston Astros to end the eighth inning in Game Three of the American League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 07, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 07: Liam Hendriks #16 of the Oakland Athletics reacts to striking out Josh Reddick #22 of the Houston Astros to end the eighth inning in Game Three of the American League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 07, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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On the positive side, the Oakland A’s staved off elimination on Wednesday. On the negative side, Liam Hendriks’ usage may be a problem for Game Four.

The Oakland A’s desperately needed a victory on Wednesday. Quite simply, without a win, there was no tomorrow. With that dire situation in mind, and with the game tied at 7-7 in the bottom of the seventh, manager Bob Melvin turned to the one bullet he felt he could trust.

In came Liam Hendriks. The game was his from that point on, as the A’s would live or die with what was left in his right arm. A pair of sacrifice flies in the eighth inning put Oakland on top, and Hendriks slammed the door shut the rest of the way.

The A’s desperately needed that performance. In his three innings, he fired 37 pitches, 26 for strikes. He allowed just one hit, striking out four to keep Oakland alive.

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But one has to wonder how costly that victory will be. Hendriks, for his part, says that he thinks he will be available on Thursday. And he did return to record the save in Game Three of the first round immediately after throwing 49 pitching the previous day. It is entirely possible that Hendriks will be able to do what he claims.

This is a lot to ask of one reliever. In theory, the A’s bullpen, which had been a buzzsaw in the regular season, should be able to withstand the Astros offense. The problem is that, at this point, there are few arms that Melvin can trust in a close game. Jake Diekman has been solid, but can the others be trusted right now?

Based on how Hendriks threw three innings on Wednesday, the answer appears to be no. Melvin will continue to fire the bullet he has until he cannot fire it any longer. After three innings, and 37 pitches on Wednesday, one has to wonder if Thursday will be the day that comes to an end.

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The Oakland A’s won the battle by riding Liam Hendriks on Wednesday. But with that usage, they may have lost the war.