Sean Manaea having rough stretch at worst possible time
As the Oakland A’s attempt to chase down the Houston Astros, they need all the help they can get from their pitching staff. While Chris Bassitt has emerged as the A’s ace, the emergence of Sean Manaea as a dependable second starter has been a key to their success this season.
However, Manaea has not been that same pitcher of late. He has struggled in his past three outings, allowing a total of 15 runs on 20 hits and four walks over 11 innings, striking out 11 batters.
Oakland A’s need Sean Manaea to get back on track
Those struggles continued on Sunday. He allowed seven runs on seven hits and a walk over his five innings against the Rangers as he again struggled to limit hard contact. Texas did not look as though they were the third worst team in the majors, as they belted three homers against Manaea.
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Over the years, Manaea has struggled with his consistency. That was an issue in 2020, as he struggled at the beginning of the year before starting to look like the pitcher the A’s had hoped he would be after his solid 2018 campaign. Aside from a couple of bumps in the road, he had been that until the calendar flipped to August.
It is worth noting that Manaea is pitching more than he has in a long time. His 133.2 innings this season are his most since the 2018 campaign, as he missed the majority of 2019 due to injury. This workload, while not necessarily egregious, may be wearing on Manaea as the season goes through the dog days of August.
This is likely something that the A’s are aware of. It would not be a surprise to see Manaea land on the Injured List with a nebulous designation such as a sore arm or fatigue. This way, he could take a bit of time off as Daulton Jefferies gets another start, allowing Manaea the rest he may need.
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The Oakland A’s need Sean Manaea to get back on track. Perhaps getting a start off and a stint on the Injured List will do just that.