Offense shows promise, but losing streak at nine
“It was good to see Brownie turn on a 3-0 fastball. Good swing ... and good result.” Mark Kotsay, A’s manager
MINNEAPOLIS — A prolonged funk can provoke change. The Oakland Athletics’ offense is in one. Sunday, Seth Brown did something at the plate no A’s hitter had done all season.
In the third inning, Brown came up in a tie game with men on second and third. Twins starter Chris Paddack had just left the game with an injury. Right-hander Cody Stashak entered from the bullpen.
Stashak’s first three pitches missed the strike zone. First base sat open with Chad Pinder, a right-handed A’s hitter, on deck. No need existed for Stashak to challenge Brown.
He entered the zone anyway with a fastball; Brown lined it for a two-run single. Before that, no A’s hitter had put a 3-0 pitch in play in 2022; all 16 of their plate appearances ending on a 3-0 pitch had resulted in walks.
“We’ve had green lights. It’s just guys are maybe more selective in those 3-0 counts,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “It was good to see Brownie turn on a 3-0 fastball. Good swing, good pitch and good result.”
The A’s need to find a way to jump-start their slumbering offense. Brown’s hit provided a spark that didn’t last. The A’s didn’t record another hit until the ninth inning in a 4-3 loss to the Twins, who finished a three-game sweep at Target Field.
The A’s entered Sunday having scored one run in their previous three games. Sean Murphy, Brown and Pinder each struck two-out singles in the first inning against Paddack to build a 1-0 lead, Oakland’s first of the series.
Sheldon Neuse hit a one-out single in the third. Murphy followed with a double on a two-strike changeup. Both scored on Brown’s single.
“I’m just trying to get a good pitch in that situation,” Brown said. “With runners on second and third ... those are situations where you’ve got to do everything you can to put something in play.”
Lack of offense is an obvious culprit in the A’s recent struggles. Oakland has lost nine games in a row and 12 of 14. In seven of the past 14 games, A’s pitching has allowed three runs or fewer. Their two wins over that stretch have both been shutouts.
It’s clearly an ill-fated formula. Pitching hasn’t been infallible in that stretch but has operated on the thinnest of margins. Struggles are nearly uniform through the lineup. The A’s entered Sunday batting .170 in their previous 13 games with 27 total runs in that span.
“What is it going to take offensively for us to get out of this grind? It’s guys going up and continuing off the momentum of the at-bats,” Kotsay said. “We had two innings of that today and hopefully we can continue over the next few games building that momentum and taking those good quality at-bats.”
Pinch-hitter Tony Kemp drew a one-out walk in Sunday’s ninth inning and Christian Bethancourt grounded a single into left field for the A’s first hit since Brown’s thirdinning single. Elvis’ Andrus flyout advanced both runners. But Emilio Pagan retired Cristian Pache on a flare behind second base for the game’s final out.
“I think it’s a good sign that we’re all still fighting for it,” Brown said. “Things aren’t going our way right now, but everybody’s out there still scratching and clawing, every pitch.”
Jefferies’ outing: The Twins quickly erased their 3-1 deficit in the third against A’s starter Daulton Jefferies.
Jefferies allowed two groundball singles to start the inning. He induced another grounder that the A’s turned into one out at second. Jose Miranda yanked a 2-2 changeup for an RBI double. Jorge Polanco followed with a single that scored two.
“Two groundballs that really got through the infield and then he got the groundball (for a) double play, we didn’t turn it, so momentum shifted there,” Kotsay said. “He battled through that inning, just unfortunate he couldn’t get that groundball double play turned for him.”
Jefferies noted he had Miranda in a strikeout situation and fell behind 3-1 to Polanco.
“Our bats came alive in those early innings and it’s up to me to ... maintain that momentum shift going back out there and getting a zero, which I didn’t do,” Jefferies said. “Going forward, it’s all about attacking guys.”
Lowrie scratched: Originally set to DH, Jed Lowrie was scratched from the lineup due to lower-back tightness, Kotsay said. Kotsay indicated Lowrie would be available off the bench; he did not play in the game.